Blackberry and Hazelnut Crumble Bars

 Freshly picked blackberries make a gorgeous filling for these bars topped with a hazelnut crumble!

I really made the most of the blackberry picking this year and as I write this I can see the end of summer and autumn approaching with a blustery gust of wind. And I am very ready for Autumn. I never know whether to consider blackberries an autumn fruit or not, they grow throughout the summer but it seems we enjoy them more in September, especially my nana who makes a few batches of apple and blackberry crumble to store in her freezer for a colder, rainy day. Maybe blackberries can dabble in both seasons. I've made a variation of crumble bars - pear strawberry, cherry - and I never get tired of them. When I was thinking of how to make these blackberry crumble bars a little different I sought my very special Flavor Thesaurus by Niki Segnit, this book is like the bible for chefs and bakers and if you don't have it, I highly recommend you buy yourself a copy. Its very good to have, you don't always need it but for instance I needed to know more about pairings with blackberries and hazelnuts was listed. Which is why I decided to make a hazelnut crumble topping and its not a flavour combination I would have thought of if it weren't for the book. I hope you enjoy these crumble bars, and if you didn't manage to pick many blackberries, save the recipe for next year!

If you love blackberries and hazelnuts....

Check out my other recipes for more inspiration!

• Vegan Nutella Banana Bread
• Blackberry and Orange Loaf Cake
• Apple and Blackberry Crumb Cake

Recipe

Prep: 20 minutes

Cook: 40 minutes

Serves: 16

Notes:

• You can use fresh or frozen blackberries but I prefer frozen as they hold their shape more when mixing the filling ingredients together. If using fresh, stir the cornstarch onto the blackberries gently as they can squish easily. 

Ingredients

Base

• 150g butter, cubed
• 220g plain flour
• 50g caster sugar
• 2g salt

Filling

• 400g blackberries
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 75g caster sugar

Crumble topping

• 100g butter, cold
• 80g demerara sugar
• 120g plain flour
• 100g chopped hazelnuts
• pinch of salt

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180℃ and grease and line a 8x8 inch square cake tin with baking paper, making sure the sides have an overhang.
2. Make the crumble topping first. In a medium-sized bowl, add the sugar, flour, and salt. 
3. Cube the butter, then use your hands to rub the butter into the dry ingredients until crumbly. Then mix in the chopped hazelnuts. Place in the fridge to keep firm.
4. Make the base. add the flour, sugar and salt to a medium-sized bowl. Cube the butter then add to the bowl.
5. Using the same method as the topping, rub the butter into the dry ingredients then tip the mixture into the lined baking tin and use your hands or a glass to press the base firmly down into a flat, even layer.
6. Bake for 12 minutes until lightly golden.
7. Whilst the base is baking, prepare the filling. In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients together and mix well to ensure the blackberries are coated in the cornstarch and sugar. 
8. Once the base is baked, spoon the filling on top spreading out evenly, then top with the crumble mixture. 
9. Bake for a further 40 minutes or until golden brown on top.
10. Once baked, leave to cool completely in the tin and then refrigerate for about 1 hour. This will help to slice them into bars. 
11. Best stored in an airtight container either at room temperature or in the fridge up to 5 days. Enjoy!

Christina

xx