Almond Toffee Bars

I have a couple of different ingredients on hand that I keep searching for the right recipe to use. One of those items is a box of graham crackers. I was going to make those into a component for a different recipe, but I ended up going the traditional route. I found these and figured I had everything I needed. These started out their life as Caramel Heavenlies, but that name just didn’t seem quite right, so I have renamed them as Almond Toffee Bars.

I honestly didn’t change much but the name. I didn’t have mini marshmallows, but I had regular-sized ones and a quick search said that I would need 16-20 regular sized marshmallows. They needed to be cut up, and marshmallows are about the stickiest thing you could imagine, so that was a process. And required a lot of hand washing to calm the stickiness.

The toffee in these bars comes from a syrup you make on the stove of butter, brown sugar, and spices. It’s pure hot liquid when you pour it onto the bars, but after baking becomes a lovely caramel. These looked scary when they came out of the oven, the marshmallows puffed up in a crazy way, but they were fine when the bars cooled. I forgot to line the pan so getting them out to cut took a feat of strength, but then they cut with little problem. These are sticky, but the graham cracker, toffee, and almond topping is very compelling.

Almond Toffee Bars
12 full graham crackers 
2 cups mini marshmallows 
3/4 cup butter 
3/4 cup packed brown sugar 
1 teaspoon cinnamon 
1 teaspoon vanilla 
1 cup shredded coconut 
1 cup sliced almonds 

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 10” x 15” pan with foil and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

Place the graham crackers in the base of the pan, making them fit as best you can. Top the graham crackers with mini marshmallows.

In a pan over medium heat, combine the butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cook, stirring frequently, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is smooth, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Pour the butter mixture over the graham crackers and marshmallows.

Sprinkle the top with shredded coconut and sliced almonds. 

Bake for about 14 minutes, until the almonds are toasted. Cool completely before removing from the pan and cutting into diamonds or other bar shape.

Recipe from Num’s the Word

Almond Paste Bars

I have been looking through the recipes that I have bookmarked, trying to find some gems that I had forgotten about. I came across these cookies, called Dutch Letter Bars, and I’m a big fan of anything that uses almond paste. During the holidays, I had stocked up on almond paste, so I had two packages on hand! The original recipe called for 8 ounces of almond paste, but you will often find 7 ounce packages and that’s absolutely fine.

I don’t know anything about Dutch Letter Bars. The blog talks about the tulip festival in Iowa that inspired these bars. I have also heard about the tulip festival in Michigan and also the tulip festival here locally in the Skagit Valley. These bars reminded her of Dutch Letter Bars with their crunchy, sugared top. Ok…I renamed these Almond Paste Bars.

These are super easy to make; my biggest challenge was getting the almond paste mixed in fully. Next time, I think I would mix the butter, almond paste, and sugar until smooth and then add the eggs and flour. I sprinkled the top with 1-2 tablespoons of sugar, and it made a lovely crackly top. These bars are so good- almond paste makes everything so fantastic. These were easy and are such a treat!

Almond Paste Bars
1 cup butter
7-8 ounces almond paste
2 cups sugar 
2 eggs
2 cups flour
Additional sugar

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9” x 13” pan with foil and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray. 

In a large mixer bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix until blended and smooth. I found it helpful to break the almond paste into pieces so it blends more easily. Spread the dough evenly in the prepared pan and sprinkle with additional sugar. 

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the bars are set and light golden in color. Allow the cookies to cool completely before cutting into bars. 

Recipe from The House on Silverado

Almond Marble Cookies

I have had this recipe saved for a while, something about the simplicity of the cookie was really interesting. I made another marbled cookie last year and I was pleased with the results. At times I worry that the cookies may lack flavor, but these contain chocolate, as well as vanilla and almond extract, so I figured that they would have good flavor. They were called Chinese Marble Cookies, but I don’t think that’s accurate.

The original recipe had you make the dough, then swirl in the chocolate with a knife. I wasn’t sure how easy that would be, as cookie dough is quite thick. Instead, I shaped the dough into a rough rectangle then drizzled the dough with chocolate. I folded it over then manipulated it some more to make a nice swirl. I used a 1 ounce chunk of bittersweet chocolate that I had on hand; you only need an ounce so use what you have available.

Working with the dough and chocolate this way is messy, but I shaped the dough into a log and refrigerated it overnight. That made it very quick to bake these up, which was good as I was tired and short on time. I did cut the cookies on the thicker side, but I think I prefer the ones that were closer to 1/3 inch. They have a lovely chocolate swirl and the chocolate shines through despite using only 1 ounce! The almond flavor is subtle, but makes the cookie better. These remind me of a tasty sugar cookie that you have around the holidays.

Almond Marble Cookies
2 cups flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ounce chocolate, melted

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt; set aside. In a large mixer bowl, beat the butter and sugar on medium until fluffy. Stir in the egg, almond extract, and vanilla. With the mixer running on low, add the flour mixture in two parts, mixing until the flour disappears into the dough. 

Shape the dough into a (rough) rectangle on the worktop. Drizzle the dough with the melted chocolate. Fold the dough over and twist and turn the dough to swirl the chocolate. Shape the dough into a log about 2-1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate at least one hour.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and remove the plastic wrap. Refine the shape of the log if needed. Slice the dough into slices, 1/3 to 1/2 inch in diameter. Place on the prepared baking sheets.

