A Dessert Night
The other night, J and I had a few friends over to help celebrate our recent birthdays. I love any excuse to have others over, simply because its an excuse to make fun and delicious desserts.The boys had a great time playing Rock Band (J’s request, of course) and while the girls enjoyed eating many sweets. 
Madeleine Cookies (A post about these will be coming soon) 
Blackberry Pie.
I asked J, if he could choose from any dessert in the world, what would he want me to make for his birthday. He chose Olallieberry Pie. Olallieberries, you ask? Yes, I didn’t even know how to pronounce the word. Just so you now know, it is pronounced, “oh-la-leh-berry”. Was my littly hubby trying to be difficult? He he,… yes, I do believe so, but isn’t he so cute?! I mean, what man even knows that there are different types of berries within the blackberry family, besides just plain, old blackberries. After much teasing and prodding directed at J, from myself, he sent me this chart to prove his point. He he he…. After looking at this again, I do believe I’m still confused. Is an olallieberry from the blackberry family or the marionberry family? Or both? Or does the marionberry originate from the blackberry and raspberry family? *sigh*… can anyone help me out with this?
Needless to say, Olallieberries aren’t really in season, must less blackberries. But, the blackberries were somewhat still available. And I wanted to make my sweet husband happy. So, I made the pie, but it was a VERY expensive pie. And not olallieberry pie, but close to it. And, it was worth it. And, it was yummy. So, there…(A post about this will probably be coming soon, also!) 
And,….da-da-da-dum!!! Pioneer Woman’s Best Chocolate Sheet Cake Ever!!
And, my oh my, was it delicious…and, it made a ton!!!
Look at that chocolately goodness.
Everyone had a little doggy-dessert bag to take home with them that night… because, lets just say, it was NOT safe keeping this in our house. 
If you do plan on making this, eat it an enjoy! But, I’m just warning you, it’s even MORE delicious after it has sat in the fridge all night and is nice and cold!!
Don’t tell anyone, but I had it for breakfast the next morning!
Tags: Best Chocolate Sheet Cake Ever, Blackberry, Blackberry Pie, Cake, Cookies, Madeleines, Marionberry, Olallieberries, Olallieberry, Pie, Pioneer Woman, Rock Band
January 15, 2008 at 1:31 am
OHMYGOODNESS…..that cake looked sooo good. i am going to look at the recipe now. and the picture of the blackberry pie is especially beautiful. thats hilarious…ive never heard of a Olla-what?
January 16, 2008 at 7:21 am
Olallieberries…I only had them once, I bet this is wonderful.
January 26, 2008 at 12:41 am
[...] As I promised in my previous post, here is a DELICIOUS recipe for Madeleine Cookies taken from Bon Appetit Magazine (January 2000 issue). [...]
March 25, 2008 at 12:37 am
[...] Pioneer Woman, because her blog is so easy to maneuver through and find a delicious recipe for almost any occasion. Whatever I make from her site usually turns out amazing! [...]
June 8, 2008 at 8:27 pm
Olallieberries are large, shiny, juicy berries in the bramble family. They are most commonly compared to blackberries, and they are closely related to blackberries. However, they have a more intense, tart flavor, and a very brief growing season. Olallieberries are most widely cultivated along the West Coast of the United States, specifically in California, and are a coveted treat while fresh. They can also be found frozen and in the form of preserves such as jams and jellies. In some areas, olallieberries are also used to make distinctive berry wines.
In 1935, an employee of the United States Department of Agriculture crossed a loganberry and a Youngberry, producing a varietal which was named “Oregon 609.” When the berry was released to the general market, it was renamed an Olallie, a Chinook word for “berry.” It proved to be very successful in cultivation in California, and the state quickly dominated the olallieberry market. Alternate spellings for the berries include olallaberry, olalliberry, and ollalaberry.
The parents of the olallieberry both owe a great deal of their genetic material to the blackberry. Loganberries were bred by crossing blackberries with red raspberries, while youngberries are a cross of blackberries and dewberries, smaller wild relatives. The genetic material in an olallieberry is approximately two thirds blackberry and one third red raspberry. While the berries superficially resemble blackberries, they grow on canes or vines which are much less thorny than blackberries. They also retain the sweet core of flavor common to raspberries.
The majority of olallieberries end up in jams, preserves, and wines, because the growing season is so short. When fresh, they are also used to make pies, tarts, and other pastries, as well as being eaten plain or included in fruit mixtures. Southern California is well known for its olallieberries, and several large producers there make olallieberry preserves for shipment to other parts of the country. Frozen olallieberries are also available from these companies for use in a variety of baking applications.
Like many other brambles, olallieberries rely on an extensive perennial underground root system. The berries grow on biennial stalks or trailing vines, depending on the varietal. When the vines stop bearing, they are cut down close to the ground so that the plant can generate new ones. As with other bramble fruits, the decision to grow olallieberries should not be taken lightly, since once the roots are established, the plants will keep returning. They also prefer a cooler climate such as a temperate coastal zone, and benefit from the installation of stakes or trellises to grow on.