Cookie Carnival: Blackberry Almond Bars

I couldn't help it.  I saw this beautiful ferris wheel of cookies on another blog, and I just had to have it for my own.  So I joined another group.  This time it's Cookie Carnival.  We make a new cookie every month.  Mmmmm.  More baking!  And more dishes!

This month was a recipe from Williams-Sonoma.  It looked to be a standard shortbread bar with a fruit topping a la lemon squares.  Those I've made a zillion times.  I thought this wouldn't be much different.

The crust.  I can't stop talking about the crust.  It had just a touch of almonds, and the buttery taste was outstanding.  I really liked it with the blackberry curd.  I think this is my new go-to crust recipe.

I will say that the curd was a little fussy.  I used frozen berries because they are very reasonable at Trader Joe's.  They needed to pureed, strained, cooked (for 8-10 minutes, stirring constantly), and strained again.  The flavor was delicious.  I think, however, that I won't be making the blackberry curd again any time soon.  The crust, though, I have been dreaming about.  There are so many choices for toppings spinning through my head.

My food photography, as always, leaves a little something to be desired.  

Here's a yummy cross section.  There's that golden delicious crust.

Here's the finished product.  A little confectioners sugar made it look all pretty.

Until next month!