We love anything that combines fresh fruits and easy instructions, and these blackberry lime bars are what summer dessert dreams are made out of. A buttery shortbread crust infused with lime zest does dual duty as both the base and the topping, and the blackberry center is sweet and tangy, with frozen whole blackberries that turn into a sweet, jammy filling as they bake.
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
We’ve made quite a few pie bars over the years, and these blackberry pie bars with lime crust are probably our favorite pie bar recipe we’ve made. The lime shortbread crust really gives these such a bright flavor, and the citrus compliments the sweet blackberries so well. Truly, a match made in dessert heaven. What makes this recipe so special is the high quality, frozen blackberries from Oregon. They are ripe, plump, and perfect for easy pie bars!
- Easier than a traditional pie: No fancy lattice work, or dough rolling required.
- Perfect flavor balance; tart lime crust, sweet blackberry filling. Not complicated, but unique enough you’ll get questions about this recipe.
- These pie bars bake in a 9×13 inch pan so you can easily cut them, making them perfect for parties, BBQs, gatherings & holidays.
- Made with frozen Oregon blackberries, this is a year round recipe with perfectly ripe blackberries every time.
Blackberry Pie Bar Recipe
I actually prefer to use frozen blackberries from Oregon in baking recipes because they’re about as fresh as fresh gets. Bonus, you don’t have to wait for any particular season for the berries to be perfectly ripe, because the frozen ones already are! They’re picked when they’re flawlessly sweet, and frozen in that state of perfection, so you can make blackberry bars year round with deliciously perfect berries.
Ingredients for Blackberry Pie Bars
Crust (which doubles as the crumb topping!):
- Butter
- Sugar
- Flour
- Salt
- Lime Zest
- Salt
Blackberry Filling
- Frozen Blackberries from Oregon
- Eggs
- Sugar
- Flour
- Sour Cream (or Greek yogurt)
- Vanilla Extract
Making Blackberry Pie Bars
Every time I make a pie bar recipe, I remember why I’m making it. It’s easy, and something about it is rustically cathartic. They always come out tasting great, and I love that they’re perfectly imperfect, with that signature crumb topping.
- We like to use a 9×13 inch glass dish for this recipe.
- Just make sure it is at least about 2 inches deep. Spray the 9×13 inch pan with nonstick spray to begin.
- Make the crust (which is also the topping). This is a mixture of cold cubed butter, flour, sugar, salt, and lime zest.
- I like to mix this with clean hands. You really want a sandlike texture. Be cautious not to over mix, otherwise you’ll end up with cookie dough.
- Reserve about a cup for the topping. Bake the pie crust for about 10 minutes, which helps pre-set it for the blackberry filling.
- Prebake the crust for about 10 minutes.
- While the crust is baking, mix together the blackberry mixture.
- Whisk the eggs with the sugar, sour cream and vanilla, then add in the flour, and continue to whisk until no lumps remain.
- Toss the blackberries in flour.
- This helps keep the blackberries stable in the filling, and also helps with any runoff from the frozen juice in them. Gently fold in the blackberries to the filling mixture.
- Remove the crust from the oven, and allow for it to slightly cool for about 5 minutes. Then, pour the blackberry batter mix on top of the par-baked crust.
- Sprinkle the blackberry batter with the cup of crust mixture you set aside earlier.
- In the oven it goes! Bake it for about 45 minutes.
- The topping should be golden brown, and the filling mixture will be fully set.
- Allow to cool before serving to make them easier to cut (more on that below!).
Storing & Recipe Tips
Storing:
- I recommend storing these blackberry bars in the refrigerator.
- If you have leftovers, allow them to cool, then store in a lidded container.
– These will last in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. - If you need to store them in a taller stacked container, place a piece of parchment paper between layers to keep them from sticking.
- Blackberry pie bars freeze surprisingly well.
- I love to keep a batch in the freezer for unexpected times (or if I’m just feeling like I need a spur of the moment homemade sweet treat!).
- Wrap them in plastic wrap, and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving. If you want them warmed up, place them in the air fryer on reheat mode (it helps crisp up the topping again).
- For bakery style clean cuts, refrigerate the blackberry bars and allow them to completely cool before cutting. Wipe your knife between each cut for perfectly clean cut bars.
Recipe Tips:
- Blackberries: Be sure to use frozen blackberries from Oregon. It really makes such a difference in the quality of the frozen berry. They’re picked at the peak of ripeness and flash frozen, so you get the sweetest, plumpest berries. Trust me on this one!
- If you enjoy the citrusy flavor, you can add an easy lime drizzle on top to garnish. Combine 1/2 cup powdered sugar with 2 tsp lime juice, and 1 tsp lime zest. Drizzle over cooled blackberry bars as desired.
- We enjoy these blackberry bars with whipped cream, but they’re great with ice cream too. Highly recommend some zested lemon on top for garnish and added tang!
If you like this recipe, check out our peach pie bars, pineapple bars, blueberry pie bars (which goes viral every year!), cherry pie bars, and cranberry bars. Can you tell we like pie bar recipes? : )
We hope you love these easy pie bars as much as we do! – Kathi and Rachel
Let’s eat! – Kathi and Rachel
What do you think about this recipe? Have questions? Comment below! Don’t forget to like us on Facebook, and connect with us on Instagram and tag your @Laughingspatula recipes with #laughingspatula,while you’re at it…We love to see your pics!
Blackberry Pie Bars with Lime
Equipment
- 1 9x13 inch pan
Ingredients
Crust & Topping
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup cold butter (cut into cubes)
- pinch salt
- 2 tbsp lime zest
Blackberry filling
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp lime zest
- 1 tbsp lime juice
Blackberry Preparation
- 3 cups frozen Blackberries (Blackberries from Oregon are the best quality)
- 2 tbsp all purpose flour
Instructions
- Spray a 9x13 glass baking dish with non stick spray - set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Add flour, sugar, lime zest, salt and cubed butter to mixing bowl, beat until combined and crumbly. (DO NOT OVER MIX or you will have a cookie dough consistency. It should be crumbly).
- Remove one cup of flour mixture and set aside.
- Take remaining mixture and firmly press into your baking dish, covering the bottom.
- Bake 10-12 minutes or until just firm to the touch and no brown on the sides. It will continue to bake after you add the topping.
Filling Instructions
- While crust is baking, whisk eggs in a large bowl. Add sugar, sour cream, flour lime juice, lime zest, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, combine blackberries with 2 tbsp flour. Toss well until blackberries are fully coated.
- When crust is ready, remove from oven and add blackberry filling. Gently spooning over the top of the crust.
- Sprinkle with remaining crust mixture you had set aside. Bake 1 hour or until top is lightly browned. Cool 10 minutes before slicing. Enjoy!
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