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Fall Spice Shortbread Bars

Nutty, buttery, spiced and perfectly sweet, these Fall Spice Shortbread Bars are a lovely taste of autumn. Made with spelt flour, nuts and natural ingredients, the bars are a great afternoon snack or evening treat.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time50 minutes
Keyword: Dessert, Easy, Fall, Party Food, Snack, Spiced
Servings: 15 Bars

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup + 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 2¼ cups spelt flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ⅔ cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 5 oz chopped dark chocolate
  • 1 cup sliced almonds
  • ½ cup chopped pecans
  • ½ cup chopped dried cranberries
  • 1 tbsp finely grated orange zest
  • 1 teabag (1 tsp) Constant Comment tea
  • sprinkling sugar

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 325° before lining a 9 x 13 baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a little parchment overhanging the pan. It can helpful to slightly butter the baking pan to make the parchment sticks down properly.
  • Start by chopping the chocolate, pecans and dried cranberries. Once chopped, combine them with the sliced almonds in a bowl.
  • Next, mix together the butter, brown sugar and powdered sugar until smooth. Beat in the vanilla extract.
  • To the butter mixture, add in the spelt flour, all purpose flour, salt, orange zest, and Constant Comment tea from one cut open teabag (or 1 tsp of loose leaf tea). Mix until the shortbread mixture is evenly moistened and resembles clumpy sand.
  • Blend in the chocolate, nuts, and chopped dried cranberries. Transfer the mixture to the prepared paper lined pan. Using the bottom of a measuring cup (lightly floured on the base if needed), press into a single layer. Next, cut the dough with a sharp knife into at least 15 bars (5 by 3) and sprinkle with crystal sugar.
  • Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until deep golden brown. Remove from the oven and recut the bars along the same lines while the bars are still warm.
  • Use the parchment overhang as handles to lift the bars out of the pan and recut again if necessary. Enjoy warm or cool!
  • Keep the fall spice shortbread bars in an airtight container up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 1 month.