I know I’m a bit late with this post. Call me crazy, but I’m not one of those people who long for fall before summer’s really over.  In fact, I luxuriate in every extra moment of summer warmth that I can, often wishing summer might last just a little bit longer. But alas, school is finally starting up next week, the weather is starting to cool, the evenings getting darker, and even I can’t put it off much longer. Not that I don’t like autumn, I just always feel a little lost at the start of the season. I find it hard to say goodbye to long summer nights, extended time with family and friends, less structure, hot sunny days spent at the beach, ice cream  and loads and loads of yummy fresh fruit! I hope you enjoy this recipe that uses one of my favourite summer fruits and can hold on to those warm summer days just a bit longer!

Blackberries – fresh, sweet, juicy and packed full of flavour – they are easily my very favourite summer fruit. It wasn’t always this way. It was only after moving to the sunny Okanagan that my love affair with these berries began. Shortly after our move here I was lucky enough to find an amazing local farm stand which I visit almost daily during the summer, for the very best peaches, blueberries, nectarines and of course blackberries. It’s basically a fruit lover’s paradise, part of the reason we feel so blessed to live here!

As much as I LOVE to eat these yummy berries fresh by the handful I also love baking with them. One of my family’s favourite summer desserts is blackberry peach cobbler but I was anxious to make a hand held treat with these lovelies; something that wouldn’t be so much a dessert, a little healthier in fact, but no less tasty! The base is firm and not too crumbly – easily packable for lunches, hikes, a trip to the park or whatever adventure awaits!  I think these bars would be equally as yummy with blueberries or raspberries or frozen berries as fall approaches and fresh fruit becomes less accessible.  I modified this recipe slightly from the original version which you can find here: http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2008/09/raspberry-breakfast-bars/

Blackberry Oat Bars

Make the crust: 

1 1/2 cups of flour

1 c packed brown sugar

1 1/4 cup oats

3/4 tsp/ baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp/cinnamon

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter cut into small pieces

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9 by 13 inch pan. Put a long piece of parchment paper in the pan letting the paper over hand a little on both ends. Butter the parchment – this allows for easy removal of the bars after cooking.
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Combine the flour, brown sugar, oats, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon in a large bowl – mix gently. Using a pastry cutter, or your fingers combine butter until coarse crumbs form. Reserve 11/2 cups of the mixture and set aside – this will be your streusel topping. Pour the rest of the mixture into the prepared pan use your hands or he back of a spoon to much the crust into an even layer at the bottom of the pan. The crust should also touch the sides of the pan. Bake until golden brown 12- 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool while you make the filling.

Make the blackberry filling:

1/4 brown sugar

grated lemon zest to taste

pinch of cinnamon

2 TBSP flour

3 cups or more blackberries fresh or frozen

2TBSP fresh lemon juice

2 TBSP. unsalted butter – melted

In a medium bowl whisk the sugar, lemon zest, cinnamon and flour together. Add the berries, lemon juice and butter. Toss gently until the berries are evenly coated. Spread the filling over the cooled crust and sprinkle the reserved crumb topping over the berry filling.

Bake for 35 – 40 min. until the top is golden and filling is bubbling. Transfer to a cooling rack before removing from pan and cutting into squares.

Store bars in refrigerator for up to 3 days. (I seriously doubt they will last that long though!)