Toasted coconut and raspberry preserves are baked with a lightly sweetened shortbread to make these delicious bars. Cardamom Seed Powder is the sweet spice used in the shortbread, with Ginger Powder and True Cinnamon used to perfectly spice the raspberry preserves. The combination of the spices, chewy coconut, shortbread, and raspberry preserves makes this a delightful anytime treat. Enjoy!
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Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp Cardamom Seed Powder
2 cups sweet shredded coconut, divided (lightly toast 1 1/4 cups, reserve the remaining 3/4 cup)
1 jar (12 ounces) seedless raspberry preserves (sugar free may be used)
1 tsp Ginger Root Powder
1/2 tsp True Cinnamon
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray with cooking spray an 8x8 inch baking pan. Make The Shortbread Crust: Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Blend in the egg and almond extract. In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking powder, salt and Cardamom Seed Powder. Add the flour mixture into the butter mixture and mix until combined. Fold in the 1 1/4 cups of toasted coconut. Reserve 1/4 of the crust and set aside. Press the remaining crust into the bottom of the prepared baking pan. Bake the crust for 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Make The Filling: Mix together the raspberry preserves, Ginger Root Powder, and True Cinnamon. Spread the filling over the baked crust. Sprinkle the top of the filling with the reserved coconut (3/4 cup) and then dot the top of the coconut with small pieces of the reserved 1/4 of the crust. Return the baking pan to the oven and bake the bars for 30 minutes or until the top of the bars are lightly golden. Place the baking pan on a rack to cool completely before slicing into bars.
