Today I needed to make a sweet treat in a super short period of time because I had an impromptu date with my neighbors outside in the sun and didn’t want to show up empty handed. They supply the drinks, I supply the treats! It’s a pretty good deal, huh? I found this recipe in an Everday Food Magazine (which is my go-to publication when I need something speedy) and was super stoked that I had all of the ingredients in my kitchen. Serendipity!
They were SCRUMPTIOUS and they didn’t last long! The crust is so simple and buttery. It’s crispy on the bottom and the top is nice and crumbly. The raspberry jam provides the perfect amount of tart to balance out the sweetness in the crust. There’s something about the butter/flour/almond combo that reminds me of baklava. It’s utterly amazing. Go ahead and make them. You deserve them. And maybe your neighbors do too? Maybe you could trade a batch of these for that ladder they keep forgetting to give back to you?
Let’s get started!
Get your act together and lay out all of your ingredients. It makes it faster.
You are going to cream the sugar and butter in a bowl and then add an egg yolk. Mix Mix Mix!
Then you add in the dry ingredients. Mix to incorporate and then add some more dry ingredients til yer done.
Get your slivered almonds ready!
And stir them into the dough/crust.
Press the dough into a buttered pan. Stop looking at my veins. Focus on my pretty rings.
Get your jam ready!! You might have to stir it up to make it easier to spread.
It goes on top of your crust. Leave a trim. Add the rest of the crust on top and bake that puppy!
Let it cool. Get your hands out of there! Show some patience. Then cut bars up. I like mine BIG.
Take one out and eat it.
You are going to DIE when you eat the edge pieces. A slice of buttery crumb heaven. I’ll totally fight you for the edge pieces. Watch out.
Raspberry Almond Bars
(recipe Everyday Food)
Makes 16 to 18
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for baking dish
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 3/4 cup sliced almonds
- 1/2 cup fruit jam, such as cherry, plum, or raspberry
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square baking dish. In a bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder.
- In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars on high speed until light and fluffy; beat in egg yolk. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture. Stir in almonds.
- In a small bowl, whisk jam to loosen. (Stirring the jam with a fork or a whisk will enable it to spread smoothly over the dough.) Gently press half of dough into bottom of prepared dish. With the back of a spoon, gently spread jam over dough, leaving a 1/4-inch border so the jam doesn’t stick to the sides of the pan. Sprinkle remaining dough over top all the way to the edges; press gently to form top layer.
- Bake until top is golden, 25 to 30 minutes; cool completely in dish. Cut into bars with a serrated knife.
