Blackberry Pie Bars

You know what I just realized?  I've never made a pie.  Well, unless you count chicken pot or yogurt pie (yogurt mixed with Cool Whip and frozen--a taste and texture you only appreciate if you had it as a child and didn't know any better).  Weird, huh? 

I guess I'm just a little bit intimidated by them, and by the whole crust thing, and the filling thing and whatnot.  Hmph.

Well, I think that now that I have the recipe for these pie bars, it doesn't matter if I ever make a pie ever, because these are just as good and not as much work (or so I believe, even though I wouldn't really know since I've never made a pie).  This was one of the recipes that my friend Cheryl of Back in the Day Bakery shared at the baking class last week.  She made hers with cherries, and it was out of control delicious.  For some reason, when I went to the store to buy fruit, though, the blackberries were a' callin' my name.  And when blackberries call your name, you listen and obey.  It's like a universal rule.

I actually halved the recipe, and ended up with 16 nice sized pieces.  The measuring got a little tricky when I was trying to get 1 1/2 1/4 cups of something or other.  I'm  normally pretty good with fractions and basic math, but that one stumped me.  (Oh, wait.  I think I just figured it out.  1 1/2 1/4 cups would be 1/4 cup with 2 tablespoons.  Shoot.  Wish my brain had been that quick the other night.)

Anyway, here's the recipe.  Make it if you need to impress someone, or if you need to eat something with delicious buttery sugary crumbly topping.  Or both.

Blackberry Pie Bars (or cherry, or peach, or whatever fruit you'd like), from Cheryl the Baking Goddess

For the crust and topping
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 sticks unsalted butter cut into cubes (room temperature)

For the fruit filling
4 large eggs at room temperature
2 cups sugar
1 cup sour cream at room temperature
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
pinch of salt
2 16-ounce packages frozen blackberries (or whatever fruit you choose), defrosted and drained

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Line a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with parchment (or spray with Pam).  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugar, and salt.  Turn mixer on low until completely mixed.  Add cubed butter a little at a time until mixture looks dry and crumbly.  Set aside 1 1/2 cups and reserve for crumb topping.  Press the rest of the mixture into the lined pan.  Par-bake the crust for 12-15 minutes until lightly golden.  Let cool at least 10 minutes.

3. To make the filling, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl.  Add eggs and sour cream until combined (be gentle!).  Gently fold in the blackberries.  Spoon the filling over the crust.  Sprinkle reserved crumb topping evenly on top of the filling.

4. Bake for 45-55 minutes until the top is golden brown and bubbly.  Cool at least an hour to cut into bars, or scoop out warm and serve with ice cream.