BLACKBERRY-ALMOND SHORTBREAD SQUARES

Blackberry-Almond Shortbread Squares image

Yield Makes 12

Number Of Ingredients 9

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10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for the pan
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 cup whole blanched almonds (2 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar, plus more for dusting
1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
1 pound blackberries (about 4 cups)
Freshly grated zest of 1 orange

Steps:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9 × 13-inch baking pan. Line with parchment; butter the lining. Dust with flour; tap out excess. Arrange the nuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until golden, 15 minutes; let cool. Grind in a food processor until fine.
Whisk together the flour, nuts, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl; set aside. Put 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar and the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in the almond extract. Add the flour mixture in 2 batches; mix until a crumbly dough forms.
Press all but 1 cup dough onto the bottom of the pan. Toss the berries with the zest; scatter over the dough. Sprinkle with the remaining tablespoon sugar; crumble the reserved dough on top. Bake until golden, about 30 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack. Cut into 12 squares; dust with sugar.