Nectarine Berry Slab Pie Bars are a delicious handheld blackberry and blueberry pie recipe with flaky pie crust and stone fruit like peaches and nectarines studded throughout. This slab pie recipe is a great way to easily bring your love of pie wherever you go!
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Blackberry dessert sheet pan recipe
Blackberry recipes like blackberry desserts are the first thing most people think of to make when wondering what to do with fresh picked blackberries.
Based on a family favorite dutch apple slab pie recipe from my stepmother. This blackberry heavy sheet pan pie recipe uses a mix of fruit – both stone fruit and berries – in the pie filling and is perfect when you have a lot of fresh picked berries to use.
Sheet pan desserts like this are perfect for transporting because they travel so well and do not require it’s original dish for serving.
The secret to easily fit the dough into the sheet pan is to use parchment paper when rolling it out which makes it a breeze to not only roll and chill but also to decorate, assemble and serve.
Simply remove the pie bars from the sheet pan by lifting them out with the parchment paper. Then slice and transport to picnics, parties and potlucks without worry of leaving a dish behind.
Also a great pie recipe for cooks who just can’t resist a bite because after slicing into squares you can enjoy as many pieces as you like and no one will be the wiser 😉
Ingredients
- Lemon pastry crust – A large batch sweet lemon version of my favorite All Butter Pie Crust recipe made with the addition of lemon zest, extra sugar and an egg yolk for extra sturdiness. It’s sturdy, flaky and super flavorful.
- Berries – these blackberry blueberry pie bars with sliced nectarines and freshly picked blueberries and blackberries have a delicious balance of sweet and tart but any fruit and berries can be substituted.
- Nectarines – a great stone fruit to use in pie because they don’t require peeling but you can substitute other stone fruit like peaches or apricots or leave them out. Apple, peach, cherry and even chocolate are all fabulous fillings for this sheet pan dessert.
- Sugar
- Heavy cream- to coat the pastry before baking.
- Flour – for the pastry crust and also to thicken the pastry filling to ensure a light, juicy filling that cuts cleanly and isn’t the least bit runny. Cornstarch can also be substituted in the filling.
- Egg – white and yolk separated. The yolk is used in teh pastry crust and the egg white is whipped and spread on top.
- Salt
Step by step instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Prepare lemon pastry crust by combining flour, sugar, salt and lemon zest in a large bowl. Cut cold butter into small pieces and toss with mixture, working butter in with fingertips until only small pieces remain. Toss with egg yolk and ice water and stir just until the dough comes together.
- Cut four pieces of parchment paper roughly the size of a standard ½ sheet pan (13’x18″) or whatever size sheet pans you have. Then, divide dough in half and place each on parchment and cover with the other piece.
- Roll both pieces of lemon pie dough sandwiches between the parchment paper until the pastry fits the entire piece of parchment.
- Then carefully transfer the parchment paper sandwiches pastry sheets to sheet pans. Then place in the refrigerator to chill until firm, at least 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, gently stir together filling ingredients. Blueberries, blackberries, nectarines, flour, sugar, salt and lemon juice.
- Once pastry is chilled remove parchment from the top of one piece and decorate as desired with cut outs, designs, etc.
- Then remove the top of the second piece of dough and gently press into the corners of the full sheet pan to form the bottom crust.
- Top bottom crust with filling.
- Place the decorated dough directly onto filling with the parchment paper side facing up. Gently peel off parchment and press dough together around the edges of pan to lightly seal using dough scraps to fill in where needed.
- Brush with heavy cream.
- Then whip reserved egg white until light, fluffy and almost meringue like. Brush fluffy egg white around the crust in random spots then sprinkle coarse sugar evenly over top.
- Bake until crust is browned and filling is bubbly, 40-55 minutes.
- Cool slightly and serve.
- Enjoy!
How to serve
Cool berry slab pie slightly. Then cut into bars and serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and fresh mint. Or serve pie bars at room temperature.
Shelf life
No need to refrigerate this pie bar recipe. Blackberry pie bars will keep for up to 3 days at room temperature.
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
Nectarine Berry Filling
- 4 cups fresh blackberries
- 2 cups fresh blueberries
- 2 cups sliced nectarines from about 4 large nectarines
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup all purpose flour or ⅓ cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice from 1 small lemon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Lemon Pie Dough
- 5 cups all purpose flour
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest from 1 small lemon
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 pound unsalted butter cold, 4 sticks
- 1 large egg white and yolk separated
- ½ cup ice water or more as needed
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- ¼ cup coarse sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Prepare pastry dough. Combine flour, sugar, salt and lemon zest in a large bowl. Cut cold butter into small pieces and toss with mixture, working butter in with fingertips until only small pieces remain. Toss with egg yolk and ice water and stir just until the dough comes together.5 cups all purpose flour, ¼ cup sugar, ½ teaspoon lemon zest, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 pound unsalted butter, 1 large egg, ½ cup ice water
- Divide dough into two large pieces and place each on a piece of parchment paper the size of a ½ size sheet pan, or whatever size sheet pans you have. Top with another similar size piece of parchment and roll each piece of lemon pie dough to fit the parchment. Transfer both pieces of parchment lined dough to sheet pans and chill until firm, at least 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, gently stir together filling ingredients.4 cups fresh blackberries, 2 cups fresh blueberries, 2 cups sliced nectarines, 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar, ⅔ cup all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Once chilled remove parchment from the top of one rectangle of dough and decorate as desired. Then remove the top of the second dough and gently press into the corners of the sheet pan to form the bottom crust. Top with filling and place decorated dough directly onto filling, parchment paper facing up. Gently peel off parchment and press dough together around the edges of pan to lightly seal using dough scraps to fill in where needed.
- Brush with heavy cream or milk then whip reserved egg white until light, fluffy and almost meringue like. Brush fluffy egg white around the crust in random spots then sprinkle coarse sugar evenly over top.2 tablespoons heavy cream, ¼ cup coarse sugar
- Bake until crust is browned and filling is bubbly, 40-55 minutes.
- Cool, cut into squares and serve.
Nutrition
ROBBIE
For your Caramel Apple Pie Bars the Shortbread ingredients were for a 9 x 13 quarter sheet pan. What size pan is your Lemon Pie Dough recipe for? Did you use a 9 x 13 pan?
Tristin Rieken
Excellent question! The lemon pie dough used in these berry slab pie bars should be rolled out into a standard 1/2 sheet pan (13×18). And the shortbread crust used in the sheet pan caramel apple pie bars should be pressed into a smaller 1/4 sheet pan (9×13).