Blackberry Crumb Bars

One of my favorite flavors of summer is the taste of fresh berries. I really, really love berries...raspberries, strawberries, huckleberries...just about any of them.

Just a little sidenote about my history with berries: I think that my love of berries came from growing up on a raspberry farm in rural southwest Washington state. I remember having to pick berries every summer and that I was absolutely terrible at it! I was definitely under the impression that the way it worked was "one for me, one for the bucket." So, needless to say, I was definitely not going to win any berry picking contests!

Every now and I then I purchase fruits and vegetables from a local co-op and this past distribution they offered the opportunity for participants to purchase flats of blackberries at a really great price. I took them up on it and purchased myself 2 flats of the berries and I have been on a mission to find great blackberry recipes to try out! So I set out on a mission to search the interwebs for recipes that used blackberries. One of them that I came across was a recipe for bars that promised a tender cake topped with fresh blackberries and a crumble. And the recipe was from the great Martha...so I decided to give it a whirl.

These bars turned out to be wonderful! The cake is light and tender. The berries are slightly tart and pop with flavor in your mouth and the crumble has a great sweet, slight crunch to it. I kicked up the original recipe by adding white chocolate chips to it and I couldn't imagine the recipe without them!

Blackberry Crumb Bars
Inspired by Martha Stewart

Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted, and 1/2 cup (1 stick), room temperature, plus more for pan
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
• 1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup of white chocolate chips
• 2 large eggs
• 2 containers (6 ounces each) blackberries

Instructions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan. Line bottom with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides; butter and flour paper, tapping out excess.
2) Make topping: In a medium bowl, whisk together melted butter, brown sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; add 1 cup flour, and mix with a fork until large moist crumbs form. Refrigerate topping until ready to use.
3) In a medium bowl, whisk together remaining 3/4 cup flour, baking powder, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt; set aside.
4) In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat room-temperature butter, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy; add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce speed to low; mix in flour mixture.
5) Spread batter evenly in pan; sprinkle with blackberries, white chocolate chips, then chilled topping.
6) Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs attached, 40 to 45 minutes.
7) Cool completely in pan. Using paper overhang, lift cake onto a work surface; cut into 16 squares.

I am linking this recipe up to: Fireflies & Jellybeans, Strut Your Stuff, It's a Keeper Thursday, Recipe Swap Thursday, Frugal Food Thursday, Tip Day Thursday, Catch a Glimpse, Thrilling Thursday, Hookin Up With HoH, Almost Friday Flaunts, Full Plate Thursday, Transformation Thursdays, I'm Loving It, Foodie Friday, Feature Yourself Friday, Friday Favorites,  It's a Hodgepodge Friday, Friday Flair, Made By You Monday, Motivate Me Monday, Just Something I Whipped Up