Pasta Frola

At the request of a friend, I am submitting this recipe for an Argentine dessert called Pasta Frola. Don't ask me why it's called that...it just is. And the traditional filling is "dulce de membrillo" made from the quince fruit. I have, of course, altered this to whatever jam is on hand, in this case, raspberry.

Pasta Frola

2 c. flour

4 t. baking powder

1/2 c. + 2 T. butter or margarine

1/2 c. sugar

2 T. milk

1 t. vanilla

1 c. jam or marmalade (my recipe says "1 lb", how awesome is that?)

1 egg

1-2 T. water

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix flour and baking powder in large bowl. Add margarine/butter, sugar, milk, and vanilla and beat with mixer just until a dough is formed. Pat 1/2 into bottom of 9x9 or 9x11 greased pan, leaving a slightly raised edge all around. Spread jam over the bottom crust, leaving the raised edges clean. Roll remaining dough into strips to criss-cross over the jam. Whip egg and water to create an egg wash and brush over the strips and exposed crust. Bake 20-30 minutes or until evenly browned. Allow to cool completely before cutting into squares. Makes 12-15 bars.