almond bars

A Dutch letter bar is a simplified version of a Dutch Letter pastry. Rich in almond flavor, buttery and flaky, these bars will have any pastry lover swooning in no time.

Dutch Letter Bars

butter (1 cup)

sugar

eggs

almond paste,

all-purpose flour

almond extract

almonds (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9x13"...

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9x13" baking dish, set aside.

In your mixer cream together butter, sugar and...

In your mixer cream together butter, sugar and egg until fluffy.

Add in almond paste in small chunks while...

Add in almond paste in small chunks while the mixer runs until it's all incorporated.

Add in almond extract and flour and beat...

Add in almond extract and flour and beat until combined.

Spread into a prepared baking dish.

Sprinkle the top with raw sugar or slivered...

Sprinkle the top with raw sugar or slivered almonds if desired.

Bake for 20-24 minutes. Or until the top...

Bake for 20-24 minutes. Or until the top of the bars is golden brown and bars are set in the middle.

Cool and slice.

Scandinavian almond bars are made with almond extract, slivered almonds and vanilla glaze. It's an easy recipe to make in large batches for the holidays.

Scandinavian Almond Bars

(218 g) all-purpose flour

baking powder

salt

(113 g

(200 g) granulated sugar

egg (room temperature)

whole milk ((low-fat works too))

almonds

(120 g) powdered sugar (sifted)

whole milk for drizzle consistency ((low-fat works too))

Preheat oven

Preheat oven to 325&deg; F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Make the dough

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer (or using a hand mixer), beat together butter and sugar until fluffy, about 90 seconds. Add egg and almond extract, and mix until incorporated, scraping down sides when necessary. Gradually add in the flour mixture and beat well.

Shape the dough

Divide dough into quarters and form each into a 12-inch log. Place two logs 4-5 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet. Using a rolling pin, flatten log until 3 inches wide (making a 12-inch by 3-inch rectangle. It doesn&#39;t have to be perfect.

Bake the almond bars

Brush the two dough rectangles with milk. Sprinkle with almonds and bake 12-14 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Repeat with remaining two logs.

Add the icing

While the bars are baking, prepare the icing. Whisk together the powdered sugar, almond extract and 1 tablespoon of milk. Add more milk, 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach a drizzle consistency. While the bars are still warm, cut diagonally into one inch strips and drizzle with icing.

https://mediavine-res.cloudinary.com/video/upload/t_original/v1669740192/u7m3amipgvejwlt0guol.mp4

Scandinavian almond bars are made with almond extract, slivered almonds and vanilla glaze. It&rsquo;s easy to make in large batches for the holidays.

Almond Bars

This Almond Bars recipe is a sweet treat that has a shortbread-like texture and a delicious almond glaze on top! You'll want to make extra and freeze them for later!

unsalted butter, softened

Tablespoons milk (any variety)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Generously butter...

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Generously butter (or use baking spray) on a half sheet pan (approximatedly 18"x13"). Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder,...

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar...

In a mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Add in eggs and almond extract. Beat until combined. Slowly add in flour mixture. Mixing until well blended.

Press this dough into the bottom of your...

Press this dough into the bottom of your prepared baking dish. Use your fingers or a pastry roller to smooth the top of the dough.

Using a pastry brush, brush the milk to...

Using a pastry brush, brush the milk to the top of the dough (you may not need to use all of it). Sprinkle with sliced almonds, pressing them lightly into the dough.

Bake for 20-22 minutes until done. You don't...

Bake for 20-22 minutes until done. You don't want to brown these bars.

Cool for about 5 minutes, then cut them...

Cool for about 5 minutes, then cut them with a knife into bars. If they are too soft to cut, allow to cool a little bit more. Carefully remove them to a wire rack to continue cooling.

Once cooled, you can make your glaze by...

Once cooled, you can make your glaze by whisking the sugar with the almond extract and milk. Drizzle over the bars and allow to set.

Enjoy!

https://mediavine-res.cloudinary.com/video/upload/q0gkoze4bo3nvysw88wh.mp4

This Almond Bars recipe is a sweet treat that has a shortbread-like texture and a delicious almond glaze on top! You’ll want to make extra and freeze them for later!

Almond Bars are tender, lightly sweetened shortbread-like bars that are so good, you&#039;ll find yourself doubling the recipe every single time you make them.

butter, room temperature

egg, room temperature

all purpose flour *

tbsp milk

tsp almond extract

milk

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&#039;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.

These are really good. I wouldn’t change a thing.

18 min was about 1 min too much.  They are very tasty and will make again.

Hey, Everybody!  Trust Mary!  When she says you should quadruple recipe, quadruple the recipe!  These are my favorite holiday treat...any holiday!  THANK YOU, MARY!

These gluten free almond crumble bars combine a buttery, melt-in-the-mouth almond shortbread with a rich, gooey almond frangipane filling and a generous sprinkling of flaked almonds, which get beautifully toasty and crunchy in the oven. The bars are super easy to make, and you’d never know that they’re both gluten AND egg free, absolutely everyone will love them.

