Strawberry Almond Bars Food

STRAWBERRY-ALMOND PASTE SHORTBREAD BARS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°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 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 about 20 minutes or until top begins to brown.
• Meanwhile, in 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 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.

NO-BAKE HEALTHY STRAWBERRY-ALMOND CEREAL BARS

Steps:

• Spray an 8-inch square baking pan and a wooden spoon with cooking spray.
• Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the marshmallows and salt and stir with the prepared spoon until the marshmallows have completely melted, about 2 minutes. Stir in the almond butter and vanilla.
• Add the rice cereal and strawberries and stir until the mixture is fully combined. Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool slightly for a few minutes. Stir in the white chocolate chips. (They will melt slightly.)
• Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and press into an even layer. Let stand at room temperature until firm, about 20 minutes. Cut into 9 bars. Store at room temperature in an airtight container up to 2 days.

ALMOND AND STRAWBERRY JAM BARS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on 2 sides for gripping and removing the bars after baking.
• Beat the butter, sugar, egg and egg yolk in a medium bowl with a hand mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• Add the baking powder, salt and almond extract and mix on low. Slowly incorporate the flour just until the batter comes together. Press two-thirds of the batter onto the bottom of the pan, reserving the remaining batter.
• Stir together the jam and amaretto in a small bowl. Spread the fruit mixture over the batter, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Mix the slivered almonds into the reserved batter and crumble it on top. It will not cover all the jam, but it will spread during cooking.
• Bake the bars until the jam is bubbly and the topping turns golden brown, about 35 minutes. Cool the bars in the pan on a rack. Use the parchment to lift the whole thing from the pan and cut it into 12 squares.