Bake for 14-16 minutes, until the cookies are golden around the edges. The baking time will vary based on the thickness of your cookies. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe from Spiced

Chocolate Cherry Amaretto Fudge

I am now the designated fudge maker in the family, which is something that I am not terribly sad about. I sure do miss my Dad, and I certainly won’t make as many types of fudge and candies that he did, but I enjoy trying new fudge recipes. I have four new recipes to try, and I will likely make some classics, too.

I love anything with cherries, so I knew this would be great. It’s a combination of halved maraschino cherries and Amaretto liqueur, and cherries pair so will with almond flavors. The method of this fudge is quite different, where you mix the sugar, chocolate, and marshmallows and then whisk in the powdered sugar and Amaretto at the end. Different, but it seemed to work well!

I made sure to prepare everything in advance, as once you get started this fudge comes together quickly. The butter and milk will foam and froth, so make sure your pan is sufficiently large, don’t try to get away with a smaller pan! This fudge has a lovely milk chocolate and almond flavor. I found the fudge to be ever so slightly crumbly when I cut it, but I think that may be because the cherries were quite large. I cut them in half, but I think it would have been better to cut them smaller. I would make this again, as the flavor is fantastic, but next time I will cut the cherries up more.

Chocolate Cherry Amaretto Fudge
1 cup powdered sugar
6 tablespoons Amaretto
2-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla 
13 large marshmallows, torn in half
1 cup chocolate chips
1/3 cup maraschino cherries, cut in half (or smaller) and dried with a paper towel

Line a 9” square pan with foil, spraying the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and Amaretto; set aside. In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, butter, and milk. Over medium-high heat, bring to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Continue boiling for three minutes, again stirring constantly, and then remove from the heat.

Add the vanilla, marshmallows, and chocolate chips to the saucepan and stir until the marshmallows and chips have melted and the mixture is smooth. Stir in the powdered sugar/Amaretto mixture until smooth, then fold in the halved cherries. 

Transfer the mixture to the 9” pan, smoothing the top. Refrigerate the fudge until fully chilled and set.

To serve, remove the fudge from the pan and peel away the foil. Cut into 1” squares. Store in the refrigerator. 

Recipe from The Kitchen is My Playground

German Almond Paste Cookies

When I was looking for holiday recipes this year, I found quite a few cookies that were from different European countries. Most of them sounded fantastic so I have included a number of those recipes to this year’s baking. This recipe, for Almond Paste Cookies, is German in origin. I love anything with almond paste, but you might not be all that familiar with it. It is common in Europe, but less so here.

This recipe called for marzipan originally, and if you were in Germany that would be what you’d want to use. In the States, marzipan is a little different, and almond paste is a better choice. It is also softer and easier to work with. There is a difference in the quantities of sugar between almond paste and marzipan, but American grocery stores seem to ignore this. I have even seen marzipan in the almond paste display box! Yes, they are close, but they are not the same.

Grating the almond paste is a bit tricky, I used my food processor, but it was still a challenge. Other than that, these come together very easily. The dough is sticky, and I wasn’t quite sure how big to shape the cookies, so each cookie weighed 20 grams. I baked them for 12 minutes and they looked great. They wanted to stick to the silicone mat when they were warm, but I had no problems removing them once they cooled a couple of minutes. These have a wonderful almond flavor, with the subtle addition of cinnamon. These aren’t as sweet as some other holiday cookies, but sometimes you just want a little less sugar.

German Almond Paste Cookies
200 grams almond paste or marzipan
80 grams powdered sugar
110 grams flour
100 grams ground almonds
1 egg, divided
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons amaretto
1/4 teaspoon salt
Slivered/sliced almonds

Place the almond paste in the freezer for 30 minutes. Remove from the freezer and grate the almond paste.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a nonstick baking pan with a silicone mat.

In a large mixer bowl, combine the grated almond paste, powdered sugar, flour, ground almonds, egg white, cinnamon, amaretto, and salt. Mix the ingredients on low until a dough forms. Shape the dough into small balls, about the size of a walnut, 1-1/2 inches. Press down each ball of dough with a fork or the palm of your hand.

Whisk the egg yolk with a small amount of water and brush over the dough. Sprinkle with slivered almonds.

Bake for 12-14 minutes, until golden. Allow to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Recipe from Cinnamon and Coriander

Almond Shortbread Bars

I have been planning to make these bar cookies for quite a while, and I really don’t know why it took me so long to do so. Some time ago I went to the store to get almond paste, as that was the one ingredient in these cookies that was more uncommon. It was quite hard to find, as the stores carried marzipan rather than almond paste. They are similar but not the same. I was really upset when they put tubes of marzipan in an almond paste display! I finally found it at least. (Almond paste has more almonds and marzipan has more sugar, FYI.)

I have used almond paste in different ways, but in this case, it gets added to the dough. You want to make sure the almond paste is in small pieces when you add it or it won’t incorporate easily. Other than making sure that the almond paste is evenly incorporated, these bars are not difficult. They are sticky, and spreading in the pan isn’t easy, but my slightly damp hands worked best.

They cool just a few minutes and then make the glaze. It starts with melting butter and cream. I was out of cream so I used milk, which made my glaze a little thinner. After assembling the glaze, I let it sit about 5 minutes and that helped. It does thicken as it cools, so don’t be too concerned. While the glaze does remain somewhat soft, the bars have the best almond flavor you can imagine. I thought ½ a cup of butter was a lot for the glaze, but it isn’t; it just makes it extra tasty.

