Almond Pie Bars Recipes

AWARD WINNING ALMOND DESSERT BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350F with rack on lower middle position. Grease a 9x13 pan and set aside.
• Make the Crust: In a large bowl, combine the butter and powdered sugar; using electric (or stand) mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix together on medium high speed until light and fluffy, 3-4min. Gently add flour and mix on low speed just until combined. Mixture will be crumbly, so use hands to form a dough ball. Press evenly into prepared glass pan to form bottom crust (I use bottom of a flat glass cup to press down evenly.) Bake 18 minutes or until lightly browned and set. Remove from oven, but leave oven on.
• While the crust is baking, make Filling: In a large bowl, combine eggs, very-soft cream cheese, and sugar. Whisk together until creamy and no lumps remain (it really helps if your cream cheese is quite soft to start with.) Add almond extract and mix to combine. Evenly pour the filling over crust, using rubber spatula to scrape all filling. Bake 15-20 min or until set. Let dessert cool completely on wire rack.
• Frost the Bars: In a bowl, combine all frosting ingredients. Whisk until smooth and no more lumps. Evenly frost over cooled dessert bars (be sure bars have cooled completely before frosting.) Cover, chill, and serve with almond slices on top.

ALMOND BARS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside. Cream together the butter and the sugar. Add the egg and the almond extract and then mix until light and fluffy. Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Mix until combined.
• Press the dough into the bottom of a well-greased 9x13 pan. Press with your fingers or a pastry roller to smooth the top of the dough. Using a pastry brush, brush a tiny bit of milk across the top of the dough. Sprinkle with sliced almonds and very lightly press them into the top of the dough.
• Bake for 18-20 min, or until just barely beginning to brown around the edges. Do not let the bars brown at all. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then cut into bars. If they are too soft to cut, let them cool for a few more minutes. Carefully transfer the bars to a wire rack to cool completely before icing.
• To make the icing: Add just a tiny bit of milk at a time to the powdered sugar. If the consistency is too thick, it won't drizzle nicely over the bars. If it is too thin, the icing will just melt into the bars. If you are unsure, test a bit of it on the edge of one bar before drizzling the icing over the entire batch.

ALMOND BARS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until lemon-colored. Beat in butter and extract; gradually stir in the four and mix well. Spread into a greased 13x9-in. baking pan. , Bake at 325° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.

ALMOND SPICE BARS

Steps:

• Line an 8-inch square baking dish with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang; coat with cooking spray. Bring the honey and granulated sugar to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve. Remove from the heat and transfer to a large bowl. Stir in the cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg; let cool slightly, 10 minutes.
• Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Quickly stir the beaten egg into the honey-sugar mixture with a rubber spatula, then add the almonds, orange peel, vanilla, lemon zest and 1 tablespoon liqueur. Stir in the flour mixture until combined (the dough will be stiff and dry). Scrape into the prepared pan. Lightly coat a piece of plastic wrap with cooking spray and use to press the dough into an even layer. Set aside 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bake the bars until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with only a few crumbs, 25 to 30 minutes.
• Make the glaze: Whisk the confectioners' sugar, orange juice and remaining 1 tablespoon
• liqueur in a bowl until smooth. Brush the warm bars with some of the glaze; cover the remaining glaze and set aside. Let the bars cool 10 minutes in the pan, then remove to a cutting board. Cut into 1-by-2 1/2-inch bars and let cool completely on a rack.
• Drizzle the bars with the remaining glaze; top with candied orange peel.

ALMOND PIE BARS

Steps:

• Blend together the ingredients for the base.
• Use enough flour so the mixture is crumbly but not dusty.
• Press into 9x13 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes until golden.
• Beat together the ingredients for the topping and spread evenly over the base.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until deeply golden and set.
• Chill completely before cutting.
• This keeps best in the refrigerator.

