Plum-and-Blackberry Cornmeal-Almond Crumb Bars [RECIPE]

These bar cookies are bursting with fruity flavor! (Photo by Lennart Weibull)

We are big fans of using seasonal produce in everything we cook, especially in desserts that call for of lots of succulent fruit. This recipe for plum-and-blackberry cornmeal-almond crumb bars comes from Martha Stewart’s latest cookbook, Cookie Perfection, and eating it is like sinking your teeth into the best parts of summer. To get the right texture for these bad boys, make sure to pick your plums with care. You don’t want ones that are too juicy, so look for those with a low moisture content (such as yellow-fleshed Italian prune plums), and combine them with another stone fruit or berries—like these plump, sweet blackberries. Taste-test your blackberries though. If they’re tart, temper them with an equal amount of blueberries.  —J&H

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE CRUST

• 1 stick (1/2 cup) plus 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
• 1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup coarse cornmeal
• 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup blanched almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped

FOR THE FILLING

• 12 ounces plums (about 6), preferably Italian prune variety, cut into a 1/2‑inch dice (1 3/4 cups)
• 1 cup (4 ounces) fresh blackberries
• 2/3 cup sugar (or 1/2 cup, if plums are very sweet)
• 3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Make the crust: Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Line with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang on all sides; butter parchment. Whisk flour, cornmeal, and salt in a medium bowl.
2. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium-high, beat butter with sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. With mixer on low, add flour mixture; beat until dough forms clumps but does not completely hold together. Press 3 cups of dough mixture into bottom and 1 inch up sides of prepared pan. Stir chopped almonds into remaining dough mixture.
3. Make the filling: Stir together plums, blackberries, sugar, flour, lemon juice, pepper, and salt. Pour into crust. Crumble remaining crust mixture over top, squeezing to create clumps. Bake until bubbling in center and crust is golden, 1 hour to 1 hour, 10 minutes (if browning too quickly, tent with foil after about 50 minutes). Let cool 1 hour. Lift bars from pan using parchment; let cool completely, about 2 hours. Cut into 12 squares. (Bars can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 3 days.)

YIELD: 1 dozen

Clarkson Potter

ABOUT MARTHA STEWART’S COOKIE PERFECTION

The editors of Martha Stewart Living present a new, fun source for anyone looking to make their go-to cookies even better and bolder.

These recipes make ordinary cookies absolutely extraordinary–all the familiar favorites you love, but taken up a notch in variety, flavor, and creativity.

Classic recipes discover new life with unexpected twists such as Brown-Butter Crinkle Cookies and Carrot Cake Thumbprint Cookies. Go over-the-top in super-sized fashion with Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookies; get inspired by cultures around the globe with Brazilian Wedding Cookies and Stroopwafels; and celebrate with beautifully decorated holiday treats, such as Easter Egg Puzzle Cookies and Snowball Truffles.

Whether for a special celebration or a sweet anytime-treat, you’ll be sure to find inspiration to trade in your everyday cookies for versions far more special—and especially delicious.

Martha Stewart

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Martha Stewart is America’s most trusted lifestyle expert and teacher and the author of more than 90 books on cooking, entertaining, crafts, homekeeping, gardens, weddings, and decorating.

To find out more, visit MarthaStewart.com, like her on Facebook, subscribe to her on YouTube, and follow her on Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.

MARTHA STEWART’S COOKIE PERFECTION
From the Kitchens of Martha Stewart Living
256 pp. Clarkson Potter. $26.

Purchase Martha Stewart’s Cookie Perfection at one of these fine online retailers: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Half Price Books, IndieBound, and Powell’s.

Recipe courtesy of Martha Stewart’s Cookie Perfection.
Copyright © 2019 by Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc.
Photograph copyright © 2019 by Lennart Weibull.
Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Penguin Random House.