Berry Pie Bars
Berry pie bars mimic a great, fruit pie taste without having to roll out any dough. While the original recipe called for blackberries, it’s delicious to use raspberries or mulberries, too.

In one of our first shopping trips together over 20 years ago, I remember Joey grabbing a bottle of ketchup off the end cap at the grocery store.

“Whoa,” I said. “Why are you buying the expensive ketchup?”

He looked perplexed.

And that was the day I probably made my then-boyfriend reconsider his relationship choices by explaining unit pricing to him.

Nowadays, he’s an expert at it. (I’d like to think I helped him grow as a person.)

I thought about that when I went to pick up blackberries for this week’s recipe and figured out that the raspberries were much, much cheaper that week.

I decided to pivot from the original ingredients list and see what happened. And, thank goodness, they were awesome.

This comes from the blog “The Novice Chef.” You can find the original recipe at https://thenovicechefblog.com/blackberry-pie-bars/. I switched out the kind of fruit and added just a little extra vanilla in my version.

Berry Pie Bars
Print Recipe

Berry Pie Bars

Berry pie bars mimic a great, fruit pie taste without having to roll out any dough. While the original recipe called for blackberries, it’s delicious to use raspberries or mulberries, too.
Course: Dessert
Keyword: bars, blackberries, brown sugar, cinnamon, easy dessert, fresh lemon, fresh raspberries, lemon juice, lemon zest, mulberries, summer dessert, vanilla

Ingredients

Crust Ingredients

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • zest from one lemon
  • 1 cup cold butter cut into pieces
  • 1 large egg
  • 3 teaspoons vanilla extract

Filling Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 4 teaspoons cornstarch
  • juice from one lemon
  • 4 cups fresh raspberries/blackberries/mulberries

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, and prepare a nine-by-13-inch baking pan by coating the inside with butter or cooking spray. Set it aside.
  • To make the crust and topping, add the dry ingredients to a food processor, along with the zest, and pulse to combine.
  • Add the butter, egg and vanilla, and pulse until everything it well-distributed and forms large crumbs.
  • Press half of the mixture evenly into the bottom of the baking pan.
  • For the filling, add the sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice to a bowl, and stir to combine. Gently fold in the berries, being sure to coat them all in the mixture, and then carefully distribute them into the baking pan.
  • Finish by evenly crumbling the rest of the dough mixture over the top of the berries. (You won’t have full coverage. It’s OK for some of the fruit to be peeking out.)
  • Bake for 45 minutes or until the topping is lightly browned and the fruit is bubbly.
  • Let the bars cool completely before slicing and serving. Store any leftovers in an airtight container.

We enjoyed these at a cook-out, and I came home with just crumbs in my pan afterwards. They were a huge hit. The raspberries were perfect in this, and I think blackberries or even mulberries would be good in there, too. They were buttery and sweet and great for a summer dessert.

And I was able to save a few dollars at my local grocery store, while making something really delicious.

For me, that was a definite win-win.

This piece first appeared in print June 11, 2026.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.