Blackberry Jam Almond Bars Overload

my heart is still hurting for all those lives lost on friday in connecticut but thought i would share with you my new favorite dessert i made thursday night and try to focus on something positive.

the last time i made these…i was on a 50 day challenge (we are gearing up to do another one in the new year so get ready people to either add something or remove something from your life for 50 days!) i tried making my favorite blackberry jam bars without eating any and it was baaaad (recap of failure here). this recipe was given to me by my friend alison and was inspired by 17 and baking blog. so this time around i was equipped with eating hummus and carrots simultaneously because i knew i’d be eating A TON later. it didn’t actually work and i still ate waaaay too much batter and then 2 bars before the party we were off to (more on that later). anywho…back to the recipe. i think it’s vital to start with tasty butter and for us also local butter like tillamook butter!

this stuff is where it’s at.

doesn’t the term ‘sweet cream’ just instantly make you excited for whatever it’s a part of?? it does for me. make sure your butter is at room temperature for mixing but if you never prepare adequately for baking… put a cup’s worth on a plate and stick those hunks of fat in the microwave for about 17 seconds to soften it up. you mix this with the sugar (electric mixers are wonderful) until it’s all fluffy and you want to eat it all. up next is adding the eggs one at a time and mixing well in between each egg and then adding the vanilla and almond extract.

next make sure you measure adequately. i remember reading somewhere that when you dig your measuring cup actually into the flour bag, you get more flour than you should because it compacts it down. i attempted to do the ‘pour-in-the-cup’ method and like a child…got it ever where. but you best believe i had no excess flour due to the scooping method! add the salt at this point as well.

i hope you also have wine and jam on your counter right now too.

here is when you need to prepare. after mixing all the other ingredients (don’t worry, the real instructions are ‘comin’ atcha’ in a few paragraphs) and slowly adding your professional measured flour, you mix it all together until it’s amazing. the preparation starts here because once you taste this batter, you will want to run away with it and gorge on the whole thing by yourself. i can say without a doubt that this is my favorite batter, like FAVORITE. so here was my trick:

you need something to help you quantify just how much you are eating otherwise you will go into a sugar coma and not be able to function and will have to buy store-bought cookies on your way to the party. i opted for 1/3 cup of batter. oh, you think that’s a lot? well compared to what i’ve eaten of this stuff in the past, this is me going easy (and i take zero responsibility if you choose to eat the raw dough and your eggs suck and make you sick. zero).

next, spread the overly-delicious batter in a halfsheet pan (mine was slightly larger than a 15×10 inch rimmed baking sheet). make sure you grease the bottom and because it’s the holiday season, i loaded it up with butter. i’ve used PAM spray in the past and it works just fine too.

pay no attention to the teeth marks on the spatula in the background.

please notice my beautiful new baking sheet since my last one ruined my pumpkin pie because it was so warped. do your best to spread it evenly and also do your best not to lick the spatula until after you’re all done. next comes the blackberry jam part and because my mind insists on following rules when it comes to baking/cooking…yes i measured out my cup of blackberry jam instead of just using enough to cover it.

here is my secret for you- once you have measured out your jam if you are OCD like me…dump it in a bowl and mix the hell out of it. this will help you have more control over the piles of delicious jam you are about to drop on the best-batter-ever. i only thought of this for my last two rows and it made a big difference in presentation and quantity control. it doesn’t actually matter too much because you will be cutting them. then i baked them for 18 minutes at 350 degrees and our apartment smelled outrageously good.

i’m pretty sure you can tell when i decided to mix the jam up to be less clumpy.

then you cut them up and sample various areas of the bars just to make sure they are delicious enough to bring to a party and share with your friends (they are). after they’ve cooled down, you make make an almond glaze to drizzle over the outrageously good bars (can you tell i’m a fan?). i would recommend maybe even cutting them smaller than this because apparently the human mind feels less guilty about taking multiple smaller pieces of dessert than one big honkin’ thing (i found that out through scientific observation later that evening).

then you put on a holiday sweater and deliver them!

thank you for allowing me to share my pictures and process of these amazing blackberry jam almond bars.

okay, here’s the recipe:

to make those delicious bars….
1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter at room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon pure almond extract (i found out this burns your tongue if you taste the pure stuff)
4 eggs
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup seedless blackberry jam

for the happy drizzle (channeling bob ross)…
1 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons cream
1 teaspoon pure almond extract (it still burns your tongue if you try it)

preheat the oven to 350 degrees. grease up a half sheet (10″x15″-ish rimmed sheet) with butter or nonstick spray.

mix together that fancy butter and sugar with an electric mixer for a few minutes. add in one egg at a time and incorporate it well before adding the next one.  add vanilla and almond extract. slowly add flour and salt, and mix until just incorporated.

spread the batter into the rimmed cookie sheet. do you best to make it even but don’t freak out if it’s not perfect. after measuring out the jam, stir it well in a bowl so get rid of the clumps. drop jam evenly over the batter. bake for 18-25 minutes depending how finicky your oven is, or until the edges start to turn golden brown.

let the bars cool completely before cutting them into squares. for the drizzle, whisk together the powdered sugar, cream and almond extract and drizzle over your beautiful bars. stick them in the refrigerated for a few minutes to harden to the glaze quickly and then be off to spread the love!

life lesson: even when you’ve done something before, you can still find ways to improve it.

questions:

1. what is your go-to dessert to bring to parties/gatherings?

2. do you eat dough/batter even though you’re ‘not supposed to?’

3. if you could only eat the dough/batter or the baked good, which would you choose? (i’d go for batter)