Almond Bars
User Reviews
4.7
Almond Bars
Description
Almond Bars start with a crust made by blending softened butter and powdered sugar, combined with all-purpose flour and pressed evenly into a pan to bake until golden and set. The filling is made by whipping together fully softened cream cheese, eggs, sugar, and almond extract, resulting in a creamy, smooth layer that bakes until set atop the crust. The finishing touch is a sweet almond-flavored frosting made with powdered sugar, butter, milk, and almond extract, spread over the cooled bars and garnished with sliced almonds for added texture and presentation.
The bars maintain a tender crumb with a creamy filling and a buttery frosting that highlights the almond essence throughout. Cooling completely before frosting ensures a neat finish, and chilling the bars enhances slicing and flavor melding. These bars work well as a dessert served chilled or at room temperature.
The recipe notes emphasize pressing the crust evenly before baking for consistent thickness. Bars can be prepared a day ahead and stored covered in the refrigerator for up to a week. To ease slicing, remove them from the fridge about 30 minutes before serving.
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 1 cup butter softened to room temp, salted
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
For Filling:
- 2 large egg room temp
- 8 oz cream cheese regular, fully softened
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp almond extract
For Frosting:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ¼ cup butter softened to room temp, salted
- 1 ½ TB milk I used whole milk
- 1 tsp almond extract
- almonds slices or slivers, for garnish
Instructions
For the Crust
- Preheat oven to 350F with rack on lower middle position. Grease a 9x13 pan and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the butter and powdered sugar; using electric mixer 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.* Bake 18 minutes or until lightly browned and set. Remove from oven, but leave oven on.
For the Filling
- While the crust is baking, combine eggs, very-soft cream cheese, and sugar in a large bowl. 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.
For the Frosting
- In a bowl, combine all frosting ingredients. Whisk until smooth and no more lumps.
- Once dessert is fully cooled, evenly frost the top. Cover and chill. Remove from fridge 30 minutes before slicing. Cut into bars and place almond slices on top to serve.
Notes
- Use the bottom of a flat glass to press the crust evenly in the pan before baking for an even base.
- Prepare the bars a day ahead and chill until serving to help flavor meld and ease slicing.
- Remove bars from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before serving to allow easier cutting.
- Store leftovers tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 18Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 232 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 232kcal | 12% |
| Carbohydrates | 26g | 9% |
| Protein | 3g | 6% |
| Fat | 18g | 28% |
| Saturated Fat | 11g | 55% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 1g | 6% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 5g | 25% |
| Trans Fat | 1g | 50% |
| Cholesterol | 67mg | 22% |
| Sodium | 150mg | 6% |
| Potassium | 46mg | 1% |
| Fiber | 0.4g | 2% |
| Sugar | 4g | 8% |
| Vitamin A | 595IU | 12% |
| Calcium | 23mg | 2% |
| Iron | 1mg | 6% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.7
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