Almond Bars are tender, lightly sweetened shortbread-like bars that are so good, you’ll find yourself doubling the recipe every single time you make them.
The bars are topped with sliced almonds and an almond glaze – absolutely no one can resist these Almond Bars!
This is the ultimate holiday treat for snacking, dessert tables, and for gifting! My friends and neighbors have been known to leave not-so-subtle hints on Instagram and Facebook when they see that I’m making these bars.
The first time I was handed a Scandinavian Almond Bar, I had no idea what to expect. My aunt Judy was the person who first introduced me to these heavenly bars and she is wonderfully talented in the kitchen.
Almond Bars
I imagined they would be good. However, I had no idea that anything could be THAT good.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Aunt Judy, from the bottom of my heart. There is nothing else I bake that is as frequently requested as these Almond Bars.
I quadruple the recipe almost every time I make them, so that I have plenty of them to give away.
I have seen versions of this recipe in a couple of different cookbooks over the years, but these remain simply Almond Bars for me. And I’ve since shared a recipe for gluten free Almond Bars as well.
Can You Freeze Almond Bars?
Leave the bars on the wire rack until the icing is firm enough to handle. These bars store quite well in the freezer. I can usually fit 2 dozen in a gallon size Ziploc bag, with a sheet of wax paper separating the layers.
When you are ready to eat them, just set them on the counter about half an hour beforehand. I typically plate them while they are still frozen because they are easier to handle that way.
Over the years, Almond Bars have not only become one of the most requested recipes I make; they’re also one of the most popular recipes on this website throughout the holiday season.
I love seeing all of you make them and share my happiness over them. So, feel free to tag me on social and share the fun!
Almond Bars are perfect on their own or with a cup of coffee, tea, or cocoa. All of my guys cheer when they see me making them and a few years ago, for the first time, my oldest son made them entirely on his own.
If these Almond Bars are already a hit in your house, odds are good that you’ll enjoy these Cinnamon Pecan Shortbread Bars too.
How To Make Almond Bars
Kitchen Tip: I use this mixer (or this mixer), this pan, and this whisk to make this recipe.
For a quadrupled recipe: The batch will fit, just barely into the bowl of my Kitchenaid mixer. The bars will fill two half size baking sheets. (approximately 18″x13″) I cut them into 36 bars each, for a total of 6 dozen bars.
Side note: When I’m quadrupling the bar recipe, I double (instead of quadrupling) the ingredients for the icing and I usually have icing remaining.
A single recipe is made in a 9×13 pan, a doubled recipe will fill a baking sheet pan, and a quadruple batch fills two sheet pans. (Amazon sells the sheet pans in a two pack. I highly recommend picking up two, because once you’ve tried these bars, you’ll never want to make a small batch again.)
Almond Bar Recipe
- 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 9×13 pan. For this recipe, I actually grease with butter instead of Baker’s Joy. 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 them actually brown at all. If they brown, they will be much more crunchy than desired, once they cool. The goal is a very soft shortbread texture.
- Let them 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. Remove them carefully (they will be quite soft) to a wire rack to cool completely before icing. Resist the urge to eat them now. They are even better when they are iced.
- Prepare the icing, adding just a tiny bit of milk at a time. If the consistency is too thick, it won’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.
Almond Bars
Ingredients
Almond Bar Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour *
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tbsp milk
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
Icing Ingredients
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 tsp almond extract
- 1-2 tbsp milk
Instructions
- 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 9×13 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'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.
Notes
- Gluten Free recipe is posted HERE
Nutrition
{recipe originally posted 6-19/2011 – recipe notes and photos updated 4/2/21}
The Slow Roasted Italian says
These are fantabulous!!! Oh my heavens good! Thank you for sharing. I can't wait to make these. {{{happy dance}}}
Jackie says
These look so delicous. I can't wait to try this recipe. Thanks for sharing.
Inside a British Mum's Kitchen says
Clever Aunt Judy! These look delicious – we LOVE anything almond
Mary
Dmarie says
I am such a HUGE almond fan…thank you so much for this recipe!
Quay Po Cooks says
This almond bars make a perfect gift. I got to try this out. You made them look so pretty and inviting.
The Procrastobaker says
Am Wholeheartedly going to make this asap 🙂 My mum and myself are both MASSIVE almond fans so this would go down a storm i think!
sheila @ Elements says
These look amazing!!! I'm bookmarking this so I can make it these days! I just have to try it! 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing the recipe! 🙂
Whisked Away says
Can't wait to try these out! I love almond anything!!!
shopannies says
hubby loves the coconut candy bar this sounds awesome and like it will make him very happy
Anna @ hiddenponies says
Mmm, these look so good! I'm on an almond kick right now and these are definitely getting made this week!
Jeff Rasmussen says
I tried to make these from a different recipe awhile back, and they definitely didn't turn out as well as these! I'm totally erasing that recipe and using yours next time! Beautiful!
Susan says
These look & sound incredible! I will definitely have to try them soon.
Nicky says
These look great. I love anything almond flavored. I make a similar cookie called Jan Hagel. It's a Dutch cookie with almonds but doesn't have the glaze or extra almond flavor thi sone has. I think I'll just have to make both! 🙂
Anonymous says
Can I add dried cranberries to this?
Mary says
I haven't tried that myself, but cranberry and almonds are usually great together. I'm not sure how the cranberries would work with the shortbread texture though. If you try it, let me know how it works out!
Anonymous says
all purpose flour is NOT gluten free……….must use an almond flour or rice flour to be gluten free.
Mary says
THIS is not the gluten free recipe. The gluten free recipe is linked to in the second paragraph above. Here's a direct link as well: https://barefeetinthekitchen.com/2012/12/scandinavian-almond-bars-gluten-free-at.html
Kate says
I can't wait for the butter to soften! These sound wonderful!
Darlene says
These look and sound amazing! A friend and I are hosting a cookie exchange and I just found my cookie! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!
Kelly says
These r good. The icing makes it
Linda says
Definitely one of my all time favorites!
Lesa says
These are the most wonderful things in the world!! I have made them now 3 times and sugar-free as my husband is diabetic, and I can't thank you enough for this WONDERFUL find!!!
Anonymous says
Delicious! I'm of Scandinavian heritage and I always tell people that almond is for Scandinavians what catnip is to cats! This is high powered catnip! I added 1/4 tsp more almond extract and subbed out 1/2 cup of the all purpose flour with finely ground almond flour to intensify the almond flavours even more and it turned out just great. I also used 1/2 the amount of frosting called for since I don't like things too sweet. I think I will be the belle of the Memorial day picnic with these babies!
barbara hamilton says
Love the idea of using almond flour!