Almond Shortbread Bars
1 cup butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup (156 grams) almond paste
1 egg
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups flour

1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup heavy cream (or milk)
About 3 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup sliced/slivered almonds

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9” x 13” pan with foil and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large mixer bowl, beat the butter and sugar on medium until light. Cut the almond paste into small pieces and add to the mixer bowl along with the egg and almond extract. Mix on medium until the mixture is smooth and the almond paste is well distributed in the dough. With the mixer running on low, gradually add the flour, stirring just until the dough comes together.

Spread the dough in an even layer in the prepared pan. A metal spatula and slightly damp hands can help in this process.

Bake for about 25 minutes, until the bars begin to turn golden. Allow the bars to cool 10 minutes before making the glaze.

Make the glaze: in a medium saucepan, add the butter and heavy cream. Heat on medium low, stirring frequently, until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in about 2-1/2 cups of powdered sugar and the almond extract. If the mixture seems too thin, add additional powdered sugar. Stir in the sliced/slivered almonds.

Pour the glaze over the partially cooled bars, making sure that the glaze covers evenly. Allow the glaze to fully set (or refrigerate) before removing the bars from the pan and cutting into squares.

Recipe from The View from the Great Island

Gluten Free Almond Flour Oat Chocolate Chip Cookies

The next cookie that I made, related to last week’s cashew toffee cookies, was a gluten free cookie. It isn’t quite the same, but I wanted to have something similar to the chocolate chips of the other cookie. When I am making gluten free cookies, I look for recipes that inherently have no flour, something that uses almond paste, almond flour, cocoa powder or similar. The measure-for-measure gluten free flour mixes are fine, but can add an extra flavor that I don’t always want. These use almond flour; perfect.

I do have special measuring cups that I use for gluten free baking, and I use disposable parchment instead of a silicone baking mat, to help lessen the likelihood of cross contamination. It’s not perfect but I try to be careful. At the store these days it isn’t too difficult to find “free from” chocolate chips that have no dairy, gluten, soy, etc. I always try to keep those on hand. I did make these dairy free as well, using vegan butter.

Gluten free baking is different, and you are never going to get dough that is super cohesive. Shaping these you must be careful, as they don’t form into a perfect ball but you can get pretty close. They do spread some, very common with gluten free cookie. I have a spatula ready when they come out of the oven to coax them back into shape if needed. These cookies are a bit fragile, but the chewiness and mix of flavors overcomes that! These are very tasty and perfect for those with particular food avoidance.

Gluten Free Almond Flour Oat Chocolate Chip Cookies
½ cup butter (or vegan butter), room temperature
½ cup sugar
½ cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ¾ cups almond flour
½ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon baking soda
1½ cups gluten free rolled oats
1 cup (or more) “free from” dark chocolate chips or chunks

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large mixer bowl, combine the butter/vegan butter, sugar, and brown sugar. Mix on medium until light. Add the egg and vanilla and stir too combine. With the mixer running on low, gradually add the almond flour, salt, and baking soda. Mix just until a dough starts to form. With a spatula, fold in the oats and chocolate chips.

Shape the dough into 1-1/2” balls and place on the parchment-lined baking sheets. The cookies may spread so only put 8 cookies per baking sheet.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden. The cookies will be soft but will set somewhat while cooling. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet before removing to cool completely.

Recipe from Lemons and Zest

Almond Frangipane Cookies

I was meeting a friend recently and wanted to bring cookies to share. This isn’t uncommon, but I am still having to balance the heat of our home and my desire to bake. It’s always quite a dilemma! I looked at a couple of recipes, which all required a trip to the grocery store. I kept looking and found these, and since I have a well-stocked pantry, I had all of the ingredients I needed! The original recipe called for sliced almonds, and I had slivered almonds, which are close enough! You use them to top the cookies so that’s flexible.

To save slaving away in a house that was too warm, I made the frangipane one evening and then made and baked the cookies the next morning. Since I wasn’t using the frangipane right away, I stored it in the refrigerator. It made it easier to shape, which was helpful. The cookies are not complex to make, but they are certainly a large cookie, dividing the dough to make twenty cookies. I flattened the cookies slightly and then made the indentation/thumbprint and that was easier to work with. Once I shaped the frangipane, it fit right into the indentations in the cookie.

I have seen these cookies with a couple of different names, some of which don’t seem right, but these cookies are the ultimate almond cookie. They are a crunchy almond cookie with a soft almond frangipane filling, topped with crunchy slivered almonds. These contain a beautiful amount of almond flavor, and I have to say that these have become a favorite!

Almond Frangipane Cookies
42 grams butter, melted
66 grams sugar
1 egg yolk
½ teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon almond extract
40 grams ground almonds
42 grams flour
Pinch of salt

219 grams flour
54 grams ground almonds
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
168 grams butter, room temperature
165 grams brown sugar
50 grams sugar
2 egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon almond extract
Slivered/sliced almonds, for topping
Powdered sugar, for topping

Make the frangipane: in a medium bowl, whisk together the butter, sugar, egg yolk, vanilla and almond extract. Add the ground almonds, flour, and salt, stirring to combine. Set aside (or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed).

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, ground almonds, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a large mixer bowl, add the butter, brown sugar, and sugar. Beat on medium until light. Add the egg yolks, vanilla, and almond extract and stir on medium to combine. With the mixer running on low, gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until just combined.

