Blackberry Pecan Bars
Blackberry pecan bars are the perfect breakfast to dessert treat with a jammy berry filling in a brown sugar pecan shortbread crust.
Servings: 16 servings
Equipment
- 9x9 square baking pan
- parchment paper (optional)
Ingredients
crust
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup chopped pecans, divided
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- a pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature, cut in pieces
filling
- 8 oz fresh blackberries
- 1/3 cup blackberry preserves
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- a squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Set oven to 375F.
- Line a 9x9 baking pan with a sling of parchment paper, edges hanging off the sides for easy removal from the pan later.
- In a food processor, pulse the flour, 1/2 cup of the pecans, sugars and salt a few times to combine. Add the softened butter and pulse until the butter is thoroughly incorporated and the mixture has a large moist crumb texture. Keep pulsing until there is no dry flour left. It will be crumbly.
- Measure out about 1/2 cup of the mixture for the crumb topping and set aside. Crumble the rest into your lined pan. Spread it out and pat down the crust with your fingers. Flour them if necessary to prevent sticking. Try to get it evenly spread across the bottom of the pan. I like to finish the process with an offset spatula to flatten and smooth the surface.
- Bake the crust for 15 minutes.
- Pulse the fresh berries and the preserves along with the cornstarch in the processor briefly to break down the fruit.
- Put the mixture in a small saucepan and heat to a boil, stirring often. Let it cook for just a minute or two until it starts to thicken. Taste and add a teaspoon of lemon juice if needed. Set aside to cool slightly while the crust finishes baking.
- Spread out the fruit evenly over the crust.
- Top with the remaining crumble mixture, and then the remaining 1/2 cup chopped pecans.
- Bake for 20 minutes more.
- Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then loosen the edges and remove the bars from the pan using the parchment paper sling. Let them cool completely on a rack before slicing into 16 bars.
Notes
- All kind of berries and stone fruit work well in these bars.
- Try walnuts in place of the pecans.
- You might try mixing and matching the fresh fruit with different types of jam for unusual flavors.
Nutrition
Calories: 174 kcal · Carbohydrates: 20 g · Protein: 2 g · Fat: 10 g · Saturated Fat: 4 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 2 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 4 g · Trans Fat: 0.2 g · Cholesterol: 15 mg · Sodium: 49 mg · Potassium: 68 mg · Fiber: 2 g · Sugar: 11 g · Vitamin A: 211 IU · Vitamin C: 4 mg · Calcium: 16 mg · Iron: 1 mg
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
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