I’ll keep it simple – these bars taste as good as they look. We start with a buttery shortbread crust and layer it with fresh blueberries, fresh blackberry compote, a crumble topping, and drizzle it with a lemon zest glaze. They’re delicious on the same day that you make them, but we think they’re best after they sit in the fridge overnight and the berry layer has time to set. They’ll keep for a week in an airtight container in the fridge (if they last that long).

Inspired by this delicious recipe.

Ingredients:

Crust

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 large egg
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut into cubes

Filling

• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp lemon zest
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups fresh blueberries
• 2 cups fresh blackberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Line a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with parchment paper. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder and salt. 
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg and vanilla.  
5. Add egg mixture and cold butter cubes to flour mixture and using a fork or a pastry cutter, cut mixture together until it resembles coarse crumbs. Alternatively, steps 2-4 can be done in a food processor.
6. Press 1/2 of the mixture into the bottom of the baking dish lined with parchment paper.
7. In a saucepan over medium heat, add the blackberries, 1/4 cup sugar, and 2 tbsp water. Bring to a simmer and use the back of a spoon or spatula to mash them as they cook. Cook for 5-ish minutes until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Allow to cool slightly.
8. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup granulated sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice. Toss with the blueberries to evenly combine. Pour and spread coated blueberries over crust in baking dish. 
9. Add dollops of the blackberry compote on top of the blueberries.
10. Sprinkle remaining crumb mixture over the layer of berries. 
11. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, until top is golden brown.  
12. To make the glaze: in a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest.
13. Allow to cool for at least an hour before drizzling with the glaze and cutting into squares.