Gluten-Free Blueberry Jam Bars with Walnut Cookie Crust

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a 13 x 9 x 2-inch rectangular baking pan with heavy duty foil or parchment paper. Press gently into the corners and allow enough foil to overhang the top edges of the pan for easy removal after baking. If using foil, spray lightly with gluten-free non-stick cooking spray.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar until smooth. I find a paddle attachment works best for this dough if you have one for your mixer. Add flour, xanthan gum, and salt. Beat on low/medium speed until dough comes together resembling cookie dough. Add the chopped nuts and beat on the lowest speed just until they are incorporated into the dough.

Reserve 1 cup of dough for the crumb topping. Press the remaining dough into the prepared pan.

Bake the crust for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack.

Heat the jam in the microwave for 20-30 seconds to make it easier to spread. Evenly spread the jam over the crust. Crumble the reserved dough on top of the jam.

Bake for 15 more minutes or until the crumbs and edges of the crust are lightly browned. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

Grasp edges of the foil or parchment paper and lift bars out of the pan and onto a smooth surface. Cut it into bars with a pizza cutter.

Serve warm or allow to cool and then place in a sealed container and chill before serving. Garnish with whipped cream and fresh blueberries. Or serve with gluten-free vanilla ice cream.