Cranberry Almond Bars
These buttery bars are a holiday variation of Sweet Maria’s Almond Triangles. The original recipe was made popular in the family by my Aunt Jo. For this festive version, I simply added dried cranberries. Originally published in Intermezzo Magazine , Volume 3, Issue 1. This was my second article for Roseann Tully. She was such a fan of these bars. She loved their simplicity, easily elevated to elegance with a little styling. I don’t have the original photo to share, but here’s a shot of the final page. I have coveted that tiered silver stand ever since!
CRANBERRY ALMOND BARS
MAKES ABOUT 40 COOKIES
Crust
½ pound butter, softened
½ cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon amaretto liqueur
2 cups flour
Pinch of salt
Topping
¼ pound butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
½ cup honey
1 ½ cups sliced almonds
1 cup dried cranberries
2 tablespoons heavy cream
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Prepare crust. In an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light. Add egg and amaretto. Mix until well blended. On low speed, add flour and salt. Mix just until blended.
Press dough into a 13 x 9” baking dish that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Prick dough with a fork.
Bake crust 10 to 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from the oven.
Prepare topping. In a medium saucepan on medium heat, combine butter, brown sugar and honey. Stir often until butter melts, sugar dissolves and mixture comes to a boil. Remove from the heat. Stir in heavy cream, almonds and dried cranberries. Spread mixture evenly on top of crust.
Bake 10 to 15 minutes or until top begins to bubble and brown.
Remove from the oven. Cool completely before cutting into squares or triangles.
Bar Cookie Intermezzo Magazine