Raspberry And Hazelnut Shortbread Bars

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Title: Raspberry And Hazelnut Shortbread Bars
Categories: Bar cookies
Yield: 18 servings

2/3 c Hazelnuts
1 1/2 c Flour, unbleached
1/2 c Granulated sugar
1 ts Baking powder
1 ts Ground cinnamon
1 ts Lemon zest; grated
1/2 ts Salt
1/2 c Unsalted butter
Cold/cut in small cubes
2 Eggs
1/2 ts Vanilla
1 c Raspberry jam
Powdered sugar

Recipe by: St. Louis Post-Dispatch 11/27/95
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread hazelnuts on baking sheet; bake
until skins crack and nuts are lightly toasted, 10 to 15 minutes.
Transfer nuts to large dish towel; rub vigorously to remove loosened
skins. Separate nuts from skins. Leave oven on.
Grind nuts in food processor until quite fine. Remove 2
tablespoons; set aside. Add flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon,
lemon zest and salt to processor bowl; process to blend. With motor
running, gradually add butter through feed tube; process just until
blended.
Whisk eggs with vanilla in small bowl. Gradually add egg mixture
to processor, pulsing on and off just until mixture forms dough (do
not over-process, or dough will be too sticky). Divide dough in half.
Working between 2 sheets of waxed paper, roll out half of dough to
11-inch circle. Slide dough onto baking sheet; freeze 15 minutes.
Press remaining dough into bottom of lightly buttered 9-inch square
pan. Refrigerate until top crust is ready.

Spread chilled bottom crust with raspberry jam. Remove baking
sheet from freezer. Peel off top layer of waxed paper. Cut dough into
a perfect 9-inch square using ruler or pan as a guide. Invert top
crust onto jam-spread bottom crust in pan. Remove remaining sheet of
waxed paper. Lightly sprinkle crust with reserved hazelnuts. Bake
until top is golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool on wire rack.
Using small strainer, sprinkle evenly with powdered sugar. Let stand
at least 3 hours before cutting into bars. Yield: 18 bars.
Recipe from Marie Simmons, author of "Bar Cookies: A to Z"
(Chapters Publishing).

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