Raspberry Pie Bars

I have never baked with blackberries before, and this week I intended to make some Blackberry Pie Bars.  However, I just couldn't stomach paying almost $6 for 12 oz of blackberries at the grocery store, so I decided to give these bars a try using frozen raspberries.  I also added some sliced almonds to the top layer because raspberries and almonds seem to go together so well.
I brought them to a game night with some friends and got some rave reviews.  The bottom layer was plenty sturdy to hold up the middle layer, which burst with raspberry flavor.  The almonds on top got slightly toasted while baking, which made me very happy.  I can't wait to try these with fresh raspberries or blackberries someday too.

Raspberry Pie Bars
Ingredients:
For the crust and topping:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
Zest of half a lemon
3/4 cup (12 tbsp.) unsalted butter, cold
1/3 cup sliced almonds

For the filling:
2 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
6 tbsp. all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
Juice of half a lemon
1 tsp. vanilla extract
13 oz. frozen raspberries, thawed and drained

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line an 8x8-inch pan with foil and grease lightly.  Combine the flour, sugar, salt and lemon zest in a medium-sized bowl.  Cut the butter into small cubes and add to the dry ingredients.  Cut the butter into the dry ingredients using a butter knife or pastry blender until only small pieces of butter remain and the mixture is crumbly.  (This can also be done in short pulses in a food processor.)

2. Reserve 3/4 cup of the mixture for topping the bars.  Add the rest of the mixture to the prepared pan and press to form an even layer.  Bake 12-15 minutes, until light golden.  Let cool 10-15 minutes.

3. In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, sour cream, flour, salt, lemon juice and vanilla.  Whisk until smooth.  Gently stir in the drained raspberries with a spatula.  Spread the filling mixture over the pre-baked crust.  Stir the sliced almonds into the reserved topping mixture and crumble evenly over the filling.

4. Bake until the top is beginning to brown and the bars are just set, 45-50 minutes.  Let cool completely on a wire rack.  Chill to firm up before slicing and serving.

Recipe adapted from The Pastry Queen by Rebecca Rather, via Pink Parsley, as seen on annies-eats.com