Divide the dough into 20 portions. Roll each portion of dough into a ball and flatten the dough slightly with the palm of your hand. Place 6-8 cookies per baking sheet and using a teaspoon or similar implement, make an indentation in the top of each cookie.

Shape about 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons of the frangipane into a ball and then flatten it slightly. Place the frangipane into the indentation in top of the dough. Top with a couple of slivered/sliced almonds.

Bake for 12-14 minutes, until light golden brown. If needed, once the cookies are removed from the oven, use a small metal spatula to reshape the cookies into neat circles. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Before serving, dust the cookies with powdered sugar.

Recipe from In Bloom Bakery

Cherry Almond Cookies with Chocolate

These cookies are described in the original recipe as Cherry Garcia cookies, and they do have the elements that you find in that ice cream: cherries, almonds, and chocolate. I have made a version of Cherry Garcia cookies, but they were a little different. I also made some changes to the recipe, so it felt a bit strange calling them by the same name as the other cookies.

The original recipe called for chopped maraschino cherries, but I didn’t have as many as I needed. One of the commenters on the original blog asked if you could use dried cherries, and she thought that would work. I ended up using dried cherries, which is just a little different. I didn’t want to add chocolate chips, so I added chocolate by way of the melted chocolate on top of the cookies. I think they turned out just fine and I used up ingredients that I had on hand.

These cookies are not difficult, but chopping dried fruit is never easy. I was trying to find equivalent volume measure for the maraschino cherries, but I gave up and eyeballed about 1 ½ cups. The dough starts fairly wet and runny, but that dissipates when you add other ingredients. Finally, my main issue was that my kitchen was really warm, and the chocolate wasn’t setting, so I did have to refrigerate the cookies to help the chocolate set. These are very tasty cookies, with good chocolate and cherry flavor, with a hint of almond, and with the chocolate drizzle they look very fancy!

Cherry Almond Cookies with Chocolate
1 ½ cups dried cherries, chopped
½ cup butter, room temperature
½ cup vegetable oil
½ cup sugar
½ cup powdered sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon cherry extract
2 ¼ cups flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
¼ teaspoon salt

About 1 cup chocolate chips
1 tablespoon vegetable shortening

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats.

Chop the dried cherries into small pieces and set aside. In a large mixer bowl, add the butter, oil, sugar, and powdered sugar. Mix on medium until the ingredients are well mixed. Add the egg, almond and cherry extracts and mix again on medium to incorporate. With the mixer running on low, gradually add the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Mix until the flour has almost disappeared into the dough. Add the chopped dried cherries and stir to distribute them throughout the dough.

Shape the dough into tablespoon-sized balls and flatten the cookies slightly with the palm of your hand.

Bake for about 10 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Once the cookies are cool, place the chocolate chips and vegetable shortening in a medium bowl. Microwave, in 30-second increments, stirring frequently, until the chocolate is melted and smooth.
    
Drizzle some of the melted chocolate over the cookies and then dip them partially in chocolate. Allow the chocolate to set before serving.

Recipe from Crème de la Crumb

Lemon Ginger Bakewell Slices

I planned to make these bars and I thought I was good on ingredients with the exception of lemons, so my husband and I stopped at the store and picked up some fresh lemons. I got home and I thought I had lemon curd, or something that I could use in its place. I didn’t have lemon curd, so I checked to see what I could use. I identified four possibilities, yes, I am well stocked! I had apple cinnamon curd, apricot pineapple preserves, lemon marmalade, and ginger curd. My husband thought that ginger curd would be good, and I agreed since I love ginger.

Since I used ginger curd, I decided to use a little less lemon zest to these bars. I didn’t add lemon to the base, and I just used the zest of one lemon in the filling. Perhaps I should have added some ginger to the base, but certainly it needed some salt. I did refrigerate my pastry base, but just for 15 or so minutes. It had firmed up but didn’t become so hard that I couldn’t shape it. In retrospect, I think I could have rolled the pastry base thinner, but I didn’t do that this time.

I will say that the ginger curd isn’t super strong, and I cut back on the lemon, so these bars don’t have a prominent flavor. Normally a Bakewell tart/bars have raspberry filling and this was intended to be a lemon version, so mine is a lemon and ginger version. Despite not having a strong, in your face flavor, these bars are excellent. They’d be easier to slice if the pastry base was thinner, but I can envision all sorts of variations made with different types of curd and preserves!

Lemon Ginger Bakewell Slices
1¼ cups flour
6 tablespoons butter, chopped into small pieces
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 egg yolk
1+ tablespoon water

7 tablespoons butter, room temperature
⅓ cup sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
2 eggs
¾ cup ground almonds
2 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons lemon/ginger curd
2 tablespoons sliced/flaked almonds

In a large mixer bowl, combine the flour and butter and mix on low until the mixture is crumbly. Add the powdered sugar, then stir in the egg yolk. Add water, mixing intermittently on low, until the dough comes together. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8-inch square pan with foil and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

Once the dough is chilled, roll the dough out to slightly larger than 8 inches square (trim as needed). Press the dough into the base of the prepared pan, pressing the dough into the edges and corners of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes.

Make the filling: in a large mixer bowl bear the butter, sugar, and lemon zest on medium to combine. Add the eggs, one at a time, and then the ground almonds and flour. Mix until cohesive.

