Marionberry Crumb Muffins

Spending my summer in Oregon means heaping amounts of berries around the clock. It also means the curious marionberry, Oregon's famed berry. The marionberry is the 'Marion' cultivar of blackberry, developed by the USDA and Oregon State University and tested in Marion County, OR. One can find marionberry pie, muffins, scones, jams, etc. in every market and bakery around. It was my duty to get these berries into at least one of my treats this summer.

I adapted my recipe for orange blueberry poppy seed muffins that I posted last December. I realize that most of you reading do not have access to marionberries, so swap them for blackberries! Or at the very least, make the original blueberry muffins. The crumb topping is too delicious to pass up!

Mixed Berry Mini Pies

It's been awhile, I know, but I've got mixed berry pie! These pies happen to be adorable (coming in at 5 inches a piece), sweet but tart, and a perfect way to use up the summer's best berries. I've been on a mini dessert kick for a few months. It's a bit more work to make four separate pies but the works pays off in the end when you can claim a pie all to yourself.

Notes on the recipe:

I use a total of five cups of fresh berries in this recipe: blackberries, raspberries and blueberries. Feel free to adjust those amounts and even swap in some strawberries if you like, but keep it to five cups.  

Lemon juice and zest can easily be added in if you prefer a citrus-y flavor to your berry pies. I like the flavor of the berries all their own, with just a bit of added sugar. 

Mixed Berry Bars

What better way to enjoy summer berries than to sandwich them between a sweet, buttery crust? These mixed berry bars (raspberry, blueberry, blackberry) are sweet but tart, and delicious chilled.

Unfortunately, the busy first few weeks of school have kept me away from the blogging world and this recipe is coming to you in the early days of autumn. But if you're like me, you have bags of berries that you picked all summer in your freezer, just waiting for an opportunity to be showcased. Frozen berries from the supermarket will also work or you can simply daydream about making berry bars until next summer.

My boyfriend loves mixed berry pie, so when he hosted a bbq in late August, we couldn't think of a better dessert. With little time to perfect a pie crust and filling, however, I decided that bars would be quick to make and easy to enjoy (no plate or fork needed!). I searched and searched the baking blog world and found several recipes for berry bars before settling on smitten kitchen's blueberry crumb bar recipe. Many bakers whip up similar desserts with a granola crust in an attempt to make a breakfast-worthy bar. I was searching for that berry pie taste and had faith that Deb's buttery crust would be a success.

Homemade Granola

About once every week or two my kitchen turns into a granola factory. I started making my own granola in December 2010, soon after I got hooked on Chobani's plain yogurt. All-natural, no fat, no cholesterol, and 18g of protein per serving. The only catch? If you've ever tried plain yogurt, I bet you've made the sour face. It's tangy, for sure. So, I top off a bowl with a handful of fresh fruit and homemade granola. 

I've seen a number of homemade granola recipes and although they each have their own twist, the basic ingredients are the same. The recipe you will find below will give you a basic, slightly sweet 'nola that you can adjust to your taste buds. 

The beauty of this recipe is that it's safe to play with. You're essentially toasting the oats so you don't have to worry about a food chemistry nightmare.