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1
For the crust:
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Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 9x13 glass baking dish.
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Place the butter, sugar, flour, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer. On low speed with the paddle attachment, mix until the butter is in small pea-sized chunks. (This could also be done by hand with a pastry blender).
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4
Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. You can set aside the bowl to use for the topping.
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Bake until the surface is dry and the edges are very lightly browned, about 20-22 minutes. Let cool at least 20 minutes before adding filling.
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For the filling:
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Pop a berry into your mouth. If it's an early-season berry from the store, it might be a little tart. If so, and you want make the filling a bit sweeter, add the extra 2 Tablespoons of sugar to the bowl in the next step.
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In a mixing bowl, combine the 1/2 cup sugar (+ 2 T extra if needed), cornstarch, and salt. Stir in the berries and zest until combined. Set aside.
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9
For the topping:
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In the bowl of the electric mixer, place the butter, sugar, cinnamon, salt, flour and vanilla. On low speed with the paddle attachment, mix until the butter is in small pea-sized chunks and the mixture begins to clump together. (This could also be done by hand with a pastry blender).
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11
To assemble:
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Spread the filling on the cooled crust. Especially if the berries are large, the filling might not evenly cover the crust. That's OK.
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13
Spread the topping over the filling. The whole thing will look pretty lumpy. That's OK.
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Bake until the topping has browned lightly and the berry filling is bubbling, about 40 minutes.
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Cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into bars. They are best eaten with a fork because they're a little crumbly.