ALMOND CHERRY PEPITA BARS

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 325 degrees F. Coat an 8-inch square glass baking dish with cooking spray. Line the bottom with a piece of parchment or waxed paper leaving a 4-inch overhang on two opposite sides and spray the paper with cooking spray.
• Put 1 cup of the rice cereal in a resealable plastic bag and crush to a fine powder with the back of the measuring cup. Combine the remaining 1 cup rice cereal, pepitas, almonds and cherries in a large bowl. Heat the rice syrup and almond butter in a small saucepan until warm and bubbling and remove from heat. Stir in the almond extract and salt, and pour into the nut mixture. Fold with a spatula until it is everything is moistened and well combined. Add the crushed rice cereal and continue to fold until evenly incorporated.
• Press the mixture very firmly and evenly into the prepared pan using the overhanging pieces of parchment to prevent sticking. Bake until beginning to brown, about 25 minutes. Cool 15 minutes on a wire rack, then press again to compact the mixture. Chill until firm but not completely set , about 45 minutes. Remove the block by the paper handles and invert onto a cutting board. Gently peel off the paper. Cut the block in half, then cut each half into 6 bars for 12 total. Refrigerate until fully set.
• Store the bars individually wrapped or layered between sheets of parchment or waxed paper in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. The bars will soften up and become chewy as they come to room temperature.

THE BEST ALMOND PASTE BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Beat together butter, flour, oil, first cup of sugar, baking powder, and first round of eggs until smooth and set aside.
• Beat together the almond paste, second cup of sugar, second round of eggs and almond flavoring until smooth.
• Combine both mixtures.
• Grease a 9x13" pan (Pam is fine), and evenly pour in mixture.
• Bake for 30 to 45 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.
• Enjoy!

TOASTED ALMOND BARS

Steps:

• Spread out almonds on a rimmed baking sheet or in a 9x13-inch pan.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Place almonds in the preheating oven and toast for 10 to 12 minutes to heighten their flavor. Don't let them burn. Remove from the oven and transfer to a plate so they won't continue toasting. Set aside. Keep the oven on.
• Meanwhile, line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper that extends 2 inches on both sides of the pan. Center the paper across the loose bottom of the pan and clamp the ring closed over the paper and bottom. Grease springform pan and parchment paper. Refrigerate until needed.
• Combine flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl. Combine sugar, butter, and almond extract in a second bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy and the the sugar is no longer granular. Mix in egg and egg yolk until well combined. Add flour mixture and mix until well combined.
• Measure 1 cup toasted almonds and fold into the batter until evenly distributed. The batter will be thick. Spread batter evenly into the prepared pan using a spatula. Sprinkle remaining almonds across the top. Place springform pan on a baking sheet for easier handling and to catch any drips.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 25 to 28 minutes. Remove from the oven and set pan on a cooling rack for 10 minutes.
• Unclamp the pan and carefully removing ring. Then carefully slide the hot metal pan bottom out from under the parchment, pulling the bottom in one direction with a potholder, and the parchment together in the opposite direction using a flap of parchment as the handle.
• Cool to room temperature on the parchment on the cooling rack, about 30 minutes. Cover and refrigerate until chilled before cutting into bars, about 2 hours.

ALMOND FRUIT BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square baking dish. In a bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder.
• In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars on high speed until light and fluffy; beat in egg yolk. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture. Stir in almonds.
• In a small bowl, whisk jam to loosen. (Stirring the jam with a fork or a whisk will enable it to spread smoothly over the dough.) Gently press half of dough into bottom of prepared dish. With the back of a spoon, gently spread jam over dough, leaving a 1/4-inch border so the jam doesn't stick to the sides of the pan. Sprinkle remaining dough over top all the way to the edges; press gently to form top layer.
• Bake until top is golden, 25 to 30 minutes; cool completely in dish. Cut into bars with a serrated knife.

CHOCOLATE-GLAZED ALMOND BARS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Pat into a 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 18-22 minutes or until edges are lightly browned., Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk the egg whites, sugar and almond filling until blended. Stir in almonds. Pour over crust. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until set. Cool completely on a wire rack. , In a microwave, melt chocolate; stir until smooth. Drizzle over top. Let stand until set. Cut into bars. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

SCANDINAVIAN ALMOND BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• In a medium bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add egg and almond extract; mix until fluffy. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt; mix well.
• Divide dough into 4 pieces, and roll each one into a log about 12 inches long. Place 2 logs per cookie sheet 4 to 5 inches apart. Flatten each roll by hand until it is about 3 inches wide. Brush flattened roll with milk and sprinkle with sliced almonds.
• Bake in preheated oven 12 to 15 minutes or until edges are slightly browned. While the cookies are still warm, cut them crosswise at a diagonal, into slices about 1 inch wide. When cool, drizzle with almond icing.
• Almond icing: In a small bowl, stir together powdered sugar, almond extract, and milk until smooth. Drizzle over the cookies.