Gluten Free Almond Crumble Bars

140 g (1¼ sticks) unsalted butter, softened

g (½ cup + 2 tbsp) caster/superfine or granulated sugar

vanilla bean paste ((or 2 tsp vanilla extract))

240 g (2 cups) plain gluten free flour blend

almond flour ((or almond meal

g (¼ cup) caster/superfine sugar

almond extract ((optional but recommended))

g (⅓ cup) condensed milk

45 g (3 tbsp) whole milk, room temperature

90 g (1 cup) flaked almonds

powdered/icing sugar,

Adjust the oven rack to the lower middle position, pre-heat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC) and line a 9-inch (23cm) square baking pan with parchment/baking paper.Tip: When lining the baking pan, I recommend leaving some parchment/baking paper overhang, as that will help with removing the crumble bars from the pan later on.

In a large bowl, combine the softened butter, sugar and vanilla, and mix well with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until combined. Tip: Don’t cream or aerate the mixture, as that can make the shortbread too delicate and crumbly (note the absence of any raising agents for the same reason).

In a separate bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour blend, almond flour, xanthan gum and salt.

Add the dry ingredients to the butter-sugar mixture and mix well until it starts clumping together. Then, give it a knead until you get a homogeneous cookie dough.Tip: Because it&#39;s gluten free, you don&#39;t need to worry about over-working the shortbread dough!

Press about ⅔ of the shortbread cookie dough (about 380g) into the lined baking pan. Smooth it out into an even layer, this is easiest done with a small offset spatula. Set aside until needed.

Set the remaining ⅓ of the cookie dough aside until needed (it can stand at room temperature while you prepare the filling, no need to refrigerate it).

Gluten free almond shortbread:

In a bowl, mix together the softened butter, sugar, vanilla and almond extract (if using) with a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula until well combined and smooth. Don&#39;t cream or whisk the mixture, you don&#39;t want to incorporate too much air into it.

Add the condensed milk and mix well until combined.

Add the almond flour and mix well until you get a smooth, fairly thick batter.

Add the milk and mix well until evenly combined – the final frangipane should have a nicely spreadable consistency.

Dollop the frangipane filling over the bottom shortbread base and smooth it out into an even layer, all the way to the edges.

Almond frangipane filling:

Crumble the remaining ⅓ of the shortbread cookie dough over the frangipane filling, making sure that you get a fairly even coverage with some of the filling peeking through.

Sprinkle evenly with the flaked almonds.

Bake at 375ºF (190ºC) for about 30-35 minutes or until the crumble and the flaked almonds are deep golden brown.

Allow the bars to cool completely to room temperature before you remove them from the baking pan (with the help of the overhanging parchment/baking paper). Dust generously with powdered/icing sugar, slice and serve.Tip: I really recommend cooling the almond bars *completely* to room temperature before you cut into them. Firstly, they&#39;ll be very delicate and crumbly hot from the oven, so it’ll be impossible to cut neat slices. Secondly, the almond flavour becomes more prominent and “well-defined” (for lack of a better term) when the bars are at room temperature.

Crumble topping:

The gluten free almond crumble bars keep well in a closed container in a cool, dry place for about 3-4 days.

Storage:

Easy and delicious, although my almonds did not brown nicely and I had to bake it 45 minutes. Excellent recipe

These crumble squares are amazing!! The first time making them I followed the recipe to a T and loved them, then second time round I added a 1/2 tsp of almond essence instead of 1/4 tsp and also added some raspberry jam between the shortbread and the frangipane layer. Even people who aren't coeliac have been loving them - you honestly wouldn't know they're gluten free! They've become my favourite treat. Thank you so much for this gorgeous recipe! 🥰

Hi is there an alternative to the condensed milk please as I cannot eat dairy.

I made these for Christmas Day and they were AMAZING!!! Easy to make and tasted FANTASTIC!! Everyone asked me what bakery they were from!! :-)

I made this recipe today and it is so delicious! Thank you for sharing it with us!

These are amazing. Next time I make them, I will add a thin smear of raspberry jam on top of the shortbread to make it Bakewell Tart-ish. Love all your recipes and own both of your books! I'm egg-free and gluten-free.

Just made these 
Turned out just like the photos but I had to add iced water to the shortbread mixture to get a dough even though I had weighed out all ingredients

So perfect! Made as per recipe and hit the gym afterwards 🤣. I will be a little more heavy handed with the almond next time. Thanks for another wonderful recipe!

I made these yesterday! They are amazing! Not too sweet and the flavor is amazing! Very buttery with a subtle almond flavor.

I really like this. I used regular flour not gf and so increased the butter in the shortbread by 3TBS as suggested.

The almonds do tend to fall off the top a bit, but not crazily. I feel like maybe I’d like to add some both under the crumble and the ones on top. (Which I didn’t measure, I just put a nice layer on top.)

Made these with regular flour. Added 20% extra butter as recommended and they were AMAZING!!! I have been baking all my life and I always look for new recipes to wow friends and family and these were definitely one of those wow recipes.

Flavor was wonderful!!  I will certainly make it again, but all of the sliced almonds fell off when I cut the bars.

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Dutch Letter Bars

Scandinavian Almond Bars

Almond Bars

Almond Bars

Gluten Free Almond Crumble Bars

Top 5 almond bars recipes from across the web

The most viewed almond bars recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Dutch Letter Bars

Scandinavian Almond Bars

Almond Bars

Almond Bars

Gluten Free Almond Crumble Bars

The most viewed almond bars recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine