Rosemary-Pine Nut Bars

1 ½ c. flour

½ c. fine cornmeal (I used Bob’s Red Mill corn flour)

½ c. white sugar

1 T. finely chopped fresh rosemary

2 tsp. grated orange zest

16 T. salted butter (2 sticks), softened

1 c. pine nuts

3 T. honey

Heat oven to 325 degrees, with the rack in the lower middle position.

Line a 13 X 9 inch rimmed cookie sheet with foil, leaving the edges hanging over the side (it will be how you’ll remove the cookies from the pan).

Combine flour and cornmeal in a bowl and set aside.

Attach the paddle attachment to the stand mixer. Combine the sugar, rosemary and orange zest in the mixer bowl and mix on low until the sugar begins to clump. It took a few minutes.

 

Add 14 T. of the butter (reserving 2 T. for the glaze). Increase speed to medium high and beat until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the flour. Scrape down the bowl and mix on low until the dough forms around the paddle, this took a few minutes.

Crumble dough evenly on the bottom of the prepared pan. Coat the bottom of a dry measuring cup with cooking spray or oil and press dough into an even layer. Sprinkle the pine nuts over the dough in a single layer and press down firmly. REALLY firmly.

 

Microwave the remaining 2 T. butter in a small bowl until melted. Add the honey and stir until thoroughly combined. The recipe says to brush the mixture over the bars, but the pine nuts wouldn’t stay put, so I drizzled it and used the brush to spread it onto the uncovered areas. Bake until deep golden brown. The recipe says 40-45 minutes, but mine were done in 30, so start checking them at 25 minutes.

Let the bars cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes and then move them (using the aluminum foil “handles”) to a cutting board. Cut them into 24 pieces and cool them completely on a wire rack before serving. They’ll keep for a week in an airtight container.