Name: Blackberry Ricotta and Olive Oil Bars
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: makes 12 bars
Ingredients: 60 g semolina (1/2 cup); 120 g all-purpose flour (1 cup); 1 tsp baking powder; 3 eggs; 370 g ricotta cheese; 120 g sugar (3/4 cup); 1 tsp vanilla seeds or vanilla extract; zest of one lemon; 1 tbsp milk; 1 tbsp rum (optional but recommended); 60 g melted butter (1/4 cup); 40 ml olive oil; 200 g blackberries (2 cups); 200 g blackberries (2 cups); 4 tbsp sugar

Blackberry Ricotta and Olive Oil Bars

Mmm, if blackberries aren’t something extremely divine and heavenly good I don’t know what is. When I was just a kid, blackberries were such a rare treat. Not because we weren’t able to get them, but because there were only about two or three per person growing on our blackberry bush at home. So you can only imagine how excited I was to eat a dessert with so many blackberries in it. These blackberry, ricotta and olive oil bars are not your regular, casual bars, oh no no. Aside from all purpose flour, eggs and sugar, we also added ricotta cheese and olive oil to the batter mix. Result? Incredibly rich in flavor and super tasty, especially in combination with blackberries. Optionally add the rum, which will only make it even better. If you don’t have any fresh blackberries at hand, you can also use frozen blackberries or even fresh or frozen raspberries. It’s best to serve this wonderful dessert at room temperature or cold. Enjoy.

Ingredients

Blackberry Ricotta and Olive Oil Bars

60 g semolina (1/2 cup)

120 g all-purpose flour (1 cup)

1 tsp baking powder

3 eggs

370 g ricotta cheese

120 g sugar (3/4 cup)

1 tsp vanilla seeds or vanilla extract

zest of one lemon

1 tbsp milk

1 tbsp rum (optional but recommended)

60 g melted butter (1/4 cup)

40 ml olive oil

200 g blackberries (2 cups)

Blackberry Jam

200 g blackberries (2 cups)

4 tbsp sugar

Tools and equipment

2x bowl

electric mixer

baking dish (20 x 30 cm / 8 x 12-inch)

saucepan

baking paper

METHOD

Make the batter

Preheat the oven to 175 °C / 350 °F. In a bowl stir to combine semolina, all-purpose flour and baking powder. In a separate bowl combine eggs, ricotta, sugar, pinch of salt, vanilla seeds or vanilla extract, zest of one lemon, milk and rum using an electric mixer until nice and glossy.
Make the batter

Add dry ingredients (semolina, flour, baking powder) to the wet ingredients (egg, ricotta…) and mix to combine, using an electric mixer. Gradually add the melted (at room temperature) butter and olive oil (in a thin stream) and mix to combine. Add the blackberries and gently stir them into the mix, using a spatula.
Blackberry Jam

Prepare the blackberry jam. Add blackberries and sugar to a saucepan. Place over medium high heat. When the mixture comes to a boil, cook for about 5 minutes, then remove from the heat and let it cool completely.
Bake and Serve

Pour the batter into a baking dish (approx. 20 x 30 cm / 8 x 12-inch) lined with baking paper. Place in the oven and bake for 25 minutes at 175 °C / 350 °F, then remove from the oven. Spread the blackberry jam evenly on top of the half baked batter then place back in the oven and bake for about 25 - 35 minutes at 175 °C / 350 °F. Remove from the oven, let it cool, then slice and serve. Enjoy.