Triple Berry Bars

Growing up triple berry pie was always a hit in my house. We rarely had desserts laying around but when we made pie, my father and I always made triple berry pie. One time we tried making it for my mom and it was a total disaster. But other than that little fiasco we've had nothing but success with it.

When I saw a recipe for triple berry bars, I knew I had to make them. I had the perfect opportunity to when my aunt and uncle were visiting from California a few weeks ago, so to finish off our dinner of Red Wine Marinated Flank Steak filled with Prosciutto, Fontina and Basil and a side of risotto we had these bars. Oh boy were they hit, especially with my father and uncle.

Triple Berry Bars

source: Pinch of Yum 

Ingredients:

Crust and Topping

2 cups all-purpose flour 

1 cup quick oats

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled

Fruit Filling

 4 large eggs

2 cups sugar

1 cup sour cream

3/4 cup flour

pinch salt

zest of 1/2 lemon  

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 (16-oz) packages frozen mixed berries (strawberries, blackberries, and blueberries)

Directions:

Crust and Topping:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 pan.
2. Put oats into the food processor and pulse until a coarse “flour” forms.  

3.Add the regular flour, sugar, and salt to the food processor. Pulse a few times to mix.  

4. Cut the butter into 1/2-inch cubes, and add to the flour mixture. Process until the butter is evenly distributed but the mixture is still crumbly, 30-60 seconds.  

5. Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the mixture to use as the topping.  

6. Press the remaining mixture into the bottom of the pan, and bake 12-15 minutes.  Cool for at least 10 minutes.

 Filling:

1. Whisk the eggs in a large bowl, then add the sugar, sour cream, flour, salt, lemon zest, and vanilla extract. 

2. Fold in the berries and spoon the mixture over the crust.  

3. Sprinkle the remaining flour mixture evenly over the filling, and bake 45 to 55 minutes.

4. Cool at least 1 hour before cutting into bars.  

5. Serve warm or chilled, and try not to eat the entire batch!