I love almond frangipane and if you like almonds, this is the treat for you. I wanted to develop a bar that would not require refrigeration, but still have the same taste and texture of a frangipane tart. It also needed to have a thick layer of the soft and delicious frangipane that can be seen between the pastry and toasted almonds. These toasted almond frangipane bars are the answer and are simply delightful!
A few months ago, I tried making it with a shortbread recipe. Although I love shortbread, I felt that the crust needed to be more moist. Keep shortbread plain for dunking in tea or coffee!
This recipe makes a large rectangular 9 x 13 pan of bars.
Tips for making almond frangipane bars.
The crumbly sweet crust pastry can be made quickly in the food processor or by hand. I like using the food processor for both the pastry and frangipane to speed up the process and reduce the number of dishes to wash. You don't even have to wash the food processor bowl after making the pastry!
Sweet pastry crust.
It is very difficult to roll this pastry. Simply dump the pastry crumbles into the pan and using your fingertips, gently press the dough until it molds to the bottom of the pan. The thickness needs to be uniform, especially at the edges.
This sweet pastry crust is pre-baked for a few minutes before adding the frangipane so that the pastry is not raw. Pre-bake the pastry in a hot oven. This pastry will puff up because it has egg and baking powder in it. I use a fork to prick a few holes on the bottom of the crust to prevent it from puffing up. I don't use pie weights as it hinders the crust from cooking and rising a little.
Pastry pressed into pan.
Poke holes to prevent airpockets.
Frangipane.
This filling can be made ahead of time and kept in a refrigerator for up to a week. Frangipane is made with almond flour, egg, butter, sugar, salt and almond extract.
Add 1 teaspoon of pure almond extract to enhance the almond fragrance and taste. AVOID the imitation extract as it has a synthetic taste to it.
Refrigerate frangipane to thicken which makes it easier to handle when applying to the COOLED sweet pastry crust.
Add frangipane to cooled crust.
Add sliced almonds. Press gently with fingers to embed into frangipane.
When adding the sliced almonds, gently press the almond slices into the frangipane to embed them so they will bake into the frangipane which will prevent most of them from falling off after being baked.
Cut toasted almond frangipane into bars.
Enjoy these addictive bars and remember to save some for the next day!
TOASTED ALMOND FRANGIPANE BARS
Equipment
- 9 x 13" (quarter sheet) baking pan
Ingredients
Pastry
- 113 grams butter
- 67 grams sugar
- 1 large egg
- 240 grams all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- â…› tsp salt
Frangipane
- 113 grams unsalted cold butter
- 67 grams sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 120 grams almond flour
- 18 grams all purpose flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp almond extract
Topping
- 1 cup sliced almonds
Instructions
Crust by Hand
- Preheat oven to 400° fahrenheit or 204° celcius
- Cream butter and sugar.113 grams butter, 67 grams sugar
- Beat eggs.1 large egg
- Sift dry ingredients.240 grams all-purpose flour, 1 tsp baking powder, â…› tsp salt
- Add beaten eggs and dry ingredients to creamed butter. DO NOT OVERMIX. Mixture should be crumbly.
- Press into one 9 x13" rectangle pan.
- Poke a few holes on the bottom of the crust. Pre-bake for 8 minutes or until crust starts to brown.
- Cool the crust completely before adding the frangipane.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 350° fahrenheit or 176° celcius
Crust with Food Processor.
- Preheat oven to 400° fahrenheit
- In food processor, combine butter and sugar and blend113 grams unsalted cold butter, 67 grams sugar
- Beat eggs1 large egg
- Sift dry ingredients240 grams all-purpose flour, 1 tsp baking powder, â…› tsp salt
- Add beaten eggs and dry ingredients to creamed butter. DO NOT OVERMIX. Mixture should be crumbly
- Press into one 9 x13" rectangle pan.
- Poke a few holes on the bottom of the crust. Pre-bake for 8 minutes or until crust starts to brown.
Frangipane filling
- Cut butter into small ½ " (1.25 cm) cubes.113 grams unsalted cold butter
- Combine almond meal, flour, salt and sugar into a food processor120 grams almond flour, 18 grams all purpose flour, ¼ tsp salt, 67 grams sugar
- While food processor is running, add eggs, one at a time.2 large eggs
- Add butter while food processor is running.
- Add almond extract. Refrigerator frangipane mixture to thicken.1 tsp almond extract
- Spread the frangipane into the COOLED pre-baked sweet pastry crust
Topping
- Sprinkle almonds on frangipane.1 cup sliced almonds
- Using fingers, gently press and embed almond slices into the frangipane.
- Bake in 350° fahrenheit or 176° celcius oven for 30 minutes until frangipane is cooked.
- Cut into squares when cooled.
Can I freeze these squares?
Yes, these squares freeze very well