Berry Lemon Skillet Custard Pie

Breakfast, snack, dessert -- doesn't matter, this Berry Lemon Custard skillet pie got eaten for all of them. It was pretty delicious and easy to make. I had a bunch of blackberries and boysenberries from my bushes that needed eaten so I decided to go a different route than my normal blackberry tarts and adapt a recipe from Family Circle for a plain blackberry custard. 

I didn't have quite enough blackberries and boysenberries so I added raspberries to the mix. Really you could use any mixture of berries you have on hand. This recipe is simple to make but does take a good 40 minutes to hour of oven time. So, plan ahead. But this recipe is just as good served cold as it is warm so it can literally be eaten the next day and was in my house. All day, in fact, for breakfast, snack and dessert. 

I made mine lactose free for the lactose intolerant kids in my house. 

Your custard is going to look like this before it goes in the oven, 

Berry Lemon Skillet Custard Pie

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Cups milk (we use LACTAID milk but you could use a coconut milk in this recipe).

1/3 Cup plus 2 TB sugar

2/3 Cup flour

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 TB lemon juice

1/4 tsp salt

lemon zest (from about 1/2 a lemon)

3 Cups of fresh berries (I used blackberries, boysenberries and rasberries)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees farenheit

2. Spray an oven safe skillet with nonstick spray

3.Combine milk, 1/3 cup sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, lemon juice, four and salt in a blender. 

4. Blend until smooth. 

5. Pour blended batter into skillet. 

6. Place berries on top of batter (they will sink).

7. Sprinkle with lemon zest.

Bake for 40 minutes to an hour until inserted toothpick comes out clean and sides begin to puff. Serve warm or chilled. Sprinkle with confectioners sugar if desired. 

Raspberry Coconut Bars

I have a confession to make. I am one of those gals that will always walk through the grass instead of on the sidewalk if it means that it is a shorter and better route. So, I think it is kind of funny when people assume I make everything from scratch. And they do occasionally. The truth is I a love a short cut. Especially when it comes to baking.

Which is why I love Jiffy Mixes. Especially the special flavors like Raspberry Muffin. On the side of the raspberry muffin box was a raspberry bar recipe. Sounds like a shortcut to a yummy dessert to me. I changed it a little by adding coconut because I am also one of those gals that thinks coconut makes everything better. OK, maybe not spaghetti and meatballs, but definitely everything else. You can substitute pecans or leave the coconut out if you are not a coconut gal (or guy).

Raspberry Coconut Bars
1 pkg of Raspberry Muffin mix (Jiffy)
5 TB margarine or butter, softened.
1/4 Cup quick oats
1/4 Cup shredded coconut
1/2 Cup Raspberry jam

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9" square pan.
Combine first four ingredients.
Mix with fork until crumbly.
Set aside 1/4 cup of crumb mixture.
Press remaining crumb mixture into pan.
Spread raspberry jam on top of crumb layer to within 1/2 inch of edges.
Sprinkle or drop reserved crumb mixture over filling.
Bake 25-28 minutes until slightly brown.