BLUEBERRY PIE BARS

Hazelnut flour adds a rich nuttiness to this easy crust.

Makes 2 dozen

1 cup hazelnut flour ½ teaspoon baking

powder

½ teaspoon ground

cardamom

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more

1¼ cups granulated

sugar

1 teaspoon fine sea salt 8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes 1 large egg, beaten

4 cups fresh blueberries 2 tablespoons fresh

lemon juice Powdered sugar, for dusting

Whisk the hazelnut flour, baking powder and cardamom with 2 cups all-purpose flour, ¾ cup granulated sugar and ¾ teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Add the butter, toss to coat and press into the dry ingredients using a pastry cutter or your fingers until coarse crumbs form. Drizzle the egg over, and mix with a fork or your fingers until incorporated and the mixture forms large clumps. Or, use a food processor and pulse the dry ingredients until mixed, then pulse in the butter until coarse crumbs form. Add the egg and pulse until large clumps form.

Line the bottom and sides of a 13-by-9-inch cake pan with foil, Blueberry Bars with a nutty, press-in crust leaving overhang on all sides, and lightly coat the foil with nonstick cooking spray. Scatter two-thirds of the dough clumps evenly across the bottom of the pan, then press into the bottom in an even layer. Gather the remaining dough, press into a one-inch-thick disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate both for at least 30 minutes.

Arrange the oven racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and heat to 375 degrees.

Prepare the blueberry filling by mixing the remaining two tablespoons all-purpose flour, ½ cup granulated sugar and one-quarter teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Add the blueberries and lemon juice and fold until evenly mixed. Spread the blueberry mixture over the chilled dough in the pan. Bake on the lower rack until the blueberry mixture is jammy and bubbling around the edges, 50 to 55 minutes.

While that bakes, unwrap the disc of dough, reserving the plastic wrap, and put on a lightly floured surface. Cover the dough disc with the plastic wrap and roll to ¼-inch thickness. Uncover and use a 1½-inch cookie cutter (whatever shape you like) to cut out 24 shapes. Gather scraps, reroll and cut again if needed.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Put the shapes on the sheet, spacing one inch apart. Bake on the upper rack (while the blueberry base is baking on the bottom rack) until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool completely on the sheet on a rack. Dust with powdered sugar.

Place the pan with the blueberry mixture on a rack and let cool just until the bubbling subsides, then arrange the cookies on top in a sixby-four grid and gently and carefully press into the hot blueberry mixture. Cool completely on the rack.

Using the overhanging foil, lift and slide the bars onto a cutting board and cut into 24 bars.

If you want to make ahead of time, the dough can be refrigerated for up to two days before baking.

The baked bars can be refrigerated for up to three days. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Note: A nutritional analysis was not available for this recipe.