Once the bottom crust comes out of the oven, spread with a thin layer of curd. Top with the almond filling and carefully spread into a smooth layer, doing your best not to disturb the layer of curd. Sprinkle with sliced almonds.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the bars are golden. Allow to cool before cutting into squares.

Recipe from Scrummy Lane

Brown Sugar Toffee Bars

I had built up a fair number of recipes to post but I was getting to the point where I needed to start baking some treats! It starts to get hard this time of year when there are many commitments, weekend trips away, and that sort of thing, so I rely on having some recipes ready to go. I have a lot of recipes planned, but then figure I will change this thing or that, which makes deciding what to bake a bit more challenging.

These bars don’t call for much that is different, but does require rice flour. I didn’t have that on hand, and I was surprised at how difficult that was to find at some grocery stores! There are different types of rice flour, and they do vary so that was more complex. Since I needed such a small quantity, I ended up going to the local organic/community market and they had rice flour in their bulk section, which was exactly what I needed. The rice flour gives the shortbread base that classic sandy texture.

When you bake these bars, the shortbread is thin, but I didn’t have any trouble covering the base of the pan. I have had much more difficulty with other recipes! I do think I baked the shortbread base a bit too long, and likely should have taken it out of the oven after 25 minutes. As a result, my bars are quite crunchy. They taste wonderful, but they do have that crunch!

Brown Sugar Toffee Bars
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup packed brown sugar
½ tsp almond extract
1½ cups flour
½ cup rice flour
¼ tsp salt
12 ounces chocolate chips
4 ounces sliced almonds, finely chopped

Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a 9” x 13” pan with foil and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

Beat the butter on medium in the bowl of a mixer for 2 minutes. Add the brown sugar and beat on medium until light. Add the almond extract and stir to combine. With the mixer running on low, gradually add the flour, rice flour, and salt. Press the dough in a thin layer into the prepared pan.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until firm along the edges. (Keep the oven on.)

Once you have removed the shortbread from the oven, immediately sprinkle the chocolate chips in an even layer over the bars. Return the bars to the oven for 3 minutes.

Remove the bars from the oven and spread the chocolate into a smooth layer. Sprinkle the bars with chopped almonds.

Allow the bars to completely cool before cutting into bars. It helps to refrigerate the bars right before cutting.

Recipe from Sweet Recipeas

Bee Sting Bars

Whenever I have a particularly long or busy week, I find a lot of solace in looking through recipes that I have pinned and think about what I can bake. I have a well-stocked pantry, so I try to consider recipes that don’t call for too many special ingredients. I find it surprising how many baked treats use ingredients that I have. Of course, it is helpful that I keep things like cream cheese, honey, several types of chocolate chips, and sliced almonds on hand!

This bar cookie is based on the German Bienenstich Cake, which is a yeasted cake with honey and sliced almonds. This recipe is much easier to make, which is wonderful as I had thought about making the original cake, but I’m scared away whenever I read the recipe. This has a shortbread base, topped with a honey/almond topping. You can use sliced almond that have the skins on or not; it doesn’t matter. In the States it is easier to find the ones with skin, but I ordered mine from a company that has the ones I like.

When you make these bars, the recipe warns that the base is crumbly, and they are not kidding. The dough does stick together well, so that was helpful. I found that any larger bits of butter weren’t sticky, so I did away with those. Refrigerating the dough helps it stay together, so once I made the topping and baked the bars, I had no issue at all. With my giant knife I had, I cut these into lovely diamond shapes. These bars have a good substantial shortbread base, but these are all about the topping. It has wonderful almond flavor and I wonder why it took me so long to bake these!

Bee Sting Bars
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
8.5 ounces flour

6 Tablespoons butter
3 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons honey
2 Tablespoons amaretto
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups sliced almonds

Line an 8” square pan with foil and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large mixer bowl, beat the butter and sugar until well combined. Add the vanilla and salt and stir to incorporate. Add the flour, mixing on low. The mixture will be very crumbly. Press the dough into the 8” pan. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium saucepan, combine all of the topping ingredients: butter, sugar, honey, amaretto, vanilla, and sliced almonds. Heat the saucepan over medium heat until the mixture comes to a boil, stirring occasionally. Boil for two minutes and then remove the mixture from the heat. Pour the topping onto the shortbread base, making sure the mixture is evenly distributed.

Bake for about 20 minutes, until the bars are golden. Allow the bars to cool before cutting into pieces.

Recipe from Fifteen Spatulas

Cinnamon Apple Bakewell Bars

When my husband and I visit places, we tend to purchase interesting preserves. I always think that “I can use this in a recipe” and usually I have little trouble finding the right thing to make. Occasionally I do forget that I purchased something, and discover it when I clean and sort the kitchen. I knew I had cinnamon apple preserves, but I also found pear cinnamon preserves that I had bought for fall baking. I asked my husband which I should use for these Bakewell Bars, and he suggested the cinnamon apple preserves.

This recipe started as Lemon Bakewell Slice, which the use of “slice” immediately tells me this is a British or Australian recipe. I wanted to use apple cinnamon preserves, so I substituted that for lemon curd and used almond and vanilla extract instead of lemon zest. The original recipe doesn’t give a pan size, which was tricky. It looked like a rectangular pan, and I have used my 20 x 29-centimeter pan for different slice recipes I’ve made. It works great.

