Apple Pie Jam Shortbread Bars

The other night, I was at an event in the evening so I wasn’t home for dinner. I was texting with my husband and he said he was having PB&J for dinner. He said that the only jelly/jam he could find in the cupboard was lingonberry jam. I didn’t think that sounded like a very good combination! We got a new refrigerator in the past year, so I knew that we had thrown away a lot of things, but I thought there were some new jars in the cupboard.

When I got home, I was curious about this lack of jam in the house. I asked where he looked, and he said “the cupboard” and I asked where in the cupboard. I guess he just looked on the top shelf, and, of course, all the jams, jellies and syrups are on the bottom shelf. I counted and we had about 9 different jams and jellies (and one honey). Many were on the unique side, likely purchased to use in a recipe. One of the jars I discovered (rediscovered?) was apple pie jam. I immediately knew that I was going to use it in a recipe this week.

I wanted to highlight the jam, so I looked for a fairly simple recipe. I found this shortbread bar that I thought would be perfect. You could use any type of jam or preserves, as I doubt that you’d be able to find apple pie jam. The original recipe called for 1-1/2 cups of jam, but I my jar was 12 ounces, about 1 cup, which was fine. These bars are super buttery, but you do get the spiced flavor of apple pie as well. I really like the great fall flavors in these bars.

Apple Pie Jam Shortbread Bars

1 1/2 cups butter, room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

3/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup finely ground almonds

2 3/4 cups flour

12 ounces Apple Pie jam

Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 9” x 13” pan with foil and spray the foil with nonstick spray.

In a large mixer bowl, combine the butter, sugar, and brown sugar. Beat on medium until light. Add the vanilla and salt and stir to combine. Gradually add the almonds and flour and mix on low, just until the dough comes together. Divide the dough into two halves. Wrap one half of the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Press the other half of the dough into the prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes, until lightly browned along the edges. Cool for 10 minutes.

Spread the jam evenly over the partially baked crust. Remove the rest of the dough from the refrigerator and crumble the dough over the jam. You won’t complete cover the jam, but that’s ok. Gently press the dough down with the palm of your hand.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the topping is golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack. If desired, dust lightly with powdered sugar before cutting into bars.

Recipe from Recipe Girl