Blackberry Shortbread Bars
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Say hello to one of my favorite desserts, EVER. Blackberry Shortbread Bars are buttery, sweet and downright the best “dessert bar” out there. Blackberry jam is sandwiched between a buttery shortbread dough and baked until perfectly crispy. You will want to make these!
I have been making this recipe for years and it has never failed. I’ve baked it at the wrong temperature and with tinfoil on it and they still turned out amazing. I often make these for parties and family get togethers because they are a crowd pleaser. You can make them gluten free by simply changing the flower to gluten free flour and they taste just the same.
The only problem I have with these is there are never enough! I suggest making more than enough because I find that people often take two believe it or not, they’re that good!
These are easy to make and don’t require a ton of ingredients. They start with a simple shortbread dough that’s divided in half. Half of it gets pressed into a pan and baked while the other half chills in the refrigerator. After the crust is baked, blackberry jam is poured on top and then the other half of shortbread dough is crumbled on top and baked again until baked through.
I love how they turn out every time. A dusting of powdered sugar gives them another hint of sweetness but more than that, it makes them look so pretty.
You can make these with other types of jam…peach or apricot would be so good! Maybe add a little bit of cinnamon to the shortbread dough if you decide to use peach jam. YUM.
My sister-in-law spilled a little secret to me about these blackberry shortbread bars. She said they’re amazing warmed up with a scoop of ice cream. Let me know tell you…DELISH. It totally changes the entire dessert…turns it into more of a cobbler.
Best secret, ever.
This recipe is originally from Recipe Girl – I love her site! She has a ton of yummy treats and these blackberry bars are just one of them. I slightly adapted the recipe but for the most part they’re the same…there’s really not much you need or can to change about them because they are SO delicious!
Put this recipe in your favorites, for sure!!
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- 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
- 3/4 cup granulated white sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup almond flour or very finely ground almonds
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups seedless Blackberry Jam (18 ounce jar)
- powdered sugar, for dusting
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray 9×13-inch pan with nonstick spray.
- Prepare shortbread: In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to combine butter and sugars; beat until creamy. Add vanilla and salt and beat until well combined. Beat the almond flour (I used sliced almonds and put them in a mini food processor) and the all-purpose flour into the butter mixture on low-speed, just until a smooth dough forms. Divide the dough in half. Wrap one half in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. Press the other half of the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan to form the bottom crust.
- Bake the crust until it is just beginning to turn light brown around the edges, about 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven. Place jam into a bowl and stir very well until it is nice and smooth. Spread the jam evenly over the partially baked crust. Crumble the refrigerated shortbread dough over the jam to form a crumbled topping. Return the pan to the oven and continue baking until the topping is firm and crisp and golden in color, about 30 minutes (I baked for 33 minutes). Let cool completely then sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar before cutting into bars.
Source: Recipe Girl
If I don’t have or want to use almond flour can I just use more regular flour?
yes!
Hi. Can I substitute the ground almonds with ground walnuts? Will there be a texture and taste difference? Thanks.
Hi Ester! Yes, that will be fine. I don’t think it will effect texture and taste very, Enjoy!
Made these before and they were delicious, Can you make these ahead?like days?
yes! I 3 days would be fine! Just keep them in an airtight container and wait to dust them with powdered sugar until the day you serve them.
Ok–first thing–why am I so much taller than both of you in that picture!! Ha! Second thing sweet daughter why don’t you make some of those bars and bring them home to your mama! They look so yummy!
haha because I don’t have my HIGH heels on. 🙂 I will make them for you any time you want!
Glad you enjoyed them, and thanks for the sweet words!
You’re very welcome! Thank you for being so inspiring!
One of my favorites!! Delicious!
Your shower was so fun! You were just beautiful and I am glad I could be there.
On another note these bars look amazing! I wish you still worked with me so I could steal one!
Thank you Julia! So glad you were there too. 🙂
I know, I need someone to help me eat them!