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!
For more freezer friendly treats, be sure to whip up a batch of our favorite Shortbread Cookies! Or go easy on yourself and make some fudgy No Bake Cookies as a treat.
Our Favorite Almond Desserts
You know sometimes you search and search for the perfect recipe, and then you try it, and it’s not perfect. So you tweak it, and change it, and tweak it some more?
Then sometimes you land on the perfect recipe and no changes are needed! Today’s Almond Bars recipe was that gold mine treasure. The kind of recipe you make once and think “these are amazing and I’m not changing a thing.”
Yep. My friend Mary, over at Barefeet in the Kitchen, created these Almond Bars. I’ve just had the joy of eating them. Numerous times. And if you’re not following her blog, you better get over there now!!
I love almond desserts. Some people run out of vanilla extract, I am always running out of almond extract. I like to put a splash in nearly all my baked goods. It takes them to the next level!
Almond extract is a secret ingredient in my favorite Chocolate chip cookie recipe! And our almond kringle!
Why this Almond Bar is Best
Today’s recipe reminds me of my favorite swedish almond cake! Apparently our Scandinavian friends know how to make delicious almond flavored treats!
One thing I love about these bars is that they make SO MANY. You might be thinking, “what am I going to do with all these Almond Bars???”
Well if you’re not going to have a bake sale, then you eat them.
You could also FREEZE THEM. Seriously. They come out of the freezer in perfect condition. Nothing a couple hours at room temperature can’t fix, and you instantly have a sweet treat ready to go!
Hosting a holiday? Grab a bag out of your freezer the night before! Friends dropping over for coffee? These bars are the perfect pairing to your delicious cup of dalgona coffee!
PRO TIP: make cookies instead. Try our Almond Cookies for the same great flavor in a drop cookie.
How to make Almond Bars
The Pan. First, you’re going to need a sheet pan. Or I think it’s called a “half size sheet pan”. I bought mine on Amazon, and I followed Mary’s advice to purchase TWO. Because doubling this recipe and making a crap-ton of almond bars is genius.
They freeze beautifully! You can actually make the bars in a 9×13 as well, if you cut the recipe in half. But, more is ALWAYS better.
Dough. Next, you’ll want to create the “dough”. Once you’ve done this, you’ll press it into the bottom of your pan. I used a butter to grease my pan (just rubbing it onto the pan until it’s coated).
Add Milk. After your dough has been pressed into the pan, you’ll take a pastry brush and brush a small amount of milk over the top. Not only does it add a little extra moisture to the bars, but it helps the almonds stick!
Bake. But do NOT let these brown. Mine took exactly 20 minutes in a 325 degree oven. These will have a soft shortbread texture.
After they cool for about 5 minutes, cut them into bars. I found that if I cut them while they are warm, they looked and sliced better.
Did you know that if you use a plastic (disposable) knife your baked goods cut cleaner. True fact.
Finally, whisk your icing together. Add more or less milk for desired consistency and drizzle over the almond bars once they are cooled. It will only take about 10 minutes for the icing to set. You can now enjoy.
More Almond Recipes
- These Coconut Almond Bars are a delightful homemade candy bar recipe filled with toasted coconut and topped with chocolate, caramel, and crunchy almonds!
- Strawberry Almond Bars have a crunchy almond crust, chewy strawberry filling, and a creamy cheesecake topping. Perfect for holidays or weekend brunches!
- Brown sugar and oatmeal cherry almond bars are officially my new favorite sweet snack! The cherries are nice and tart, the almond scented crumble dough is chewy and butterscotch-y ~ these are a must make!
- Cranberry almond bars have a dense, almost gooey-like cake base and are topped with a hefty amount of streusel! With gluten-free and 100% whole grain options.
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Almond Bars Recipe
Ingredients
For the bars:
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
For the topping:
- 2 Tablespoons milk any variety
- 1 cup sliced almonds
For the glaze:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 2 Tablespoons milk any variety
Instructions
- 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, and salt. Set aside.
