HappyCook80's Recipe

Apricot Linzer Bars

Category: Recipes

Apricot Linzer Bars

1 cup hazelnuts
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cups butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
4 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
1/2 cup apricot preserves
powdered sugar for dusting

Grease and lightly flour an 11 by 7 by 1 1/2 inch baking pan and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place hazelnuts in blender container or food processor bowl. Cover and blend or process until nuts are ground. Stir flour into ground hazelnuts and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add the granulated sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Beat until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Beat in egg and egg yolk until combined. Beat in as much flour-nut mixture as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour-nut mixture.

Evenly spread about 2 cups of the batter in the prepared pan. Spoon apricot preserves over batter to within 1/2 inch of edges. Drop remaining batter by spoonfuls over the preserves.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until lightly browned and a wooden toothpick inserted into the batter comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Sift powdered sugar over top before cutting into bars. Store in refrigerator or freezer.
Yields 15 to 24 bars.