My pastry was a little small for my pan, but I was able to cover the base of the pan and two of the sides. I figured it would be fine in the end, and it was. You do need to be careful when you spread the almond filling over the preserves, as you want to seal in the preserves. I dotted the preserves with almond filling and then nudged it into place. Everything stuck and moved too much otherwise. You don’t want these bars to be too browned, but mine could have baked a little longer, as the pastry was a little soggy. These bars have a lovely flavor, not too sweet, and so good for fall.

Cinnamon Apple Bakewell Bars
1 pastry sheet
200 grams cinnamon apple preserves
100 grams butter, room temperature
125 grams sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
150 grams ground almonds
80 grams flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1-2 teaspoons milk

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Have a rectangular pan ready. I used a 20 x 29-centimeter tart pan.

Line the pan with pastry, piecing it as needed to cover the bottom of the pan. Cover the sides of the pan if possible, but I didn’t have enough dough to cover every side. Spread the preserves over the pastry in the pan.

In a large mixer bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs, vanilla, and almond extract and stir to incorporate. With the mixer running on low, gradually add the ground almonds, flour, baking powder, and salt. Spread the mixture on top of the preserves.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until golden. Cool before adding the icing.

In a medium bowl whisk the powdered sugar and milk until drizzling consistency. Drizzle the icing over the cooled bars. Allow the glaze to set before cutting into bars.

Recipe from What the Redhead Said

Cinnamon Almond Bars

Trying to avoid the very decadent this time of year helps me to look for other recipes, with flavors of almond, lemon, and the like. These sounded great and pairing almond with cinnamon was a little different. For sliced almonds, I prefer the ones where the almond skin has been removed. These are harder to find in the US, but Trader Joe’s has some that I use if I haven’t otherwise stocked up.

This cookie has a modified shortbread base topped with almonds and a lemony glaze. Once again, I am feeling inadequate as a baker as this recipe used up the last of my cinnamon. Who runs out of cinnamon? I use it all the time and typically have extra on hand. I guess I should order more. (If you’re worried, I do have some Ceylon Cinnamon that tastes a little different but I will use if needed.)

This recipe was written the way I like them, in a laid-back and understanding way. It instructs you to press the dough evenly in the pan, but don’t stress too much as no one will see it. That’s what I like. I have a cookbook that I adore but I’ve learned that when the author says “this may be a little tricky” then I should prepare for difficulty. These are easy to make and so good. They taste a little different with the cinnamon in the dough, and you keep thinking “What is that?” while you eat them!

Cinnamon Almond Bars
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 egg, separated
2 cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
1-1/3 cups sliced almonds

1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon butter, melted
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Heat the oven to 300 degrees. Line a 9” x 13” pan with foil and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large mixer bowl, beat the butter, sugar, and cinnamon on medium until combined. Add the egg yolk (reserving the white) and stir to combine. With the mixer running on low, gradually add the flour and salt. Press the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan, trying to distribute the dough as evenly as possible.

Whisk the egg white until foamy and then brush on top of the dough. Press the sliced almonds over the dough and press down slightly.

Bake for 30 minutes, until golden.

Just before the bars come out of the oven, prepare the glaze: in a small bowl whisk together the powdered sugar, melted butter, water, and lemon juice. Drizzle the glaze over the warm bars and spread into an even layer. Once cool, cut into bars.

Recipe from Chef Lindsey Farr

Bakewell Blondies

Welcome to February! I thought that for this month I would pick recipes that include cherries or berries in some form. I have some great items picked out. I actually have more recipes than I need for this month, but it is always nice to have options. I’m surprised that many of the cookies are listed as Christmas cookies, but I don’t think so at all. If you make a Christmas cookie in February, is it still a Christmas cookie?

This blondie is not one of the recipes that described itself as a Christmas cookie. The Bakewell Tart is one of my favorites, and when I visit the British shop, I almost always buy one of their Bakewell Tarts. I have made another cookie version of the Bakewell Tart, but not a blondie like this one. As it is a British recipe, the measurements are in grams, which is actually easier to work with as long as you have the appropriate scale.

For the Bakewell Blondies, you can use any type of jam. I suppose that raspberry jam is the most classic choice, but I ended up using cherry jam as I really like cherry jam. The original recipe called for three medium (British) eggs, so I changed that to two large (US) eggs. I don’t think that I would have wanted any more than that. I baked these for 30 minutes, and when I cut them, I think they could have baked slightly longer. None the less, they cut beautifully and taste great. They have all of the great flavors of a Bakewell Tart: the jam, ground almonds, and the sliced almonds. I’m also a big fan of icing, so perhaps that is the only way I could improve these, but maybe that would just be too much.

Bakewell Blondies
250 grams butter, melted
125 grams sugar
125 grams brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
100 grams ground almonds
200 grams flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
200 grams white chocolate chips
250 grams berry Jam
50 grams sliced almonds

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9” square pan with foil and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large mixer bowl, combine the melted butter, sugar, and brown sugar. Beat on medium until smooth. Add the eggs and almond extract and beat again to combine. Add the flour, ground almonds, and cornstarch and mix on low until the dough comes together. Stir in the white chocolate chips with a spatula.

Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared pan. Top with dollops of jam and lightly swirl through the blondie mixture. Top with sliced almonds.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until there are baked but still have a slight wobble in the center of the blondies. Cool completely, then chill in the refrigerator before cutting into bars.

