Lemon Blackberry Cookies

I was chatting with my friend the other day and she mentioned that she wanted to find a fool-proof recipe she could make that included blackberries, lemon, and mint. This fascinated me, and the last time that I searched for a recipe to fit a flavor profile, it was so enjoyable. I started searching and there are many blackberry and lemon recipes, and I also found a mint glaze that could be incorporated. I found quite a few recipes and wanted to give them a try.

These cookies do not contain mint, but I could have added a mint glaze. I don’t always want mint in my desserts; it works sometimes and sometimes it doesn’t. Blackberries are in season right now, so I picked up a small package at the grocery store. This recipe originally called for partially thawed blackberries, so I did the opposite. I washed the blackberries, cut them in half, and then placed them in the freezer for a while. They were nearly completely frozen by the time I made the cookies. 

I made these cookies smaller than the original recipe, as the yield was 14 cookies and my batch made about three dozen. The cookies varied from batch to batch. I could tell at first the blackberries were frozen, so the berries were distinct. Later batches the berries were cold but not frozen, and the blackberries were more swirled through the dough. I liked both, but the ones with the swirled were better and looked more interesting. I loved doing the research to find this recipe, and am so pleased with the results. 

Lemon Blackberry Cookies
1 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg + 1 yolk
2-3/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup blackberries, frozen

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats.

In a large mixer bowl, beat the room temperature melted butter, sugar, and brown sugar for 2 minutes. The mixture will become very creamy. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla, egg, and egg yolk and mix until combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer running on low, gradually add the flour mixture. When the dough almost disappears from the dough, remove from the mixer. 

Add the frozen blackberries to the dough and fold in with a spatula. 

Using a medium cookie scoop (about 1 tablespoon), scoop the dough in rounds onto the prepared baking sheet, about 8 cookies per sheet. Flatten the dough slightly with the palm of your hand. Refrigerate the cookies and cookie sheet for 10 minutes. (Between batches, refrigerate the dough so it doesn’t get too warm.)

Bake for 14-16 minutes until lightly golden along he edges. Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Recipe from Stephanie’s Sweet Treats

Blackberry Lemon Meltaway Cookies

I have had this recipe saved for a long time- the cookies looked so perfect for when the weather starts getting nice. It’s a fairly simple butter cookie topped with an icing made from homemade strawberry syrup and lemon juice. The original recipe has you cook down fresh strawberries to make a syrup, which isn’t that hard, but I wasn’t looking forward to standing in front of the stove.

I remembered that I had some Blackberry Syrup in the refrigerator that we have used as a dessert sauce on a few occasions. I had purchased the syrup from Bateman Acres at a local farmer’s market. I figured that the blackberry syrup would work perfectly in place of the strawberry syrup. I did add some lemon juice to the icing, because it adds brightness that is always welcome. 

I made these cookies fairly small, but that seemed to work well. I shaped the cookies and then chilled them for about 10 minutes before baking. I’m not sure that was necessary, as the cookies don’t have any leavening and don’t change much while baking. The icing, with the blackberry syrup is fantastic. You do have to make the icing thick, but I still had a  couple of dribbles that I tidied up, but otherwise the icing stayed put. These are so tasty, the cookie just melts in your mouth and the icing adds the perfect touch of sweetness.

Blackberry Lemon Meltaway Cookies
1 cup butter, room temperature
½ cup powdered sugar
½ cup cornstarch
2 teaspoons vanilla 
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups flour
Additional sugar

2 ½ tablespoons blackberry syrup
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 ⅓ cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Heat the oven to 325. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats. 

In a large mixer bowl, beat the butter until light. Add the powdered sugar and mix to combine. Add the cornstarch, vanilla, and salt. Stir until smooth. With the mixer on low, gradually add the flour. Mix until the dough comes together; the dough may be crumbly. 

Roll the dough into 1 tablespoon balls, then roll the balls in additional sugar. Flatten the cookies to about ½” with the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar. 

Bake for 18-20 minutes or until barely golden. Remove from oven and cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before removing to a cooking rack to cool completely.

Make the icing: in a medium bowl whisk together the blackberry syrup and lemon juice. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and stir until the icing is smooth but thick. Spread the icing on the cooled cookies. Allow the icing to set before serving.

