Sweet, sugary, buttery goodness in a pan. This recipe is from Marsee Baking Company in Portland, Oregon. When we lived in that area, we used to pick wild blackberries and I could make this delicious dessert at a very low cost. It was heaven. The original recipe called for marionberries, but they are interchangeable in this recipe. I have never tried using frozen berries for this, so I recommend fresh.
02Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 9x13 glass baking dish.
03Place the butter, sugar, flour, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer. On low speed with the paddle attachment, mix until the butter is in small pea-sized chunks. (This could also be done by hand with a pastry blender).
04Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. You can set aside the bowl to use for the topping.
05Bake until the surface is dry and the edges are very lightly browned, about 20-22 minutes. Let cool at least 20 minutes before adding filling.
06For the filling:.
07Pop a berry into your mouth. If it's an early-season berry from the store, it might be a little tart. If so, and you want make the filling a bit sweeter, add the extra 2 Tablespoons of sugar to the bowl in the next step.
08In a mixing bowl, combine the 1/2 cup sugar (+ 2 T extra if needed), cornstarch, and salt. Stir in the berries and zest until combined. Set aside.
09For the topping:.
10In the bowl of the electric mixer, place the butter, sugar, cinnamon, salt, flour and vanilla. On low speed with the paddle attachment, mix until the butter is in small pea-sized chunks and the mixture begins to clump together. (This could also be done by hand with a pastry blender).
11To assemble:.
12Spread the filling on the cooled crust. Especially if the berries are large, the filling might not evenly cover the crust. That's OK.
13Spread the topping over the filling. The whole thing will look pretty lumpy. That's OK.
14Bake until the topping has browned lightly and the berry filling is bubbling, about 40 minutes.
15Cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into bars. They are best eaten with a fork because they're a little crumbly.