A good shortbread cookie is a thing of beauty. A good shortbread bar, brimming with tangy raspberry filling and crowned with a crunchy almond crown, is a blessing at the table! Whether you are looking to have them join your brunch buffet, join a coffee or tea break in the afternoon, or ending your dinner as dessert, you'll be grateful to have them.
The filling for these bars can be made up to a day in advance and chilled in the refrigerator until you're ready to use it. Likewise, you can save time by chopping your almonds in advance. And the shortbread is made very easy to assemble by using a food processor to make things quick and simple. What's more, once baked, simply store these bars at room temperature for up to a week ... although you will be lucky if they last that long. My small family of three will inhale them in a few days!
While almond extract really helps the almonds in the topping pop, you can use vanilla extract in the filling and shortbread mixture if you don't have almond extract on hand. That said, I tend to stock it for this recipe specifically! Trust me, it's so good!
Raspberry Almond Bars
- 3 c. raspberries (fresh or frozen)
- 3 T. granulated sugar
- 2 tsp. lemon juice
- 1 tsp. almond or vanilla extract
- 2 T. cornstarch
- 2 ½ c. all purpose flour
- ½ c. granulated sugar
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 c. butter, cut into small pieces
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp. almond or vanilla extract
- ¾ c. chopped almonds
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Lightly spray a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray; set aside.
To make the filling, combine the raspberries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and almond or vanilla extract in a small saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat and simmer until thickened; set aside.
To make the crust and topping, add the flour, sugar, and baking powder to the bowl of a food processor; pulse until well combined.
Add the chopped butter, egg, and almond or vanilla extract; pulse until the dough is crumbly.
Press ⅔ of the dough into the bottom of the prepared baking dish to form the crust. Top the crust with the warm raspberry filling. Crumble the remaining dough evenly over the filling; then top with chopped almonds.
Bake the bars in the preheated oven until golden brown and bubbling, about 35-40 minutes, turning the dish halfway through baking. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.
- Yields: 15-20 bars, depending on how you slice them
- Preparation Time: 1 hour