Blackberry Shortbread Bars

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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Blackberry Jam Shortbread Bars from Recipe Girl

 

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Prep time

25 mins

Cook time

50 mins

Total time

1 hour 15 mins

 

Stuckonsweet.com: Jessica from www.stuckonsweet.com

Recipe type: Dessert

Serves: 30 small bars or 15 large bars

Ingredients

• 1½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ¾ cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
• ¾ cup granulated white sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup almond flour or very finely ground almonds
• 2¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 1½ cups seedless Blackberry Jam (18 ounce jar)
• powdered sugar, for dusting

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray 9x13-inch pan with nonstick spray.
2. 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.
3. 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.

Notes

Bars can be frozen for 3 months. Dough can be made 3 days in advance. Bars last a week in an airtight container - keep in refrigerator to keep them from getting soggy.

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