Maple-Glazed Blueberry Pecan Cookie Bars

Directions

Yield: Approximately 1 dozen cookie bars

Ingredients:

(For the cookie bar)

• 1 Cup Lard, melted (extra, for greasing)
• 1 Cup Sugar, granulated
• ½ Cup Sugar, dark brown, packed
• 1 tsp Vanilla bean paste (or the seeds of 1 vanilla bean)
• 2 ½ Cups Flour, AP
• 1 ¾ tsp Cinnamon, ground
• ½ tsp Nutmeg, ground
• ¼ tsp Salt
• 1 Cup Oats, quick cooking
• ½ Cup Coconut flakes, sweetened
• ¾ Cup Pecans, finely chopped
• 1 Cup Blueberry jam (or preserves)

(For the maple glaze)

• 2 Tbsp Butter, unsalted
• 2 Tbsp Maple syrup
• 1 tsp Maple extract
• 1 Cup Sugar, powdered
• ¾ tsp Cinnamon, ground

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Grease a 12-inch square cake pan with lard and line with parchment paper. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, stir together melted lard, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla bean paste. Sift flour, cinnamon and nutmeg into wet ingredients. Stir until well incorporated.
4. Stir in salt. Add oats and coconut, stirring until well blended. Set aside 1 cup of the mixture.
5. Press remaining mixture into prepared cake pan, pressing firmly and evenly.
6. Spread jam over crust.
7. Stir pecans into reserved mixture and sprinkle evenly on top of jam.
8. Bake in oven for 30 minutes or until top is just beginning to brown. Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature.
9. In a small microwave-safe bowl, heat butter and maple syrup for 30 seconds or until butter is melted. Whisk in maple extract, powdered sugar and cinnamon until mixture is smooth.
10. Using parchment paper, lift bars from cake pan and cut into 12 bars. Drizzle maple glaze over bars.