- 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 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 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 want to brown these bars.
- 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 whisking the sugar with the almond extract and milk. Drizzle over the bars and allow to set.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- To freeze these bars, prepare as directed and allow glaze to set completely. Then place them in a single layer in a large gallon sized ziploc. You can fit one dozen into the bag. If you want to add more, separate layers with wax paper (or parchment). Freeze. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
- Did you know that if you use a plastic (disposable) knife your baked goods cut cleaner. True fact.
Hi! I used a 17x 20 and my bars are thinner I hope they are ok they taste amazing! Thank you!
I make these all the time for events or cookie exchanges. I do not do the glaze as I felt the cookie was too sweet with it on it. They hold up well.
This recipe is wonderful! I love the ease, the chewy texture, and the delicious results. It’s everything i could ask for and more. I did find the patting it in the pan process tricky at first since the dough was quite sticky. So, I put the dough in the freezer for 15 minutes, and then floured my hands and patted and rolled it with a small rolling pin and it worked just fine. Easy to cut, and looked beautiful “shingled” in rows on a tray. Next time, I may decrease the almond extract a little in both the recipe and glaze, but that is a personal choice. Thank you for the great recipe and directions.
I love Almond flavor in many things! I am so anxious to make these bars and even give some to friends at Christmas! They sound delicious!! Thank you!!!
Lynn B
Haven’t made these yet but want to know if you bake in a lighter or darker pan? Lighter pans tend to take longer and darker pans can brown too quickly.
Also, what grams do u use for flour? I always weigh my flour for accuracy. I use 120g for each cup but I know others use up to 150g/cup.
Thanks.
These turned out fantastic. I am at high altitude. ( Close to 5700 feet. ) I increased the flour to 4 cups and decreased the sugar to 1 & 1/2 cups. A caterer that my office co-workers used to enjoy using went out of business. He used to make these for them. I tried your recipe and they are all saying that yours are even better. Thank you for your detailed instructions. From one baker to another, being detailed makes all the difference sometimes.
If I make a half recipe in a 9 x 13 inch pan,should I still bake them at 350 degrees for 20 – 22 minutes, or will they take less time? How will I know they’re done?
I haven’t tested in a 13×9 so I can’t speak to how long it will bake, so sorry.
Can these bars be made in a 13 X 9 inch baking dish?
Thanks
Makes plenty for a party or company. I made just for us though. Super easy. We did not glaze. Husband said whoever posted this one on pinterest deserves a hug. Lol! He LOVES cookies!!! So definitely a good compliment.
Hugs right back at him. Thanks for the compliments!
These bars are delicious! I baked in a stone cookie sheet size pan and they turned out awesome! Definitely a star in my book.
Have you ever added almond paste to this recipe?
Do you have any recipes using almond paste?
Can I use almond flour and regular flour for this recipe?
Thank you!
I have not tested it with almond flour. If you do let us know!
Your recipe intrigued me as they look delicious. I didn’t double the recipe and now I wished that I had! I tweaked it as I cut the butter to 2/3’s cup and added a half cup mashed potatoes and reduced the all purpose flour to 2 cups and added 1 1/2 cups of almond flour. The dough was very soft, I will add an extra 1/2 cup of all purpose flour next time I make these bars. Very tasty! 😊
Thank you Sheila!
These are scrumptious! I don’t understand the glaze recipe. I had to add a significant amount of milk to stand up to 2 cups of powdered sugar, and there was an excessive amount of glaze that I tossed out. Did I read something wrong, or was the ratio of wet to dry incorrect?
If that’s the case your glaze should have been rather loose. A thicker glaze won’t spread and run off your baked goods so easily. You’d be surprised how little liquid you need to make a glaze.
I made these almond cookie bars, and they were simply outstanding. Thank you so much for a great recipe and I’m sure they will be on my Christmas baking list next year if not sooner! 😊
They freeze very well too. So make a double batch and freeze some for yourself for later 🙂