Making the Most of Your Blackberries

  Summer brings excitement for many reasons. One of the best reasons is the long-awaited ripening of the blackberries.
No matter if you grow the thornless varieties in your yard or garden or follow the old traditions of days gone by and head out on the roads less traveled and pick your harvest straight from mother nature's wild gardens, blackberries offer up endless summer possibilities for sweet treats.

There are so many things you can do with blackberries- from making homemade ice cream with the kids on a lazy Sunday afternoon to preparing a southern favorite such as blackberry cobbler.
  Maybe you have fond memories of walking down an old dirt road with your mom or your grandmother carrying an old butter bowl or coffee can and filling them to the brim with blackberries. Usually, shortly after arriving back home you would be turning your cache into blackberry jam or adding them to the freezer for pies and cobblers when the berries are out of season.
  If you're like me you are always searching for new and fresh ideas for your summer harvest. Below we share a couple of ideas that are departed from the standard
recipes and concoctions.

BLACKBERRY PIE BARS 

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• Zest and juice of one lemon, divided
• 1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces.
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla 
• 4 cups blackberries
• 4 teaspoons of cornstarch

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 9×13 inch pan. I prefer to use glass.
2. Blend together flour, 1 cup of sugar, baking powder, cinnamon salt, and lemon zest. Add the butter, egg and vanilla extra. blending until dough is crumbly. Pat half of dough into the bottom of the prepared pan, saving the remaining dough for the topping.
3. In a bowl, stir together the remaining 1/2 cup sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice. Fold in the blackberries. Sprinkle the blackberry mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble remaining dough over the berry layer.
4. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until the top is just slightly brown. Be careful not to brown the top too much as the bottom will burn.
5. Cool completely then cut into squares. Store in an airtight container. Add a slice of bread to the container to keep the bars soft.

Blackberry Upside-Down Cake

• Topping:
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 cups fresh blackberries
• 3/4 cup white sugar
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  Cake:                                              1 cup white sugar1/2 cup butter, softened                  2 eggs                                             1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour            2 teaspoons baking powder         1/2 teaspoon salt                          1/4 cup milk                                     1 teaspoon vanilla extractDirections
  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Melt brown sugar and 2 tablespoons butter together in the bottom of the baking pan. Add blackberries to brown sugar mixture; cook and stir until mixture bubbles, 1 to 3 minutes. Stir 3/4 cup white sugar into berries, crush berries slightly with a fork, and continue cooking until berries are hot and slightly broken-down, about 5 minutes more; remove from heat and pour into a 9-inch cake pan. Beat 1 cup white sugar and 1/2 cup butter together in a bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy; beat in eggs. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl. Alternately stir flour mixture and milk into butter mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Mix vanilla into batter. Pour batter over blackberry mixture in the 9-inch cake pan. Bake cake in the preheated oven until cooked through,35 to 40 minutes. Let cake cool in the pan until warm, but not completely cooled, about 30 minutes. Run a knife along the inside edge of the pan to separate the cake from the sides, place a cake plate over the top of the pan, and flip the pan. Lift the pan slowly to release the cake.
  
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