Linzer Bars

The age-old combination of raspberry, almond, and cinnamon is a delicious one. We tried to adapt our favorite linzertorte recipe to cookie bars and it didn't make the cut. The raspberry jam oozed out the sides of each piece and my husband's comment was that it reminded him of some underbaked fudge. Ding. Enter the same idea in a new form, and a much easier one, I might add.
1 cup blanched, sliced almonds
1 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
5 oz. raspberry preserves
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel or a scant 1/4 teaspoon lemon oil
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 9-inch square baking pan.

Spread the almonds on a sheet pan and bake at 350°F for 10 minutes, or until just starting to brown. This brings out extra flavor. Process the nuts in a food processor or a blender until finely ground (but not nut butter!)

In a bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, salt and brown sugar. Mix with a whisk until well incorporated. Cut in the butter, using a pastry blender or your fingertips. Add the ground almonds. Stir until the mixture forms pieces the size of peas; it's on the dry side. Reserve 1 cup for the topping, and pat the rest into the prepared pan.

Mix the raspberry preserves and the lemon peel. Spread on top of the crust. You may feel that the raspberry filling looks scant, but it's just the right amount to inject flavor and avoid ooze. Top with the rest of the crust and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let cool on a rack and cut into squares. Yield: 16 to 20 bars.
Nutrition information per serving (1 larger bar, 41 g): 184 cal, 11 g fat, 2 g protein, 9 g complex carbohydrates, 10 g sugar, 2 g dietary fiber, 17 mg cholesterol, 39 mg sodium, 114 mg potassium, 1 mg iron, 45 mg calcium, 61 mg phosphorus.



 



 
 

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