Blackberry Breakfast Bars

These may be called breakfast bars but you can have these any time of the day, including for dessert!  They are similar to Maggie's oatmeal-raspberry bars so if you were a fan of those then you'll love these as well.  Since berries are in season right now, you can substitute any kind of berry you like, or even do a combination.  The original recipe called for raspberries but the blackberries I found at the farmers market looked amazing and I couldn't pass them up!

Blackberry Breakfast Bars

Source: adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Yields one 9-by-13-inch pan

Ingredients

For the crust and crumb:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

1 1/4 cups rolled oats

3/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces

For the blackberry filling:

1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 pound fresh blackberries

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Directions

Make the crust and crumb:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch glass baking pan.  Put a long piece of parchment paper in the bottom of the pan, letting the parchment extend up the two short sides of the pan and overhang slightly on both ends (this will make it easy to remove the bars from the pan after they have baked).  Butter the parchment paper.

Put the flour, brown sugar, oats, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon in a food processor.  Pulse in short bursts until combined.  Add the butter and pulse until loose crumbs form.

Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the mixture and set aside.  Pour the rest of the mixture into the prepared pan and use your hands or the back of a large wooden spoon to push the crust into an even layer at the bottom of the pan.  The crust should touch the sides of the pan.  Bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack and let the crust cool.  Keep the oven on while you make the blackberry filling.

Make the blackberry filling:

In a medium bowl, whisk the sugar, lemon zest, cinnamon and flour together.  Add the blackberries, lemon juice and butter and use your hands to toss gently until the blackberries are evenly coated.

Assemble and bake the bars:

Spread the raspberry filling evenly on top of the cooled crust.  Sprinkle the reserved crust mixture evenly on top of the filling.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, rotating the pan every 15 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the filling starts to bubble around the edges.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, then cut into squares and serve.  The bars can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to two days.