Cookie Recipes
Strawberry-Almond Paste Shortbread Bars
Rich shortbread is the base for beautiful bars featuring sweet strawberry preserves and a nutty almond streusel.
Prep: 25 min | Total: 1 hr 15 min | Yield: 32 bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup packed almond paste (from 7 ounce roll), crumbled (not marzipan)
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds
- 1 (12 ounce) jar strawberry preserves
- 1 teaspoon powdered sugar
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line bottom and sides of 9 inch square pan with foil, leaving 1 inch of foil overhanging at 2 opposite sides of pan; spray foil with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, beat butter and granulated sugar with electric mixer on medium-high speed until well mixed. Beat in flour and salt on medium speed just until blended. Press 3 1/2 cups mixture into pan.
- Bake for about 20 minutes or until top begins to brown.
- Meanwhile, in the same bowl, mix remaining crumb mixture and crumbled almond paste with fork until small clumps form; stir in almonds.
- Spread preserves evenly over hot base. Crumble almond paste mixture evenly over preserves; press slightly.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until top and edges are golden brown and preserves are bubbly. Using foil handles, lift bars from pan; remove foil from sides of bars. Cool completely on cooling rack before cutting.
- Sprinkle powdered sugar on top. Cut into 8 rows by 4 rows. Cut each square in half diagonally.
Notes
High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): In step 2, bake about 25 minutes or until golden.
Nutrition
Per bar: Calories 140 (Calories from Fat 60); Total Fat 7g (Saturated Fat 3 1/2g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 15mg; Sodium 65mg; Total Carbohydrate 19g (Dietary Fiber 0g, Sugars 11g); Protein 1g
Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 4%; Vitamin C 0%; Calcium 0%; Iron 2%
Exchanges: 1/2 Starch; 1/2 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 1 1/2 Fat Carbohydrate Choices: 1
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Attribution
Recipe and photo used with permission from:
Pillsbury