Strawberry Almond Paste Shortbread Bars Food

STRAWBERRY SHORTBREAD BARS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line an 8x8-inch pan with enough parchment paper to have an overhang on all sides.
• Beat butter and sugar together in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat until thoroughly combined. Mix in flour, salt, and baking soda until just combined. Using floured hands, press dough evenly into the prepared pan.
• Bake until edges of the crust just begin to brown, 12 to 16 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
• Place sliced strawberries into a large bowl. Add sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice. Toss to combine. Pour strawberries evenly over the crust. Place pan back into the oven and bake until strawberries have softened, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool to room temperature in the pan.
• Place strawberry jam in a small microwave-safe bowl and heat in the microwave for 15 seconds, or until slightly runny. Brush melted jam over the top of strawberries, and allow the bars to finish cooling completely in the pan. Carefully lift bars out of the pan using the parchment edges, and cut into 9 bars. Store in the refrigerator.

ALMOND BARS

Steps:

• 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!

ALMOND BARS

Steps:

• 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 9x13 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.

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.

FRESH STRAWBERRY ALMOND PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In small bowl, stir together all crust ingredients. Press on bottom and up sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Bake for 8 minutes. Cool completely.
• Mash enough strawberries to equal 1 cup. In 2-quart saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Stir in mashed berries and water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and comes to a full boil (8 to 15 minutes). Boil 1 minute; remove from heat.
• Stir in salt and almond extract; cool 10 minutes. Fill baked crust with remaining fresh strawberries; pour cooked mixture over fresh berries. Refrigerate at least 3 hours. Garnish with whipped cream and walnuts if desired.