Almond shortbread bars don't skimp on the almond flavor, with lots of almond extract and some sliced almonds on top.
Course: Dessert
Keyword: almond, bars, shortbread
Ingredients
Bar Ingredients
1cupbutterroom temperature
3/4cupsugar
1/2cupalmond paste
1egg
2teaspoonsalmond extract
2cupsflour
Glaze Ingredients
1/2cupbutter
1/4cupcream or milkI used skim
2 1/2 to 3cupspowdered sugar
2teaspoonsalmond extract
1/2cupsliced almonds
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and prepare a 9-by-13-inch pan by greasing and flouring it.
For the bars, cream the butter and sugar together for several minutes until fluffy. Beat in the egg, almond paste and almond extract until the mixture is smooth.
Beat in the flour until everything is just combined and spread the dough into your pan. (I found it easier to just dump the dough into the pan and spread it around with my hands, but the recipe's author suggests an offset spatula. Either way, it's a little tough to spread.)
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the bars are set and the edges are golden brown.
Let the bars cool for about 10 minutes before putting on the glaze.
For the glaze, add the butter and cream/milk to a saucepan and heat over medium until the butter is melted. Whisk in the sugar and extract. Add more sugar if the glaze is too thin or more milk if it's too thick.
Stir in the almonds and pour the glaze over the bars, spreading it out evenly. Let the bars cool completely before slicing, and store leftovers in an airtight container.