Raspberry Almond Shortbread Bars
Updated October 06, 2020
Raspberry Almond Shortbread Bars-buttery shortbread bars topped with raspberry jam, almond streusel, and a sweet almond glaze.
Hello, December! It’s nice to see you…I think! How is it December already? I love December, so I am excited, but I am nervous too!
My holiday to-do list is long and the countdown is on! I have SO much to do! It is time to focus and get down to business.
Of course, baking is number one on my December to-do list. I have a million cookies and treats to bake. It is a family tradition to bake up a storm during the holidays and I am not missing out this year. First up, these Raspberry Almond Shortbread Bars.
I love making these Almond Shortbread Bars during the holidays because they are festive, super easy to make, and everyone loves them! You make them in a 9X13 pan, which is nice because you don’t have to scoop up dough. Just put them in the pan and bake away!
I like to use Land O Lakes® European Style Super Premium Butter. Have you guys tried this butter? It is the cream of the crop! I tried it at Ree Drummond’s ranch when it first came out and I have been hooked ever since.
It’s made with fresh sweet cream and has a higher fat content than traditional butters, giving it a rich flavor. It is so good you will want to eat it by the stick. It is the perfect butter for my shortbread bars because the buttery taste really shines through!
The bars have a thick, buttery shortbread crust, a layer of raspberry jam, an almond streusel topping, and finally, a sweet almond glaze!
The bars are great for holiday parties, cookie exchanges, or gift-giving! I think Santa will like them, too:)
Make sure you add Raspberry Almond Shortbread Bars to your holiday baking list this year! And maybe I will ignore the rest of my to-do list and spend the entire month in the kitchen with butter, sugar, and flour. Sounds like the perfect month to me:) Happy holiday baking!
Raspberry Almond Shortbread Bars
Ingredients
For the Bars:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup cold Land O Lakes® European Style Unsalted Butter cut into small pieces
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup raspberry jam
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
For the Glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender until butter is mixed in, but you still have small chunks of butter. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, almond extract, and vanilla extract. Add into the flour and butter mixture and stir to combine. The dough will be crumbly. Pat half of the dough into the prepared pan.
- Spread the raspberry jam evenly over the bottom crust. Crumble the remaining dough over the jam. Sprinkle with sliced almonds.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack.
- While the bars are cooling, make the glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, milk, and almond extract. Drizzle glaze over cooled bars. Cut into squares and serve.
Have you tried this recipe?
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Two Peas & Their Pod has partnered with Land O’Lakes for an exclusive endorsement of Land O Lakes® Butter for their Kitchen Conversations blogger program. This blog post is sponsored by Land O’Lakes. Thank you for supporting the brands that continue to make Two Peas and Their Pod possible.
Do I have to choose a favorite? The best part of the holidays is sampling (and loving) the entire cookie tray assortment!
I love all sweets so it’s hard to pick a favorite! Anything will do! These bars look delicious!
They look delicious…can’t wait to make them!
My favorite holiday cookies are homemade fig cookies and chocolate peppermint m&m cookies.
Chocolate Sour Cream cookies and Frosted Coffee bars from the original Betty Crocker cookbook.
Oh yummy!! These look amazing!
Spending the holidays just baking sounds fun!
My fave cookie this time of year is gingerbread people.
Snickerdoodles are my favorite!
I made these and they didn’t last a day. My 8 year old said I have to make them again. Thanks for the recipe.
Yay! Glad they were a hit!
I love Hot Chocolate cookies!
Looks delicious!
Delicious and easy! I used a food processor for ease and added blackberry jam to the raspberry jam for extra filling. Received rave reviews from the family. One of my favorite recipes of Maria’s!
I don’t understand the low rating, but I guess that any review would be lost in the chatter… I’ve made these 3 times and all my friends (and me) absolutely rave about it. It’s delicious! One of the very few recipes I keep making over and over again.
I make these every Christmas, so easy and so delicious!
It is easy to make. The directions are easy to follow and it tastes amazing.. thank you
Curious if anyone has had success doubling the recipe and baked in one (1/2 sized) sheet pan? I’m sure bake time may need to be watched more carefully. I find I’m often doubling the recipe and wondered if this would just be easier than 2 pans in the future.
The dough was very crumbly and I thought the endeavor was doomed, but it all came together in the oven and the bars are delicious. I will definitely make this recipe again.
My jam was really sticking to the unbaked crust so I heated the jam (increased amount to 1 cup) in the microwave to get a more spreadable consistency.
I’m thinking of making these for the holidays:) if I’d like to make them ahead of time is it possible to freeze them? Just wondering if they’d be as good after thawing and if I should freeze with or without the glaze. Thanks!
Yes, you can freeze them.