Raspberry Streusel Squares

Total Time: 44 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 24 mins

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 6 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 cup finely chopped finely chopped roasted unsalted almonds
• 2/3 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 cup seedless raspberry jam, preferable home made
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 -2 tablespoon half-and-half cream (10 percent) or 1 -2 tablespoon milk
• 1/8 teaspoon almond extract

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 350 degrees f.
• 2 line a 9-inch square baking pan with foil, and grease with unsalted butter or nonstick vegetable spray.
• 3 crust: in a bowl, whisk together flour, confectioner’s sugar and baking powder until well combined.
• 4 stir in almonds.
• 5 using a pastry blender, fork or your fingers, cut in butter until evenly combined and mixture resembles coarse crumbs and starts to come together.
• 6 using the back of a spoon or your fingers, press crust evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan.
• 7 filling: stir raspberry jam to loosen it. spread jam evenly over crust.
• 8 topping: in a small bowl, whisk together flour and granulated sugar until well blended.
• 9 stir in almond extract.
• 10 using a fork or your fingers, work in butter until evenly combined and mixture resembles coarse crumbs and starts to come together.
• 11 crumble topping over top of jam.
• 12 bake in preheated oven for 20 to 24 minutes or until lightly golden brown around edges.
• 13 let cool completely in baking pan on a wire rack.
• 14 using foil extensions, lift cooled squares from pan and place on a cutting board.
• 15 fold down edges of foil away from sides.
• 16 if foil sticks, gently run knife blade between squares and foil to loosen.
• 17 icing: in a small bowl, combine confectioner’s sugar, 1 tablespoon of the cream and the almond extract.
• 18 using a small whisk or a fork, blend until icing is smooth and thin enough to drizzle from a fork.
• 19 add more cream as needed to achieve the right consistency.
• 20 drizzle icing over cooled squares.
• 21 let stand 20 minutes or until the icing is set.
• 22 using a long serrated knife, cut into 1 1/2-inch squares.
• 23 tip: let icing set completely, then store squares between layers of wax paper in a tightly sealed container at room temperature for up to five days.