Recipe from The Café Sucre Farine

Lemon Blackberry Cheesecake Bars

Do you make cheesecake often? I think that cheesecake can be very challenging, and I have yet to make a cheesecake that didn’t have some sort of crack in the top. Some folks say that is completely normal, but I don’t see cracks in professionally made cheesecakes. I’ve tried so many things, water baths, etc. and nothing seems to help. I know many who make cheesecakes and that’s their thing. That isn’t the case for me.

The closest that I can successfully create is a cheesecake bar cookie, but I hadn’t made that in a while. There are less errors with a bar cookie, but the flavors are about the same. I came across this recipe and thought that lemon cheesecake combined with a berry topping would be great. The original recipe called for raspberry pie filling, but I had blackberry jam that my friend had made, so I chose to use that. I think any sort of berry topping, or even anything that works with lemon would be a good choice.

These bars take a little longer to bake than some cookies, but they are not nearly as involved as a cheesecake. They bake in two stages, but you can prepare the filling while the crust bakes. The swirl on top can be as simple as you want. I find that if you swirl in the jam/pie filling too much it becomes too uniform, and you don’t want that. The bars still jiggle in the middle when they come out of the oven, but the firm up as they cool. These bars are quite thick, and you could likely make them in a 9” pan for a slightly thinner bar. These are sweet, but have the tanginess of cheesecake mixed in, which is very nice.

Lemon Blackberry Cheesecake Bars
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup sugar
6 tablespoons butter, melted

16 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
Zest of 1 lemon
1 1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup berry jam/pie filling

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8” square baking pan with foil and spray the foil with nonstick spray.

In a medium bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan.

Bake for 8 minutes. Make the filling while the crust is baking.

In a large mixer bowl, beat the cream cheese, lemon zest, sugar, sour cream, flour, and vanilla on medium until smooth. Add the eggs and beat again to combine. Spread the mixture over the partially baked crust.

Spoon the berry jam/pie filling over the cheesecake layer in small dollops, and then swirl with a knife to make a decorative pattern.

Bake for 35 minutes. Allow to cool before refrigerating. Refrigerate for 2 hours before cutting into bars.

Recipe from My Incredible Recipes

Lemon Cookies with Blackberry Frosting

I love a good lemon cookie, and I was really excited when I came across this recipe. I think that lemon pairs well with so many different flavors, and blackberry is no exception! I simplified the recipe a little bit by making a simple frosting rather than a more complex buttercream. I know that buttercream tastes better, but sometime you just don’t want to take the time to make it. The frosting I made was simple and still tastes pretty great.

The lemon cookies are coated in powdered sugar before they bake, which gives them a sugary crust once baked. I thought that they could use even more lemon flavor, so next time I might add more lemon zest. Lemon can be tricky: it’s a fine line between not enough lemon and super bitter lemon flavor! I also flattened the cookies before baking. I didn’t do that for the first batch and they were too rounded. Frosting a flatter cookie is a lot easier. 

For the frosting, it’s just butter, powdered sugar, and the blackberry preserves. I think you could use a little less butter, as the frosting is very rich. Blackberry preserves can be hard to find. Bon Maman makes it, but not all grocery stores carry it. I was able to find blackberry preserves make by a local company, so I used that. You could also use other flavors of preserves: blueberry, strawberry or (seedless) raspberry would be particularly nice. These are a light, sweet cookie, perfect for summer.

Lemon Cookies with Blackberry Frosting

1 cup butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

zest of one lemon

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

3 cups flour

Powdered sugar

1 cup butter, room temperature

¾ cup blackberry preserves

2 cups powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats.

In a large mixer bowl, beat the 1 cup butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the lemon zest, juice, vanilla, and eggs. In a medium bowl combine the salt, baking powder, baking soda, and flour. With the mixer running on low, add the flour mixture gradually. Mix until all the flour is incorporated, taking care not to over beat the dough.

Shape the dough into 1-inch balls and roll in powdered sugar, making sure that the entire ball of dough is coated. Place on the prepared baking sheets and flatten slightly with the palm of your hand.

Bake for 12 minute, until just barely golden. Cool on the baking sheets for several minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Frost the cookies once they are completely cool.

Make the frosting: in a large mixer bowl beat the 1 cup butter and blackberry preserves until completely combined. With the mixer running on low, stir in the powdered sugar one cup at a time. Beat until smooth. If the frosting is too soft, add additional powdered sugar. If it is too stiff, add a teaspoon or two of milk.

Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large plain tip. Pipe the frosting on top of the cooled cookies.

Recipe from 30 Pounds of Apples. Frosting recipe from Always with Butter

Blackberry Buttermilk Cake

This is a great recipe to use up a small amount of fresh berries that you may have on hand. I had about a cup of blackberries left from the ones that the owner of the ballet studio where I take class gave me. Most fruit desserts require a lot more than a cup so I was on the hunt for a recipe that used a small amount. I came across this cake and it was just perfect. I was in the mood to bake a cake anyway!

This cake’s batter is very easy to make, not much more complex than putting together a cake mix. Don’t skip the fresh lemon zest in the batter as it adds such a great flavor. Berries can be so fragile, too, but for this cake you just put the berries on top of the batter and the cake bakes up around them. I was thankful for that as my berries were on the ripe side and if I would have mixed them in it would have been a big blackberry mess. The cake baked beautifully and came out of the pan perfectly. I took it to work to have a nice morning coffee treat and it was really well received. It’s perfect with coffee or tea, and has just the right amount of sweet for a coffee cake.

Blackberry Buttermilk Cake

1 1/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons butter, room temperature

2/3 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar, divided

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

1/2 cup buttermilk

2/3 cup blackberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9-inch cake pan.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.  In a large mixer bowl, beat butter and 2/3 cup sugar until pale and fluffy, about two minutes. Then beat in the lemon zest and the egg.

With the mixer on low, mix in the flour mixture in three batches, alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour.

Spoon batter into the prepared cake pan, smoothing top. Scatter the berries evenly over top and sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the cake is golden. Allow to cool slightly before removing from the cake pan. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Recipe from Shop. Cook. Make.

Individual Blackberry Cobblers

About a year ago, a restaurant opened up down the road from us and it is everything we wanted it to be. They use local foods whenever they can, they have a nice variety of dishes, and we can go there for a fancier dinner or just for Happy Hour for beer and flatbread pizzas. Since they offer seasonal and local foods, their menu changes from time to time. They always have a cobbler of some sort, but the flavors change with the season. Right now they have peach. The rhubarb one was excellent and my favorite was the apple cranberry one they had during the holidays.

This cobbler replicates what I get at the restaurant. I had a small amount of blackberries and found this recipe. The original recipe was to be made in a 9-inch pie pan. I halved the recipe and baked it in three smaller ramekins. I usually use these ramekins to soften butter but they are good for making individual cobblers or crisps. Mine hold about 1-1/2 cups I would guess. You could bake this in about any sort of pan, so use what you have on hand!

The batter for this is easy to make, as simple as making pancakes! The original recipe said to bake the 9-inch pan for an hour. I knew that this smaller dish would cook more quickly so I checked the cobblers at 30 minutes and baked them for a total of 35 minutes. These are best served warm from the oven with a generous topping of ice cream. This is a quick dessert and really hit the spot!

Individual Blackberry Cobblers

4 tablespoons butter

½ cup + 2 tablespoons sugar, divided

1 cup self-rising flour*

1/2 cup milk

1 cup blackberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter three small ramekins. My ramekins each hold about 1-1/2 cups.

In a small microwaveable dish, melt the butter. Set aside to cool slightly.   

In a large bowl, whisk ½ cup sugar and the flour. Whisk in the milk, mixing until well blended. Pour in the melted butter and whisk again.

Divide the batter between the three ramekins. Sprinkle the blackberries over the top of the batter. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar.

Bake until golden brown, about 35 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.

Recipe from Just Everyday Me

*I make my own self-rising flour by combining 2 cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, and ½ teaspoon salt

Ginger Blackberry Buckle

Growing up, the house I lived in had lots of blueberry bushes in the backyard. We had lots of blueberries around and I can recall having all sorts of crisps, slumps, buckles, etc. growing up. I was sure that I had had blueberry buckle before, but I don’t recall that it was quite like this recipe. I saw this recipe on The Novice Chef and it looked so good that I wanted to try it as soon as possible.

