Macadamia & Fruit Lunchbox Bars
Adapted from Seasons at Home with Holly Kerr Forsyth, published by MUP $34.99
Base
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100g/3.5 ozs butter
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1/2 cup caster sugar
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1 cup plain flour
Topping
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1 cup mixed fruit with your favourite dried fruit-I used Turkish apricots, Iranian golden raisins, glace pineapple and glace ginger
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1/3 cup water
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1 cup brown sugar
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1 cup macadamia nuts, chopped
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2 free range eggs at room temperature, lightly beaten
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1/2 cup plain flour, extra
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1/2 teaspoon baking powder
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a pinch of salt
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icing sugar to dust (optional)
Step 1 - First chop up the dried fruit and place it in a saucepan with the water, simmer for five minutes and then cool.
Step 2 - Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Butter and line a 20x20cms square tin (or round tin) with parchment paper. In a small food processor, whiz the base ingredients of butter, caster sugar and flour until it just come together to resemble a cookie dough. Or you can do this by hand in a small bowl, it doesn't take long. Press into the bottom of the tin in an even layer. Bake for 20 minutes until starting to brown. Remove from oven.
Step 3 - Meanwhile mix the brown sugar, macadamia nuts, eggs, flour, baking powder, salt and the fruit mixture in a bowl. Mix together until cohesive and then when the base is cooked spoon the fruit mixture over the base. Smooth over the top and place in oven to cook for 30-35 minutes until the top is evenly cooked and not "wet" looking. Remove from the oven and cool. Once cool, dust with icing sugar and slice into fingers or wedges.