I needed to make some room in my freezer the other day as I was making bread and it doesn’t last as long as shop bought because it doesn’t have the additives. I tend to chop the loaves in half and freeze half to use the following week as we do not eat a lot of bread any more. I have 3 bags of frozen foraged brambles (blackberries) from last year left, and so decided to make these easy crumble bars now that the blackberries are starting to ripen in our favourite foraging spot..
RECIPE
Ingredients
Cake crumble
2 eggs
250g butter or margarine
Tsp baking powder
2 cups of plain flour
Pinch of salt
Zest of half a lemon (optional)
Filling
3 cups of blackberries (I sometimes use red and blackcurrants)
1 cup of sugar
Juice of half a lemon (or tbsp from a bottle).
1 tbsp cornflour
Method
1. In one bowl mix together the fruit, lemon juice, the sugar and the corn flour for the filling.
2. In a separate bowl put the dry ingredients for the crumble.
3. Rub in the butter or margarine into the dry ingredients, add the lemon zest, if used, and the egg. It should be like soft pastry but add a bit more flour if too wet.
4. Take half of the crumb mixture and press into a greased tin.
5.Pour over the berry mixture and spread.(it might have dry sugar in it that is OK)
6. Break the remaining mixture into small knobs (balls) and dot over the top.
7. Bake 35 to 40 mins until golden.
8. Cut into squares.
This can be eaten as a bar or as a pudding with custard. I have found that it keeps well in a tin for a couple of days but then goes soft and so I tend to freeze it in double portions.
