Here it is! My very first recipe on the blog. I’m so excited to share my love of baking. I have tons of tips and tricks for making your life in the kitchen easier. And way more fun!
This recipe is dedicated to my love of all things berry. I love berries. In smoothies, in desserts, on their own. I’ve never met a berry I didn’t love. My first memories of berries are having to get on a school bus in the wee hours of the morning and being driven out to farms to pick. This was my first taste of life in the real world. A summer job. I think I was around 12 or 13 and it was grueling work. Bending over the short rows of strawberries. Getting pricked and scratched all over from the blackberries and raspberries. Hot sun. Long hours.
And yet I still love them. I love scouring Pinterest and food blogs for inspiration. These bars have a wonderful berry filling sandwiched between two layers of crumb mixture. The bottom layer is pressed into the pan, creating a more structured base and the top is crumbly and almost like a cobbler.
These are so good right out of the oven with a glass of milk or a cuppa tea.
Hope you enjoy these as much as I did! Now, get to bakin’
Marionberry Crumb Bars
Ingredients
For the marionberry jam filling
16 ounces marionberries
1/3 cup sugar
2 Tablespoon water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the oatmeal bar
1/2 cup salted butter, room temp
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg, room temp
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup old fashioned oats
Instructions
To make the filling: in a medium saucepan over medium heat, cook the marionberries, sugar, and water for 15 minutes. The mixture will naturally thicken. Break down the berries as they cook, stirring every few minutes so they don’t burn. For this recipe, I chose to puree the filling, but feel free to leave some chunks of berries. The mixture should be thick like jam and pull away from the sides of the pan. Remove from heat, stirring in the vanilla. Allow to cool slightly.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 and line an 8×8 baking pan (I purchased mine from Williams-Sonoma. I think lighter color pans cook more evenly). I use parchment to line all my baking pans. It makes removal of the item so much easier. For this recipe, I made a “sling”, having two pieces of parchment overhang on all sides.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars for 2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add in egg and vanilla until just incorporated.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Add oats and stir until combined. Stir this mixture into the wet ingredients.
Place half of the batter into the prepared pan. Press mixture down firmly, making sure it reaches all the corners. Drop spoonfuls of the filling on the crust, then with remaining crumb mixture, sprinkle on top.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the top is lightly browned. Allow to cool slightly before cutting into the bars.
16
Leave a Reply