Concord Grape-Thyme Bars Recipe

Concord grapes are cooked down with thyme to make a sweet jam, then used as the filling for these buttery bar cookies.

Recipe Details

Concord Grape-Thyme Bars Recipe

Prep 20 mins
Cook 110 mins
Cooling Time 60 mins
Total 3 hrs 10 mins
Serves 12 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 pound Concord grapes, stemmed

  • 1 tablespoon fresh juice from about 1 lemon

  • 2 cups (about 14 ouncessugar

  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

  • 3 cups (about 15 ouncesall-purpose flour

  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1 large egg

  • 16 tablespoons (8 ounces) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1/4-inch pieces

Directions

  1. Squeeze grapes between your fingers to separate the skins from the pulp. Place skins in bowl of food processor and pulse until roughly chopped, about 5 pulses. Place pulp in medium saucepan. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the grapes lose their shape, about 10 minutes. Pour pulp through a fine mesh sieve into a large bowl. Use a paddle or large spoon to push pulp through sieve. Discard seeds.

  2. Combine grape skins, pulp, lemon juice, and 1 cup sugar in now empty saucepan. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 30 minutes. Add thyme and continue simmering, stirring frequently, until mixture is reduced and has thickened to a jam-like consistency, about 15 minutes more. Remove saucepan from heat and transfer to a bowl to cool.

  3. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 375°F. Butter a 13- by 9-inch baking dish.

  4. In bowl of food processor, combine flour, baking powder, remaining 1 cup sugar, and salt; pulse to combine, about 5 pulses. Add egg and butter and pulse until mixture is cohesive but still crumbly, 8 to 12 pulses.

  5. Press 2/3 of dough into bottom of prepared baking dish. Spread grape jam evenly over dough. Sprinkle remaining dough over jam, leaving pockets of jam visible. Bake until golden and set, about 45 minutes. Transfer to cooling rack and cool completely, about 1 hour. Cut into 12 squares and serve.

Special Equipment

13- by 9-inch baking dish, sieve, medium saucepan, food processor

This Recipe Appears In

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
421 Calories
16g Fat
66g Carbs
5g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories 421
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 16g 21%
Saturated Fat 10g 49%
Cholesterol 56mg 19%
Sodium 138mg 6%
Total Carbohydrate 66g 24%
Dietary Fiber 2g 9%
Total Sugars 33g
Protein 5g
Vitamin C 3mg 17%
Calcium 51mg 4%
Iron 2mg 11%
Potassium 129mg 3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)