After making the Chocolate Cake with Blackberry Jam Buttercream, I had blackberries left over. I figured that this buckle would work with any sort of berries, so I thought I would give this a shot. My berries were so enormous that I had to cut them in half. In the spirit of trying to use up what I had on hand, I thought about what I could substitute for ginger. I had ground ginger and candied ginger around so I thought that it would work. The sweetness of the berries paired with the spiciness of ginger sounded really good to me.

This is a fairly simple cake and a crumb topping, which allow the berries to shine through. The blackberries in this were great, but I think that the ginger was the star here. It was especially good when you got a bite with the candied ginger. This cake also kept fairly well, which is a nice change from most fruit desserts that you have to serve right away. This cake would be perfect for breakfast, or serve it with ice cream for a fancier dessert. Any way you slice it, this is a great way to use up summer berries.

Ginger Blackberry Buckle

1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 cup butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
6 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
¼ cup finely chopped candied ginger
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 1/2 cups blackberries, divided

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt and ginger. Cut the butter into small pieces and add it to the mixture. Using your fingers, cut in the butter until it is reduced to the size of peas. Loosely cover the bowl, and place it in the freezer while you mix the cake.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-inch square baking pan.

In small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and ground ginger. In a large mixer bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Stir the flour mixture into the bowl, a third at a time, alternating with the oil, until both the flour mixture and oil are evenly incorporated into the batter. Stir in the candied ginger. Gently fold 1 cup of the blackberries into the batter.

Spread the batter into the prepared pan and distribute the remaining blackberries evenly over the top of the batter. Remove the crumb topping from the freezer and sprinkle it over the berries.

Bake the cake until it is lightly golden and firm on top, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven and cool to room temperature.

Recipe adapted from The Novice Chef

Chocolate Cake with Blackberry Jam Buttercream

My friend at work just retired after over 25 years working in the library. While she’d already had her retirement party, I wanted to bring a cake for her last day of work. When I saw this cake, I knew that this was the one to make. It looked so decadent and yet so refined at the same time. I don’t see very many recipes with blackberries and since they grow so abundantly here, I was excited to give this cake a try. It seems very fancy and looks like it has many steps, but it is quite easy to put together.

The recipe I saw online used Bonne Maman blackberry jam, which happened to be on sale at the grocery store. I’m not sure that there are too many other varieties out there, but you could substitute any type of jam or preserves in the buttercream filling. The cake is the simplest one I think I have every made, easy as a cake mix: mix the dry ingredients and then add the liquids and stir. The cake came out of the oven and it just looked beautiful. It rose so high and it was perfectly rounded. I don’t think I have ever seen such a beautiful cake!

Both the filling and the frosting are simple, again just stirring together the ingredients. I filled the cake right away but let the frosting chill quite a bit before the final frosting of the cake. The frosting is quite soft and if you try to rush it, it will simply be too soft to work with. I added some rosettes on the top with some enormous fresh blackberries. It was picture perfect as a whole cake and when you cut in to the cake, you reveal the purple-pink blackberry filling. The folks at work were delighted. It turned out so well and I was happy to be able to share this with my friend on her last day at work. Happy Retirement!

Chocolate Cake with Blackberry Jam Buttercream

2 cups flour
1 cup cocoa powder
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sour cream
½ cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 cup hot water

I cup butter, softened
¾ cup blackberry jam
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 cup butter, softened
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
2 cups marshmallow cream
¾ teaspoon vanilla
6 tablespoons powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 8-inch cake pans and line the bottom with parchment. Butter the parchment.

In a large mixer bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir on low to combine. Add the eggs, vanilla, sour cream, vegetable oil, vinegar and hot water and mix on medium until smooth. Pour into prepared pans and bake for 30-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pans for about 10 minutes; remove the cakes from the pan and cool completely before frosting.

Make the blackberry buttercream filling: In a large mixer bowl, combine the butter and the blackberry jam. Stir until thoroughly combined. Add the powdered sugar and stir until incorporated. Add additional powdered sugar if required to get to desired consistency.

Make the frosting: In a large mixer bowl, combine the butter and melted chocolate; stirring until smooth. Add the marshmallow cream, vanilla, and powdered sugar and stir until incorporated. Chill 20 minutes before assembling the cake.

To assemble the cake, place one cake layer on a cake plate. Top with the blackberry jam buttercream and then top with the second cake layer. Frost the top and sides with the chocolate cream frosting. Chill for 30 minutes before serving.

Recipe from Always with Butter