MAKES 24 SQUARES
Ingredients
1ВЅ cups almond flour
1Вѕ cups sliced almonds
в…” cup + 1 tablespoon palm sugar
1 pinch salt
12 tablespoons coconut oil, cut into 12 pieces and softened
1ВЅ pounds strawberries
ВЅ cup strawberry jam (see Fruit Jam recipe, page 221)
1 cup of water
ВЅ teaspoon grated fresh lemon zest
ВЅ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Вј teaspoon vanilla extract
Coconut oil for greasing foil
Preparation
1.В В Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 375В°F. Line a 13×9 baking pan with a foil sling. Make foil sling by folding two long sheets of aluminum foil; the first sheet should be thirteen inches wide and the second sheet should be nine inches wide. Lay sheets of foil in pan perpendicular to each other, with extra foil hanging over edges of pan. Push foil into corners and up sides of pan, smoothing foil flush to pan. Grease with coconut oil.
2.В В Process the flour, 1Вј cups of the almonds, в…“ cup of the palm sugar, and ВЅ teaspoon salt together in a food processor until combined (about 5 seconds). Add the coconut oil and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few pea-sized pieces of coconut oil (about 20 pulses).
3.В В Reserve ВЅ cup of the flour mixture for the topping. Sprinkle the remaining flour mixture into the prepared pan and press into an even layer with the bottom of a measuring cup. Bake the crust until fragrant and golden brown (about 15 minutes).
4.В В While the crust bakes, mix the remaining tablespoon of palm sugar and the reserved flour mixture together in a small bowl and pinch the mixture between your fingers into hazelnut-sized clumps of streusel.
5.В В Pulse the strawberries, vanilla extract, and jam together in a food processor until the strawberries are roughly quarter-inch chunks (5 to 7 pulses). Cook the strawberry mixture in a large nonstick skillet over high heat until it is thickened and jam-like (10 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in lemon zest, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt.
6.В В Spread the cooked strawberry mixture evenly over the hot crust and sprinkle with the streusel topping and remaining ВЅ cup of almonds. Bake until almonds are golden brown (about 20 minutes), rotating the pan halfway through baking.
7.В В Place the pan atop a wire rack and let the bars cool completely (about two hours). Remove the bars from the pan using the foil, cut into squares, and serve.
