Blackberry and Chocolate Chip and Bars Recipe

If you occasionally enjoy having sweet, rich, tasty desserts, this one is for you. It is sort of a cross between brownies and fudge, with blackberries to make it all fantastic in flavor. The best part about it is that although this recipe was made with blackberries in mind, it will also work with currants, blueberries, strawberries, thimbleberries, strawberries or cherries.

The following recipe calls for canned fruit. However, it is even better when the berries are freshly picked. Frozen berries can even be used as long as they are thawed before use. They do need to sit for a while if they are fresh, with just a small bit of sugar added, so they can produce about 1/4 cup of juice. Frozen berries usually produce juice as they are thawed.

Chocolate Chip Blackberry Bar Ingredients:

1 15.5-oz can blackberries or 1 pound of fresh or frozen berries

2 1/2 cups flour

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 1/4 cup sugar

1 cup butter

1 egg

1/2 cup chopped almonds (optional)

2 tablespoons cornstarch

Chocolate Chip Blackberry Bar Instructions:

1. In a pot, mix the cornstarch and the juice from the blackberries.

2. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture begins to thicken. Add the blackberries, stir and remove from heat.

3. In a bowl, mix the remaining ingredients with a fork, until the mixture is crumbly. Take out a cup of this crumbly dough and set it aside, then put the rest into a greased 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking pan.

4. Pour the blackberry mixture over the top, then sprinkle the reserved cup of dough mixture over the top of the berries.

5. Bake at 350 F for 30-40 minutes, until browned. Cool and cut it into brownie-sized bars.

This can be served with ice cream, but I’d suggest trying it first. It is very rich. It is incredibly tasty, though, and is yet one more example of how well blackberries and chocolate go so well together.

I prefer cutting the bars roughly three inches by two inches, which would yield a dozen and a half of these bars. However, you can cut them in whatever size you prefer, keeping in mind that they are rich. If you serve these after a particularly filling dinner, you might want to cut the bars smaller.

I hope that you enjoy these as much as I do.