Apricot Blueberry Tart/Squares

Winner! Using Ina Garten’s basic shortbread recipe, I played around with different fillings and flavor combinations. For Rosh Hashanah I used plum jam and sliced Italian plums; fabulous. For this version I used apricot jam and fresh blueberries. The great thing about this recipe is that you can really do you with the filling. I love using the same fruit as with the plum, or pairing different fruits such as here. I used a rectangular fluted tart pan; fluted edges just make everything taste better. Using a pan with a removable bottom made it easy to transfer the tart to a cutting board. I cut this into bars or squares, which freeze beautifully in between layers of parchment paper. These stunning treats make breakfast extra. Try this recipe for a special Thanksgiving morning, or even gift these yummy squares in a pretty holiday cookie tin.

Ingredients:

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temp
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp kosher salt
12 oz apricot jam (if you have preserves which are thicker, thin out by mixing in a tbsp or 2 of very hot water)
2/3 cup plain, high quality granola
A couple handfuls of fresh blueberries

Preheat 350. Grease and flour a rectangular tart pan with a removable bottom. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium until just combined. Add vanilla with mixer on low.
Combine the flour and salt and slowly add to butter mixture. Mix until it almost forms a dough ball. Don’t stress if you have to coax it into a ball yourself.
Put the dough on a well floured board. Lightly pat 2/3rds of the dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan, pressing so that it goes up the sides a 1/2 inch up. Spread a nice layer of the jam all over, leaving a 1/4 inch border. Top with the blueberries. Mix the granola into the remaining dough with your hands. Break the dough into small bits and evenly distribute it all over the top, strategically leaving some peeks of the fruit filling. Bake for about 40 minutes until lightly browned, starting to check after 35 minutes. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Some filling ideas to play with:
raspberry jam with fresh raspberries
Strawberry rhubarb preserves with fresh strawberries
Nutella (I mean) with optional chocolate chips
Prune butter (hamantashen vibes)