Partridgeberry Squares

Today is Canada Day, the 149th anniversary of Confederation. It is also my father's 84th birthday and we are not able to travel 2000 km to his birthday party. So we made a sweet treat at home to celebrate both events.

We visited Newfoundland last summer and enjoyed Partridgeberry Squares at cafés in Trinity and St. John's. The squares were served with butter icing or cream cheese icing which is not featured in the picture above. We found a "Newfie" store in Cambridge ON that sells frozen partridgeberries at a reasonable price. They are very similar to, if not the same as lingonberries that are sold at Ikea stores.

Here is the very simple recipe. It also works well with wild blueberries. The squares are similar to brownies or blondies.

Ingredients

1/2 cup softened butter
1 and 1/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1teaspoon vanilla
1 cup milk
2 cups flour
2 cups coconut
2 cups partridgeberries

Cream cheese frosting:

1 250 g package cream cheese
1 and 1/4 cups icing sugar
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

• Cream butter and sugar, add eggs and vanilla. Add flour and milk stirring well until smooth, then mix in coconut and berries. There is no added salt or leavening in this recipe. 
• Pour into 9 x 13 inch pan. Bake in 350 degree oven, 30 to 40 minutes, the longer time if using frozen berries. Cool.
• Spread frosting on cooled squares

Here is my daughter's take on the squares via Snapchat :-)