Almost too pretty to eat (but too delicious not to!), these decadent blackberry custard bars pair a buttery shortbread crust with a silky, berry-studded filling.
I know spring is here because the days are starting to get longer and my allergies are in full swing. Despite my red eyes and sneezes, I adore this time of the year and love spending more time outdoors.
Spring isn’t just about the warm weather or pretty flowers. I love spring even more because my favorite fruits and vegetables are in season. And fresh fruits means, my favorite, fruit desserts!
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Recipe highlights
- Simple: This gorgeous berry custard bards may look like you slaved away in the kitchen, but it really is a super easy recipe to make. The ingredients are basic and you probably already have most of them in your kitchen already!
- Versatile: You can easily swap out the blackberries for other fruits that are in season. Think raspberries, blueberries, strawberries or peaches!
- Texture: The shortbread layer is buttery and firm. It makes the perfect crust to hold up the silky smooth vanilla custard filling studded with sweet berries.
- Stunning: These custard bars are not only a stunning dessert to impress your guests, but they are also sweet and incredible, too. These unique bars are the perfect dessert to take to a pot luck, barbecue or whenever you want to bake something special!
Reader’s Reviews
“Great recipe! — Lostinabookk via pinterest
Ingredients you need
- Blackberries: This particular recipes features blackberries. So choose sweet fresh blackberries and avoid the sour ones. You could also use raspberries or blueberries. Avoid using frozen as they will turn to mush when they thaw and ruin the custard bars.
- Pantry staples: All purpose flour, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, powdered sugar and salt.
- Kitchen staples: Butter, whole milk and eggs.
Step-by-step directions
- Make the crust. Mix together flour, sugar and salt in a medium-sized bowl with melted butter. Press this dough into a greased baking dish lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10 minutes, or until edges turn golden.
- Add fruit. Scatter blackberries over the slightly cooled crust.
- Make the custard: Combine melted butter, milk, eggs, sugar, flour, salt and vanilla extract. Mix with an electric mixer until completely smooth. Pour the custard batter over the berries.
- Bake. Bake until custard is set about 30 minutes. Cool completely then refrigerate for 1 hour before cutting bars. Top with powdered sugar, if desired.
Recipe tips and FAQs
These really are a wonderful treat to share with friends and family. Not a cheesecake bar, not a chocolatey brownie. Just a wonderful fluffy custard bar on a buttery shortbread crust studded with deliciously sweet blackberries.
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I enjoyed these beauties with my morning tea because well, if you can enjoy pancakes for breakfast, you certainly can have these bars in the morning, too!
They might scream summer, but you can also enjoy these all year long using most any sweet seasonal fruit.
If you want to try more fruit bars, you should most definitely try a family favorite blueberry lemon bars, my whole wheat berry bars or something more chocolatey like these raspberry cheesecake brownies!
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Cookbook review. This wonderful recipe was created by a friend of mine, Jackie Bruchez from The Seaside Baker. Jackie is a talented baker and photographer. She has been tantalizing me with sweet creations for many years.
And when I heard about her cookbook, Decadent Fruit Desserts, she captured my heart before I saw a single photograph or recipe. I was able to test some of her recipes when she was writing her cookbook. Everything tasted INCREDIBLE!
I hope you order her cookbook and try more of her amazing recipes!
Storing/Freezing Instructions
TO STORE: Store any leftover bars in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
TO FREEZE: You can also freeze the bars. Transfer to a resealable bag or freezer safe container and freeze for up to 4 months.
Although blackberries were used for these custard bars, you can definitely use other berries like strawberries, blueberries and raspberries, too. I bet they would be just as delicious with chopped peaches or apricots, as well.
For these custard bars, fresh fruit is best. Frozen fruit because mushy when thawed and the texture and excess water will affect the custard being baked.
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Blackberry Custard Bars
Ingredients
- 3 cups all purpose flour divided
- 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar divided
- ¾ teaspoon salt divided
- 1 ½ cup melted unsalted butter divided
- 1 ½ cups whole milk
- 6 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups fresh blackberries
- ¼ cup sifted powdered sugar optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF and lightly grease a 9×13 baking dish and line with parchment paper.
- For the crust, mix together 2 cups flour, ½ cup sugar, and ¼ teaspoon salt in a medium-sized bowl.
- Pour in 1 cup melted butter and mix with a fork until small pea-sized lumps form.
- Press the dough into the bottom and sides of prepared dish and bake for 10 minutes, or until edges turn golden.
- Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes.
- To make the custard, add to same medium sized bowl ½ cup melted butter, milk, eggs, ¾ cup sugar, 1 cup flour, ½ teaspoon salt and vanilla extract and mix with an electric mixer until completely smooth.
- Scatter blackberries over the slightly cooled crust.
- Pour the custard batter over the berries.
- Bake until custard is set about 32-35 minutes. Cool completely then refrigerate for 1 hour before cutting bars.
- Top with powdered sugar, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
PS If you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page? I always appreciate your feedback.
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Written by Laura Bashar
Hi, I’m Laura, a certified professional cook and cookbook author living in San Diego. I have been sharing my family’s favorite recipes inspired from all over the world since 2008. Let’s cook up something fun!
Disclosure: I was given a copy of the cookbook, Decadent Fruit Desserts, to review from the publisher. The story I have written is all true, and the opinions expressed are truly mine. If I didn’t like it, I wouldn’t blog about it!
HI ! DO you think you could use frozen Berries?
Hi Elizabeth-
You can use frozen berries, but first thaw them completely and drain out the juices before mixing into the batter. The texture of the berries will be different than if you had used fresh berries.
Laura
Sounds like a good book, and this is a GREAT looking dish! Love this time of the year — we’re getting into berry season, and soon it’ll be stone fruit season. Bliss! 🙂