Growing up back home in Denmark my father always had an elaborate garden with berry bushes, fruit trees, a vegetable garden and a green house. Needless to say he has always had a very green thumb. As for myself, I do well with herbs and I have tried my hand at growing tomatoes which turned out pretty good and this summer my blackberry bush actually gave me beautiful, juicy berries. The bush didn’t quite give me enough berries for these delicious Blackberry bars but it did give me about half of the amount I needed. I have to say, that there is something very satisfying about being able to use produce that you have grown yourself.

Cut butter into dry ingredients, pulse until only small pieces of butter remain and mixture is crumbly.
As for these gorgeous little bars they are a wonderful summer treat. I think they taste best when chilled and then cut up and served. The cake itself is soft, yet firm, a little sweet with a great crumb on top and the berries give a nice tartness to the cake.
Blackberry Bars (makes 16 bars)
Ingredients for crust and topping:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (190 grams or 6.7 ounces)
3/4 cup sugar (160 grams or 5.6 ounces)
pinch of salt
zest of 1/2 lemon
3/4 cup unsalted butter, cold (12 tablespoons or 170 grams or 6.0 ounces)
Ingredients for filling:
2 large eggs
1 cup sugar (205 grams or 7.2 ounces)
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt or sour cream (135 grams or 4.8 ounces)
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour (52 grams)
pinch of salt
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
16 ounces fresh blackberries (453 grams), if using frozen berries thaw and drain of excess juices
Directions:
Line a 9 x 9 inch (22 x 22 cm) pan with foil and spray lightly with baking spray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 degrees C).
In the bowl of a food processor or electrical mixer, combine flour, sugar, salt and lemon zest. Give a quick stir to combine. Cut cold butter into 1/2 inch slices (1.3 cm), add to dry ingredients and pulse/mix until only small pieces of butter remain and the mixture is crumbly. Reserve 3/4 cup of mixture for topping the bars. Add the remaining mixture to prepared pan and gently press to form and even layer of crust at the bottom of the pan. Bake 12-15 minutes or until light golden. Let crust cool for 15 minutes before proceeding.
In a medium bowl combine eggs, sugar, yogurt (or sour cream), flour, salt, lemon juice and vanilla extract. Beat until smooth. Gently fold in the blackberries. Pour filling over baked crust and spread evenly. Sprinkle evenly with remaining 3/4 cup topping mixture. Bake for approximately 45 minutes or until the filling is set and the top is starting to brown a little. Let cool completely on a wire rack at room temperature. Chill in refrigerator before cutting into bars. Enjoy!
Source: Annie’s Eats via The Pastry Queen
Hi Gitte,
I have always kept up with your blog after deciding to bake comforting things for my occasionally homesick Danish boyfriend!
Anyway this has to be one of the best things you have published, as my entire family truly adores it. Me and my mum actually foraged the Blackberries ourselves, so they were free. Maybe that’s one of the reasons it tastes so good!
Tusind tak, keep the great opskrifter coming! 😀 x
Free is the best for sure. So glad you liked them 😀
I normally don’t like blackberries, but this looks delicious!
-Sarah
You could use blueberries or raspberries.
My Danish grandparents picked blackberries every year and made the most scrumptious jam. This dessert sounds absolutely wonderful. 🙂
It was very delicious. Now I’m thinking I should get a blueberry bush as well.
Home sweat home…
my gran used to make very similar one…
nothing better then comfort food…
I agree, a little something to delicious 🙂
Our blackberry bushes are loaded with blackberries right now! Your bars look so good-can’t wait to try your recipe 😉
Patty – hurry before the birds get them 😮
Those berries look amazing and so does your bars! Wish I had a blackberry bush too 🙂
Thanks Ev, the bush didn’t do well the first couple of years but this summer it was loaded with blackberries 🙂