Brown Butter Pear Bars
These bars are a twist on Bakewell bars and pear frangipane tarts! They have a shortbread crust, a layer of jam, a layer of frangipane, and pears on top! The crust and frangipane are made with brown butter to add to the decadence...no regrets here.
Equipment
- 9x13" baking pan
Ingredients
For brown butter
- 284g unsalted butter (2.5 sticks)
For crust
- 100g granulated sugar
- 124g or half of the brown butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 233g all-purpose flour
For frangipane
- 124g or half of the brown butter
- 100g granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons almond extract
- 30g all-purpose flour
- 100g almond flour
- 1 diced pear
For jam layer
- 85g raspberry jam
Instructions
For brown butter
- In a small saucepan on medium heat, place the butter in the pan. Keep an eye on it and let it melt almost entirely. Begin to whisk it as it bubbles. It may foam. Keep whisking and when you see brown bits starting to form, turn off the heat and continue whisking for 30 seconds. Transfer the butter to a small bowl, making sure to get all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
For crust
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Make sure the pan has at least an inch-high edge.
- In a medium bowl, combine the sugar and half the brown butter. It won’t combine entirely but just stir it around. Add the vanilla extract and salt and stir some more. Add the flour and combine until the mixture forms a dough.
- Press the dough evenly into the prepared baking dish and prick the surface with a fork. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until lightly golden. You should prepare your frangipane while the crust bakes. Don’t turn off the oven. Set aside and let it cool for 10 minutes.
For frangipane
- In a medium bowl (I use the same bowl as I used for the crust, unwashed) combine the rest of the brown butter with the sugar. Add the eggs and almond extract and combine. Add the flours and combine until creamy and fluffy.
To assemble for final bake
- Spread the raspberry jam over the already baked crust. Then evenly spread the frangipane on top of the raspberry jam. Sprinkle the diced pear pieces over the frangipane. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean and the frangipane top is golden brown. Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then slice into 12 bars. Sift powdered sugar over the top if desired.