Blackberry Cobbler Bars

Ingredients


Crust and Topping

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, chilled

 Fruit Filling

• 4 large eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup sour cream
• 3/4 cup flour
• pinch salt
• zest of 1/2 lemon
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 2 16-oz packages frozen blackberries, thawed and drained

Preparation:

• To make the crust and topping, preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9x13 inch baking pan
• Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl.  Cut the butter into 1/2 inch pieces and add to the flour mixture.  Mix together with hands, while breaking up the butter into small pieces.  Mix until butter is evenly distributed but mixture is still crumbly.  (This can also be done in a food processor if it has a large enough capacity).

• Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the mixture to use as the topping.  Press the remaining mixture into the bottom of the pan.  Bake 12-15 minutes.  Cool for at least 10 minutes.

• To make the filling, whisk the eggs in a large bowl, then add the sugar, sour cream, flour, salt, lemon zest, and almond extract.  Gently fold in the berries and spoon the mixture over the crust.  Sprinkle the remaining flour mixture evenly over the filling.  Bake 45-55 minutes.

• Cool at least 1 hour before cutting into bars, or scoop out of the pan to serve cobbler-style.