Gluten Free Jam Shortbread Cookie Bars
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 10-12 bars
Buttery, melt in your mouth shortbread filled with jam. So quick and easy to make, and unbelievably yummy! Gluten free or glutened - your choice!
Ingredients
- 2 sticks (230g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup (140g) white sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2.5 cups (430g) gluten free all purpose/plain flour blend (or regular AP/Plain flour if not making GF)
- 1/2 cup (50g) almond flour (finely ground almonds)*
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 13oz/370g jar of good quality jam/preserves (flavour of your choice, our favourite is cherry) - this approximately 1 heaped cup.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F/160C and line an 8"x10" brownie pan (or other deep pan) with parchment paper.
- In your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (you can also use a handheld electric beater, or the good old fashioned wooden spoon and elbow grease) beat the butter, sugar and vanilla extract until fluffy, about 3 minutes
- Add the flour, almond flour, and salt, and beat on low speed until a soft dough starts to form. If you're using non-GF flour, I would recommend doing this part by hand with a wooden spoon to avoid overworking the gluten.
- Turn the dough out of the bowl and form into a rough ball, split roughly in half - being a bit more generous with one half (don't worry, accuracy isn't important on this part)**
- Flatten the smaller half into a disc, wrap in cling-film and put into the fridge
- Put the other half into your lined pan and use your hands to spread out into an even layer covering the bottom of the pan, and about 1/4" up the sides
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, until it's starting to turn golden. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes
- Give your jam a good stir to loosen it up and then spread all over the semi-baked shortbread base.
- Take the other half of the shortbread dough out of the fridge, and crumble all over the top of the jam.
- Return to the oven and bake for a further 30 minutes, until the top is golden and the jam is bubbling.
- Cool in the pan. Then turn out onto a board and cut into squares.
Notes
*If you're baking for an almond allergy sufferer you can omit the almond flour, but otherwise it is a must (even if you don't like almonds, trust me, you won't regret it)
**If you're a stickler for accuracy, cut the dough evenly in half and then take a quarter from one half and add to the other. Use the larger half for the base.
Store in an airtight container for 3 days.
Courses Dessert
Recipe by A Tipsy Giraffe at https://www.atipsygiraffe.com/jam-shortbread-cookie-bars-gluten-free/