Recipe from Jane’s Patisserie

Pain D’Amande (Almond Thins)

Happy New Year! This year is starting off strangely, but I suppose that’s normal now. I don’t follow any new year traditions of eating healthy or anything like that, since it seems to be problematic more than anything. That being said, I don’t think the time is right to make over-the-top recipes either. I came across the almond cookie and it looked nice and simple.

In making this recipe, it’s quite unusual. I knew that the cookies needed to chill for a long time, so I made the dough early one day with the plan to bake the next day. You make the dough for these cookies in a saucepan, which is so unusual. If you have ever made choux pastry, this recipe feels very similar. I guess I should be happy as there were fewer dishes to wash! It came together well, and I got it in the pan to chill until the next day.

My biggest challenge with these cookies was getting the chilled dough out of the loaf pan! I had thought about lining the pan with plastic wrap and that would have been a good idea. I finally got it out of the pan and cut it into four pieces. I chilled them some more and then sliced the cookies. The original recipe suggested 1/8” slices but mine are closer to ¼” and that worked for me. My cookies didn’t get as golden as I would have liked, but they are crunchy and have a wonderful almond flavor.

Pain D’Amande
½ cup butter, cut in cubes
1 ½ cups sugar
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon water
2 ½ cups flour
¼ teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 cup skinned, blanched almonds

In a large saucepan, combine the butter, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and water. Heat over medium heat until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves. Allow to cool for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

Once the butter mixture has cooled, add the flour mixture into the saucepan and stir with a spatula until a thick dough forms. Fold in the almonds.

Spray a 9”x 5” loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and press the dough into the prepared pan. Press plastic wrap over the top of the dough. Refrigerate overnight.

Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats.

Remove the dough from the pan and cut in half crosswise, then lengthwise, to form four pieces. Slice each piece into cookies as thin as possible (1/4”) and place them on the prepared baking sheets.

Bake for 14-16 minutes until the cookies are golden. Allow the cookies to cool briefly on the baking sheet before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe from Spoon Fork Bacon

Mince Pie Bakewell Squares

I love a Bakewell Tart. It was the first recipe that I posted on my blog! Someday, when the time is right to travel again, I hope to visit Bakewell, England where the tart originated. In the meantime, it’s fun to come across different recipes that are inspired by the Bakewell Tart. While I most commonly have the Bakewell as a little tartlet, there are quite a few bar cookie Bakewell recipes. I love that in Australia they are called slices. If I see the word slice in a recipe, I know it’s likely from there.

This is a British recipe, through and through. Some of the ingredients I do buy from British companies, such as the Mincemeat. I use the Rum and Brandy version from Crosse & Blackwell. I know there are other brands, but I stick with what works. Each year my husband and I plan to make our own mincemeat, but that never happens. And if you’re worried, there is no meat in mincemeat. Think of it as a spicy applesauce with raisins.

You top these squares with sliced almonds, which are called flaked almonds in the UK. While this may not sound any different, there is a difference to be aware of. The sliced almonds that you get in the States have the skin on them, where the flaked almonds in the UK do not have skins. I think they look better without the skins, but for a small quantity either will work. I think that this is a wonderfully festive version of the Bakewell Tart, and it really isn’t Christmas unless you have something with mincemeat!

Mince Pie Bakewell Squares
150 grams cold butter, cut into cubes
300 grams flour
35 grams sugar
3 tbsp ice water

250 grams butter, room temperature
250 grams sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon almond extract
125 grams self-rising flour*
125 grams ground almonds
½ tsp baking powder
400 grams mincemeat
50 grams flaked/sliced almonds

3 tablespoons powdered sugar
Water to make a thick paste

Line a 9” x 13” baking pan with foil and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

Make the pastry: in a large food processor, combine the butter cubes, flour, and sugar. Pulse to combine. Add the ice water and pulse until the dough comes together. Press the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan and prick all over with a fork. Chill for 30 minutes.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Bake for 15 minutes, until beginning to brown. Remove from the oven but leave the oven on.

Make the cake: In a large mixer bowl, beat the butter and sugar on medium until light. Stir in the eggs and almond extract. With the mixer running on low, gradually stir in the flour, ground almonds, and baking powder.

Spoon the mincemeat evenly over the partially baked pastry. Carefully top the mincemeat with the cake batter, and then sprinkle with flaked almonds.

Bake for 35 minutes, until golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack. Once the bars are cool, mix the powdered sugar and water and pipe over the bars in a zig zag pattern. Allow the icing to set before cutting into bars.

*I make my own self-rising flour by combining 2 cups of flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, and ½ teaspoon salt

Recipe from The Baking Explorer

Cherry Garcia Cookies

Since it’s the summer, I eat quite a bit of ice cream to try and keep cool. Let’s be honest though, I like ice cream pretty much any time of year, unless it is very cold. I like just about any ice cream with cherries, and one that I can consistently get is Cherry Garcia Ice Cream. Some other brands will make cherry ice cream in the summer, but Cherry Garcia is available all the time.

When I came across this recipe for Cherry Garcia Cookies, I knew I had to make them. It’s a cookie based on a favorite ice cream flavor! Additionally, it is awfully similar to a chocolate chip cookie, and I often get requests to make those! When I mentioned to my husband that I would need to get maraschino cherries, he said he knew which ones to get. He got some Orasella Maraschino Cherries, which are made in Seattle and are simply cherries and maraschino liqueur.

