Vegan berry bars
Coconut oil makes a great vegan substitution for butter in these crumbly berry bars made from a sable-inspired cookie base with jam and fresh berries or fruit. More of the cookie mixture is then crumbled on top. The sweet-tart notes of the fruit complement the richness of the cookie, and your guests might never guess the treat is vegan.
From the story: Raising the bar for terrific back-to-school and back-to-the-office snacks
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13- by 9-inch baking dish.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or in a medium bowl using a hand mixer, beat together the coconut oil, sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract and salt until well combined, 1 to 2 minutes.
By hand, stir in the almond meal, then the baking powder and flour until thoroughly incorporated. The dough will be somewhat crumbly; this is OK.
Place three-fourths of the dough mixture into the greased baking dish, pressing to form an even layer across the bottom of the dish.
Spoon the jam over the dough, spreading to form an even layer that reaches almost to the edges of the dough. Sprinkle over the berries.
Add the sliced almonds to the remaining dough, pressing until the mixture will clump in your hands. Crumble the mixture over the berries and jam.
Bake the bars until the topping is firm and lightly browned, about 45 minutes. Remove and cool on a rack before cutting into bars.
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