My almond bars are an easy shortbread dessert packed with almond flavor and topped with a to-die-for sweet almond glaze that gets poured right over the hot pan…are you drooling yet?
My love for almond desserts is only equaled by my love for lemon deserts. Chocolate, coffee, pumpkin, and rhubarb are in the running too, but almond is sort of in a category of its own. The way it lingers on the palate is so lovely and these almond bars don’t disappoint.
I’ve layered that lingering almond flavor into these almond-y shortbread bars in a few ways ~ I made a homemade almond paste, used almond extract, and topped it with a sweet almond glaze. When it comes to almond I don’t skimp!
These almond bars have a lovely buttery melt in your mouth texture, and the sweet glaze gives them a real pop. I guarantee they’ll be a hit with whomever you deign to share them with. (The 9×13 pan makes enough for you to bring and save a little bit back for yourself.)
Make almond bars ahead ~ the only get better
I think these bars actually tasted even better the next day, so don’t hesitate to make them ahead of time.
After cooling completely, keep them in the pan on the counter and cover loosely with foil. When I know I’m going to make a dessert like this ahead I don’t cut it up, that way it doesn’t have a chance to dry out.
Of course the chef has permission to do a taste test, as always 🙂
There’s something about pouring a hot glaze or frosting over a hot pan, I just love it, have you tried my Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Cake, or my Brown Sugar Peach Cake? They’re made with hot poured frostings too and it’s a pretty wonderful technique. In this case a simple glaze of butter, cream, sugar, almond extract and almonds is poured straight over the shortbread, warm from the oven.
Note: I don’t recommend skipping the glaze for this recipe, I think the shortbread needs the added touch of sweetness and moisture that the glaze provides.
I don’t want to give all the glory to the glaze, after all, I made a homemade almond paste (so easy!) to go in this shortbread and it was pretty amazing too. We almond fanatics need to know all the tricks to infuse layer upon layer of almond flavor.
See the full instructions for how to make homemade almond paste here.
So there you have it, I know what I’ll be bringing next time I’m asked to provide ‘something sweet’.
tvfgi recommends: non-stick 9×13 Pan
USA Pan Bakeware Rectangular Cake Pan, 9 x 13 inch, Nonstick & Quick Release Coating, Made in the USA from Aluminized Steel
USA makes a whole line of bakeware and I’m slowly replacing all my pans. This pan bakes and cleans up like a dream.
More almond dessert recipes
“This was a hit at my house and at work! I made the almond paste per your recipe then these almond shortbread bars. Took the remainder to work and when I came home, my husband asked me what I did with the cake! We can’t possibly have the whole thing, but I promised I would make it again.”
Debbie
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Almond Shortbread Bars
Video
Equipment
- 9×13 baking pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup almond paste at room temperature
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
glaze
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 2 1/2 to 3 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F Lightly butter and flour a 9×13 baking pan.
- Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Add the egg, almond paste, and extract, and beat until well combined. Make sure to smooth out any lumps of almond paste.
- Add the flour and gently mix until just blended and no dry flour remains. Don’t over mix.
- Spread the dough out evenly in the baking pan with an offset spatula. It will take a minute or two to get it spread and level. I like to drop chunks of the batter all over the bottom of the pan before I start to try to spread it out.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, just until set and starting to turn golden along the edges of the pan. Don’t over bake, as you want your shortbread to be tender. Check the pan on the early side.
- Cool on a rack for 10 minutes before glazing.
- To make the glaze, heat the butter and cream in a medium saucepan until the butter melts. Stir in the sugar and extract, and whisk until the glaze is smooth. If it seems too thin, add a bit more sugar, and if it seems too thick, add a touch more cream. Stir in the sliced almonds and pour over the warm shortbread. Ease the glaze to all the edges with an offset spatula, working quickly.
- Let the pan cool before slicing.
Notes
- Make these bars gluten free using a good quality gluten free baking mix instead of all purpose flour
Hi, this recipe looks incredible. Do you think these almond bars would freeze well?
Yes, they’d freeze great, just be sure to let them cool completely, wrap in plastic, and then wrap in foil.
Can you substitute the all purpose flour with almond flour? I have to make these now! Another almond addict.
yes!
Calories, please!
This is an amazing recipe! Toasted the almonds for the top-a MUST! I also used SOLO brand pure almond paste-comes in an 8-ounce box. It is soft and blends in beautifully. (I didn’t have time to make my own and thought I’d try it). Thank you for this incredible recipe!!! ??
Glad you enjoyed these Anne Marie, almond flavor is so addictive!
I’ve made this a few times now and they are delicious and very, very rich. My only frustration is that I’ve used almond paste from the store and it is incredibly hard to get it to mix in smoothly with the butter/sugar. No matter what I do there are big lumps and I spend way too much time trying to get rid of them. I’ve done a bit of research and found that one method is to combine the almond paste and the sugar in a food processor and this will help get the paste into smaller chunks. I plan to try that next time.
Great tip Bev, thanks!
You can also freeze the almond paste and grate it.
What do you think about toasting the almonds before putting in the glaze?
I think you can never go wrong toasting nuts 🙂
This one is a keeper. Now I”m going to have to try the gingerbread shortbread with the nutmeg glaze I found in your archives!
The house smells amazing! They look fantastic and I know they will taste great!
I can just imagine 🙂
When I read home made almond paste I was expecting a recipe for the almond paste too. Do you have one?
Yes, where it’s mentioned in the post it’s a link to the recipe, and I’ve just linked it in the recipe as well, here it is: https://theviewfromgreatisland.com/how-to-make-homemade-almond-paste-recipe/
I plan on trying these out on our Celtic Society soon. I am normally a baker at the local university, so I bake for several hundred students a day. This looks like a good recipe for them, of course I will have to multiply it several times. What other recipes so you have that make work out for very large groups?
Gosh, I’ll have to give that some thought Donna, I normally formulate my recipes on a pretty small scale compared to your needs!