Another thing with topping

When I'm making dinner at home, my daughter invariably gets right to the point. "Is there gonna be topping for dessert?"*

Fortunately for her, more often than not, there is**.

Fruit Cobbler Bars  
Courtesy of Joy the Baker, except I made it so the topping/fruit ratio skews just a bit more towards the topping.

Crust and Topping
4 c. all purpose flour
2 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
zest of 1 large lemon
2 c. chilled butter, cut into cubes

Fruit Filling
4 large eggs
2 c. sugar
1 c. sour cream
3/4 c. all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. almond extract (optional - leave out if anyone has nut allergies)
pinch of salt
6-7 cups of fresh berries, cut peaches, nectarines plums or other tangy stone fruit, or whatever combination you like

Preheat the oven to 350.  Grease a large sheet pan (12x17 or 10x15 for thicker bars) lightly with cooking spray or butter and set aside.

Make the crust.  Using a mixer or a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, salt and lemon zest, then add the butter.  Pulse or beat until the mixture comes together and resembles very moist crumbs, or even cookie dough.    Reserve 2 cups for topping.

Press remaining dough into the pan, forming one even layer.   Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until light golden brown.  Let cool for 10 minutes while you make the filling.

Whisk the eggs, sugar, sour cream, flour, extract (if using), and salt in a large bowl.   Gently fold in the fruit.

Spoon the mixture evenly over the crust.  You may have to move the fruit around a little to make sure it's fairly distributed.

Crumble or sprinkle the reserved topping mixture over the filling.  Bake for 45 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned.  Cool 1 hour before cutting into bars and serving, with our without vanilla ice cream.  I say with.

Click to print this recipe!

* What she really means is, "Will there be something with topping for dessert so I can eat the raw topping while you are making it, and also pick off all the cooked topping and just eat that part of the dessert after you bake it?"

** If you don't believe me, click dessert and just see how many options you have to make something with topping for dinner tonight.