Mixed Berry Streusel Bars
Apologies for yet another hiatus. As I said last time, I’m going through another huge transition in my life; a 2800+ miles kind of transition, and for those of you who have never been through one of those, they are…a lot.
Between crappy moving companies, crowded airports, uncomfortable flights, hot & muggy weather, a whole lot of sweat, and an endless (ENDLESS, I tell you) barrage of cardboard boxes. I am so.over.moving.
The good news is, the move itself is finally done, and we’re finally starting to settle into the new space. It might even start to resemble a real home provided I can muster up the energy (and to be honest, the ability) to actually put together some furniture rather than just continuing to camp out on a mattress on the the floor like a college student.
I do plan on getting back into my full cooking/baking swing in this new space but, in full transparency, today’s post is one I’ve had in the arsenal for a while now, but still haven’t gotten around to posting yet. It still fits the time of year though and looking back at the pictures I’m feeling rather tempted to make it one of the first desserts I make in our new home.
Here’s a pro-tip: just about any summer fruit dessert recipe you can think of, can be adapted to suit just about any summer fruit that you’ve got on hand. So long as the volume measurements match, it’s your world.
For instance, this recipe was originally only supposed to be for blueberries. But at the time, I didn’t just have blueberries on deck; I had blueberries, blackberries and raspberries. So, I used a combination of them all. The only thing that mattered was that what I used came out to equal 4 cups of fruit.
The base of these bars is a basic vanilla shortbread crust that gets pre-baked to a golden brown before the fruit filling is added and topped with an almond streusel. It’s a really simple dessert to throw together that is a perfect blend of sweet and tart.
Mixed Berry Streusel Bars
Recipe Adapted from Williams-Sonoma
Ingredients
For the Shortbread crust:
- 14 Tbs. (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing
- 1 3/4 cups, plus 2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup, plus 1 Tbs. granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup, plus 1 Tbs. firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
For Filling
- 2 cups fresh blueberries or blackberries
- 2 cups fresh raspberries
- 1 tsp. grated lemon zest
- 1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp. almond extract
- 3/4 cup (6 oz./185 g) granulated sugar
- 3 Tbs. cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
For Streusel Topping
- 1/2 cup, plus 2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup, firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
- 3 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 tsp. almond extract
- 2 Tbs. chopped raw almonds
Directions
For the Shortbread Crust
Preheat an oven to 350°F (180°C). Butter a 9-by-13-inch (23-by-33-cm) baking dish.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth, about 30 seconds. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt and vanilla and beat on medium speed until the mixture is crumbly, about 30 seconds.
Transfer the dough to the prepared baking dish and using damp hands, gently press in an even layer into the bottom of the pan. Using a fork, prick the dough in several places. Bake until the crust is light golden brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer the dish to a wire rack and let cool completely. Increase the oven temperature to 375°F.
For the Filling
in a large bowl, combine the berries, lemon zest, lemon juice and almond extract and toss to coat. In a small bowl, stir together the granulated sugar, cornstarch and salt. Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the berries and toss to distribute evenly. Transfer to the cooled crust and spread in an even layer.
For the Streusel
in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar and salt. Add the melted butter and almond extract and stir until the mixture is crumbly, with some large chunks remaining. Stir in the almonds. Sprinkle the streusel over the blueberries. Bake until the filling is thick and bubbling and the streusel is golden brown, about 25 minutes.
Transfer the baking dish to a wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour. Cut into squares and serve.
Sharing at Fiesta Friday #389, cohosted this week by Jhuls @ The Not So Creative Cook.
WOWZA! These look amazing!!! Thank you for sharing lovely 💞💗
You’re welcome–Thank you for stopping by and commenting 🙂
Sounds yummy. I just made my first peach pie. Peaches would be great for this, too.
Where did you move to? Best wishes for your new home. May you soon be fully moved in, set up and can move forward in your new home and life!
High five! Peach pie is one of my favorites 😀
Thank you so much for the well wishes, It was literally from one end of the country to the other; California to Maryland. I’m terrible at putting together furniture so the settling in phase is going slower than it probably should, but I’m here and cooking 😉
Wow, that is a big move! Hope you enjoy living in the NE….quite different in culture and weather.
I made a platform bed for myself, with drawers underneath, put together a futon and a CD “bookcase” and other bookcases but that’s all the furniture I’ve made or put together….oh…and a spice rack. But I just kept them intact for my many moves. Hope your furniture putting together goes well and you quickly feel comfy and settled.
Can I have a slice or two for my tea?😁 These look amazing!! Thanks for sharing at Fiesta Friday party.
Would if I could Jhuls–thank you!