When berries are in season here, it’s a big deal. We can’t wait to bake with them! A twist on pie bars, these crumble bars are a delicious way to indulge that craving. We use blackberries, blueberries and raspberries in this recipe, along with a bit of crumbled toffee and toasted almonds in the crust, to be finished with a sensational scoop of vanilla bean gelato. If you’re in a pinch for time, pick up our equally scrumptious Cherry Pie Bars from your Market Bakery.
Serves: 8
Difficulty: easy
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Diet: vegetarian; can be GF with GF flour substitute
Ingredients
Toffee Almond Crust
1½ oz toffee (use bulk or a toffee candy bar)
2 T sliced almonds, plus ¼ c for topping
1 lb butter, cold and cut into small pieces
4 ¼ c flour
1 c powdered sugar
1 T salt
1 T almond extract
Berry Filling
8 c fresh berries (blueberries, blackberries and raspberries), rinsed
1 c sugar
1 T lemon juice
¼ c corn starch
Steps
Toffee Almond Crust
Preheat oven to 350°. Combine all ingredients in a food processor bowl, pulsing briefly, just until almonds and toffee are broken and butter pieces are pea-size. Turn out dough into a mixing bowl and gently knead by hand until it begins to clump together (do not overmix). Spray a 10”x15” rimmed jelly roll pan with baking spray. Press ¾ of crust mixture evenly into the pan, reserving the remainder for the topping. Bake crust 16-18 min, until golden brown, spinning the pan halfway through. Meanwhile, make the Berry Filling (recipe follows). Spread Berry Filling over tart, adding a few uncooked berries for texture. Top with remaining crust mixture and sprinkle with ¼ c sliced almonds. Bake 8-10 min until top is golden. Cool to room temperature before cutting into bars or triangles. Serve with vanilla bean gelato, as desired.
Berry Filling
Bring berries, sugar and lemon juice to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally until some juice releases, approx. 5 min. Pour approximately ½ c of berry juice into a small bowl and combine with corn starch until smooth. Add this mixture back to the berries and again bring to a simmer, cooking 1 min until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and add to tart crust.
