Recipe: Sweet Blueberry Almond Bars

These tasty streusel-like bars are a great dessert or a yummy snack. Fresh-ground almond flour gives a lovely nutty flavor to these bars, which include the healthy benefits of both nuts and fresh blueberries, as well as cinnamon. These make a tasty on-the-run snack, and the kids will like them too!

Sweet Blueberry Almond Bars

Ingredients:

Almonds (Photo credit: Shelby PDX)

1/2 cup blanched almonds, toasted and ground fine
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp confectioners sugar, divided
1 1/4 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature (organic if possible)
1/4 tsp pure almond extract
1 lb fresh blueberries
1 orange, zested

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a 9x13 baking pan with parchment paper; or butter the pan, dust with flour, and shake out excess.
• Toast almonds on baking sheet in 350 oven for 10 to 15 minutes, shaking often, until golden brown; then put in blender or food processor and grind until fine.
• Put flour, ground almonds, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl and set aside.
• In mixing bowl put 3/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp sugar and butter, and mix with beater until light and fluffy.
• Add almond extract and continue beating until just blended.
• Slowly add flour mixture, mixing with beater on medium until crumbly texture develops. 
• Remove 1 cup of crumbly dough from bowl and set aside.
• Press remaining dough into a crust just on the bottom of the baking pan.
• In a bowl, toss together the blueberries, orange zest, and remaining 1 Tbsp sugar; arrange evenly over the dough in pan.
• Take 1 cup of crumbly dough that was set aside and sprinkle over blueberries evenly.
• Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown.
• Remove and let cool in pan for 10 minutes.
• Cut into squares when cool.