The maraschino cherries that I used are darker, so the cookies look a little different than the ones pictured in the original recipe. I did chill the dough, but because the cherries are a little different, the dough seemed wetter than expected. The first batch did spread a little, but not too bad. They are darker, but they had to get nice and golden to bake through. I used dark chocolate chips and chunks, which changes the flavor slightly. They are extremely chocolatey with cherry, and you get a hint of almond. I’m not sure the first thing I think of is ice cream, but they are excellent cookies!

Cherry Garcia Cookies
1 ½ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup butter, room temperature
½ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 egg
½ teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon almond extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ cup maraschino cherries drained and chopped

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. In a large mixer bowl, beat the butter sugar, and brown sugar on medium until smooth. Add the egg, vanilla, and almond extract and stir to incorporate. With the mixer running on low, gradually add the flour. With a spatula, stir in the chocolate chips and maraschino cherries.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats.

Scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, using about 1-1/2 tablespoons of dough for each cookie. Leave space between the cookies as they may spread while baking.

Bake for 11-13 minutes, until browned along the edges. The cookies may be soft in the middle but will firm up as they cool. Cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe from My Heavenly Recipes

Almond Poppy Seed Cookies

This time of year, it becomes a challenge to figure out what cookies to make. It’s starting to get nice, but it can be terribly cool in the evening. I guess that isn’t as bad as an Instagram video I saw this week from the UK where it was snowing! Yikes! I have nothing to complain about, I guess! I want to make items more fitting for spring, but then I am pulled in the other direction of baking with apples, pecans, and spices, since I love those flavors. It doesn’t help that we have some candied pecans that I can’t wait to put in a cookie.

Ok, so I searched through my recipes and they all lean heavily to peanut butter, oats, chocolate- not exactly perfect for spring. I suppose more people bake in the fall and during the winter holidays. I do have a couple recipes pinned that fit the bill, including these almond poppy seed cookies. I haven’t baked much with poppy seeds of late, so that’s a nice change. I love poppy seed muffins, so this is a way to get that flavor in a cookie.

These cookies don’t require much that is specialized. You top the cookies with sliced almonds, but you don’t need very many. I had part of a small bag left from another recipe and it was sufficient. Be careful with poppy seeds, as they tend to go rancid if they remain in your cupboard too long. I tell myself that I should store them in the refrigerator, but I never remember to do that. Several comments on the original recipe said that the cookies baked longer than the recipe stated, and that was my experience as well. Just keep checking if you are unsure if your oven is hot! It may be a challenge to wait until these cookies set to eat them, since they perfectly capture the lightness of spring, but I am sure that you’ll do your best.

Almond Poppy Seed Cookies
1 cup butter, room temperature
1½ cups sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 teaspoons poppy seeds
2¼ cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
    
1½ cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
¼ teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon milk
Sliced almonds

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats.

In a large mixer bowl, beat the butter and sugar on medium until smooth. Add the egg and stir to combine. Stir in the almond extract, vanilla, and poppy seeds. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder. With the mixer running on low, gradually add the flour mixture.

Shape the dough into 1-inch balls and place on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 12-14 minutes, until lightly golden. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Once the cookies are cool, make the glaze: in a medium bowl whisk together the powdered sugar, almond extract, vanilla, and milk. Glaze the tops of the cooled cookies and top with sliced almonds.

Recipe from Chef in Training

Gingerbread Biscotti

If you’re in a rush this holiday season, biscotti are a great cookie to make. While not everyone in my family is the biggest fan of biscotti, I do like them. I also find that homemade biscotti isn’t nearly as dry as biscotti you get from a store, and I don’t want my biscotti to be too dry. I found this recipe and thought it was interesting, with the added spices and molasses that make it gingerbread. The original recipe called for macadamia nuts, but I used sliced almonds. Feel free to use whichever nut you like!

Biscotti are a good time-saver because you make the dough, shape into a log or two, bake, slice, then bake again. It may seem like many steps, but it isn’t at all. Being able to bake all of the cookies at a time is a lot quicker than having to bake up different batches of cookies. Since I made a half recipe, I just shaped the dough into one log and baked it up. Wow did my house smell good while these were baking!

As I don’t like biscotti that is too dry, for the second bake I baked the biscotti for 15 minutes, rather than 30. They were already on the dry side when I sliced them, so I didn’t want to go too far. Be careful when cutting them into pieces, as they can be crumbly. One biscotti broke in half completely and another crumbled at the edge. Thankfully, the rest were ok. The white chocolate adds a nice sweetness and makes the biscotti a little bit fancier.

Gingerbread Biscotti
1-1/8 cups flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ginger
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon cloves
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup butter, room temperature
¼ cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/8 cup molasses
½ cup chopped almonds
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 tablespoon shortening

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt; set aside. In a large mixer bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar on medium until light. Add the egg, stirring until well combined, then add the molasses. With the mixer running on low, gradually add the flour mixture. Once the dough has come together, fold in the almond to distribute evenly though the dough.

Shape the dough into a flattened log, about 12 inches long and 2 inches wide. Place on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake for about 30 minutes, until the dough looks dry. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 275 degrees.

Slice the dough into biscotti with a serrated knife, each cookie about ½” wide. Place cut-side down on the baking sheet.

Bake for an additional 15 minutes, or longer if you like especially crispy biscotti. Allow to cool.

Once the cookies are cool, top with white chocolate. Melt the white chocolate and shortening in the microwave using low power. Dip the biscotti in the white chocolate or drizzle with the white chocolate. Allow to set before serving.

Recipe from Flavor the Moments