can you tell i love food...?

Yesterday I was craving something sweet, but something new. I began browsing through the desserts of some of my favorite recipe blogs. I found this recipe on the Sisters Cafe, but almost didn't make it since Jeremy is out of town so it would most likely be eaten only by me. I decided against that, and went ahead. Luckily (in this case) it look a little longer to make than I anticipated (cook crust, wait, cook all, wait 1 hr...) and by the time it was done it was almost dinner time and I lost my immediate craving. So, since a lady in my ward had invited me for dinner I brought it along.

And...I took some pics! In the pan, and on the plate!
















It's maybe not the healthiest dessert (lots of butter and sugar..) but it DOES have berries. That's gotta count for something right?

Here's the recipe~

Blackberry Pie Bars
Crust & Topping:
3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups chlled unsalted butter

Fruit Filling:
4 large eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup all purpose flour
Pinch of salt
2 (16-ounce) packages frozen blackberries, defrosted and drained

For the crust and topping: Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan. Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a very large bowl. Cut butter into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter. Continue until the butter is evenly distributed, but the mixture is still crumbly (as you would a pie crust). (If you have a large capacity food processor, you can process the butter (cut it into 1/2 inch cubes first) into the flour mixture using a the metal blade.)
Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the crumb mixture for the topping. Press the remaining crumbs into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake the crust for 12-15 minutes (this actually took me close to 20 minutes; just continue checking it after 15 minutes), or until it is golden brown. Cool for at least 10 minutes.

To make the filling: Whisk the eggs and sugar together in a large bowl, then add the sour cream, flour and salt. Gently fold in the blackberries. Spoon the mixture evenly over the crust. Sprinkle the reserved crumbs evenly over the top. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until the crust is lightly browned. Cool for at least 1 hour before cutting. Makes approximately 2 dozen bars.

**As for my changes, I halved the recipe and used triple berry mix since I had that in the freezer. You could definently cut some of the butter and probably wouldn't be able to tell. As you can probably see from the pics, they're a little on the greasy side...

Also, when adding the sugar to the crust I accidently added an extra 1/4 cup. I have 2 different sets of measuring cups and they totally look like different sizes than each other. Thus, I grabbed a 1/2 cup when I thought it was 1/4 and didn't realize it until it was in the oven. That added to a more carmelized crust on the bottom--almost like toffee. It was tasty though.

And, even though only 2 pieces were eaten by someone else, the pan is almost half empty. Oops.

A special treat

It all goes back to 9th grade English class. We made one of those cookbooks where everyone brings in a recipe. I bought a copy and decided to try out most of the ones that sounded enticing. I brought it with me to college and enjoyed many of the recipes frequently. A recipe for delectable Peanut Butter Bars was my favorite and my roommate Andrea and I would make it for almost any occasion we could. Then the day came (as it does with most of the stuff you really like) that I left it in one of my apartments when I left. I realized what I had done and went back a month or so later but it was already gone.

I've thought about them every now and then throughout the years and have looked up dozens of recipes online and tried them, but none of them every came close to my memories of the ones from my 9th grade recipe book. I tried one more time last week, and although Jeremy ate most of the pan of them in a day, they didn't even compare. I figured I'd utilize my assets and asked everyone on facebook that might have had a copy of the book for their help. Here's my thanks to Marianne [who kindly typed it up for me :)] and Amie for sending me copies. I finally have it again!

I figured I'd share it with the rest of you. The best PB Bars out there!

Peanut Butter Finger Bars

1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. packed b. sugar
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1/2 t. vanilla
1 c. flour
1 c. rolled oats
1 egg
1/3 c. peanut butter
1 bag choco chips

Preheat oven to 350. Cream butter, sugars, and egg. Mix in peanut butter, soda, salt, vanilla, flour and oats. Spread into greased 9 x 13 pan and bake for 20-25 minutes until light brown. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and let stand in oven for about 5 minutes or until chocolate is soft. Spread smooth.

Topping:
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/4 c. peanut butter
2-4 T. milk

Mix well and drizzle over bars. Cool, cut, and enjoy!