Summer has finally arrived and even though here in Florida it has been very warm for months, summer fruit is starting to appear in our local markets and grocer stores. I am a berry person myself, and raspberries are my favorite fruit. I tested these bars three times before I got them just right. I wanted to use sourdough discard in the bars, but the crust was too firm. I ended up using a shortbread-type crust without the sourdough, and I got exactly what I was looking for.
These bars are tender with a slightly sweet jam filling. I added fresh raspberries on top of the jam, which intensified the raspberry flavor and prevented the bars from being too sweet. I topped the bars with sliced almonds for texture, and a light dusting of powdered sugar once they were baked and cooled finished them off perfectly. Straightforward and quick to prepare, I will admit that I loved these bars so much, I had to store them in the freezer so I wouldn’t keep snacking on them. They are THAT good! I find it is easiest to cut these bars into squares if you refrigerate them for a couple of hours after baking.
Buon Appetito!
Deborah Mele
Ingredients
- 1/3 Cup Ground Almonds
- 1 Cup (2 Sticks) Unsalted Butter At Room Temperature
- 3/4 Cup Confectioners Sugar
- 1 Teaspoon Almond Extract
- 2 1/4 Cups All-purpose Flour
- 3/4 Cup Seedless Raspberry Jam
- 1 Cup Fresh or Frozen Raspberries
- 1/2 Cup Sliced Almonds
- Powdered Sugar To Finish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line an 8 x 8-inch baking pan with parchment paper and spray with baking spray.
- In a large bowl, using a hand mixer, beat the butter, sugar, and extract until creamy, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the flour and ground almonds and mix just until combined.
- Set aside 3/4 cup of the crumb mixture for the topping.
- Press the rest of the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan, pressing to create an even layer.
- Spread the jam on top of the dough, then spread the raspberries evenly on top of the jam.
- Crumble the reserved dough mixture evenly over the raspberry layer, then top with the sliced almonds.
- Bake for about 45 to 50 minutes or until golden brown.
- Cool completely, then sprinkle the top with powdered sugar, and slice into squares.