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.
Unusual and delicious cookie. When I let the cookies cool the first 5 minutes, I flipped them over onto a large cutting board. I cut term from the back side, then laid a cooling rack, and flipped them back over again.
I love the chewy texture.
Made using the gluten free flour you suggested. They came out great!
You suggest using a plastic knife. I use a pizza cutter and it works great!
So glad they worked out!! ENJOY 🙂
I wish someone would make these with Almond Flour. I have a 5LB sack in my freezer and would love to use it for Gluten Free Guest. If I make them, I’ll half the recipe and use the almond flour in an 8X8 inch pan. I will get back to you if it is successful…
You can use gluten free flour, however I would not use almond flour (or at least ONLY almond flour). King arthur measure for measure gluten free flour works great in this recipe!
I was just watching the video and think this could be made Keto with the almond flour. I’m going to give it a try. Good luck to you.
Can’t wait to try these. If you can’t find a pan 18×13, is it better to go smaller or bigger in size?
How long can they be frozen?
Can I use almond flour instead of all purpose flour?
I haven’t tested these with almond flour, if you try, please let us know.
Yum!! I made these today to share with some friends, and they turned out beautifully. I was a little worried about the using the larger pan because the dough was so thin when pressed out, but it all worked out after they were baked. I froze half of the bars for future use. I will definitely make these again!
I saved this recipe to have on hand if I needed a quick dessert option. So, when I got an invite to an impromptu dinner to visit with out of town guests, I made these to take along. I had everything I needed on hand and I followed the recipe exactly as written. These were a snap to make, they looked great on the tray, and they were a huge hit. They’re absolutely delicious! Thanks for posting such a great recipe, everyone loved them from the grandkids up to the 80 year olds. This recipe makes 16 generous sized bars but the serving amount could easily be doubled to 32 good sized cookie bites. I have already gotten a request to bring them to another gathering. 🙂
So happy to hear it. They’re always a hit!
Absolutely delicious! Easy to make too. I halved the recipe and used my 8×11 Pyrex pan. Yum!
Sooo easy and soo yummy!! I will definitely make these often
I made these over the Christmas Holiday for myself. I used gluten free flour and half regular sugar, half coconut sugar and they turned out really well! So glad I put some in the freezer like she suggested! Just pulled a few out and they’re still so delicious! Thank you for this recipe, I love these and plan to keep some in the freezer for a quick treat!
These are good, but I will lightly toast the almond next time
Doing a cookie exchange next weekend andI did a test run with these today. So simple and taste is unreal! I think they will be the hit of the table!
Aimee isn’t kidding….make a double batch! These are perfect!
I warned ya!! They freeze really well too.
I made these a couple days ago and it was so easy and delicious. I will definitely make these again.
You think these would work out using different extracts? They were delicious
I don’t see why not!
These were a hit at the dinner I went to and also when I took them to work the next day. Maybe a bit too good, because I had none left to freeze! I think the next time I make these I’ll try adding a layer of almond paste before topping with almonds and baking. Thanks for the great recipe!
I made these a week ago and I love them,so does my Granddaughter. I am making them again now I added a little lemon juice to the bars and glaze I’ll let you know how it is! Thank you for the great recipe.
I made these twice and bake for the right amount of time but I am noticing they are not quite cooking all the way the center is super doughy and under cooked. I am wondering if its because im using a 18×13 stone ware pan, Could that be the culprit? Or could it be my altitude? Other then that they are delicious! I just can’t seem to find that happy middle of not under baked but not over baked.
Stoneware usually needs several minutes added to the cooking time because it takes the stone a bit to heat up.
Could you cut the sugar in half? I really liked them just thought a little too sugary.
These almond bars were just what I was looking for. The perfect combo of almond flavor and a salty/sweet. I made them for my bunco group and they were a huge hit! I want to try the cookies now (: Thanks for sharing this recipe!