Helen Goh’s Walnut, anise and honey bars
This was so delicious. A full batch is fine in the larger swiss roll pan, and a half batch is fine in the smaller slice pan. I discovered the the 60 mL of cream can be replaced with 60mL of greek style yoghurt, thickened with 2 tsp of flour, with no ill effects.
Ingredients
For the shortbread base
280g plain flour
80g icing sugar
¼ tsp salt
zest of one orange
250g unsalted butter, cut into roughly 4cm cubes
For the topping
160g unsalted butter, cut into cubes
160g runny honey
100g light brown sugar
60ml cream
2 tsp aniseeds, lightly crushed – substituted 1 tsp of ground star anise
350g walnuts, roughly chopped
½ tsp flaky sea salt
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 200C conventional (180C fan-forced) and line a 20cm x 30cm baking pan with baking paper.
2. Place the flour, icing sugar, salt and orange zest in a food processor and process for a few seconds to combine. Add the butter and pulse until fine crumbs form. Tip the mixture into a bowl and knead gently just until the pastry comes together, then transfer into the prepared baking pan. Press or pat the dough so that it forms an even base, then bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.
3. In the meantime, place all the ingredients for the topping except the walnuts and sea salt into a large saucepan. Place over medium heat until the butter melts and the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat, then stir in the walnuts, ensuring they’re thoroughly coated.
4. When the base is cooked, remove from oven and reduce the temperature to 195C conventional (175C fan-forced). Spread the walnut mixture over the cooked biscuit base, using a small spatula to even it out. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the edges are bubbling and the nuts are golden brown. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the sea salt on top. Allow to cool completely before slicing into bars. Store any leftover bars in the fridge, where they will keep for a week.