Apricot Almond Shortbread Bars

Submitted by Hey Jude

"If you like rich, buttery cookies, you'll like these! I got this recipe from the Ladies Home Journal, June 1990 issue."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 25mins
• Ingredients: 8
• Yields: 50 bars

ingredients

• 1 1⁄2 cups butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1⁄4 teaspoon almond extract
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1⁄3 cups blanched almonds, toasted and chopped fine (to toast almonds, bake in preheated 350 oven 10 minutes, cool.)
• 1 (10 ounce) jar apricot preserves

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Beat butter and sugar in mixer bowl until fluffy.
3. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla and almond extracts.
4. Mix in flour and toasted almonds until the mixture forms a soft dough.
5. Divide dough in half.
6. Press one half into 15x10-inch jellyroll pan.
7. Spread evenly with preserves.
8. Cover completely with remaining dough (flatten pieces with hands and carefully patch on top of preserve layer).
9. Bake 45 minutes, or until golden brown.
10. Cut into 3x1-inch bars.
11. Can be made ahead.
12. Wrap and freeze up to 1 month.
13. Thaw wrapped at room temperature.

Reviews

[chia2160]

delicious and easy to make. i followed your recipe exactly, except i only had a small jar of apricot preserves. not to worry, i used apricot on one half and raspberry on the other half, so i wound up with a little variety. my family loved these!

 

[mianbao]

These are wonderful. I decided to make four different kinds - apricot, raspberry, cherry, and chestnut with chocolate chips. I did know (in my head) that this recipe made a lot. I just didn't realize how much it made until I was mixing the dough with my hand mixer. It never really came together, just ended up crumbly. I pressed some of the crumbs into my two (9 x 9" and 8 x 11") pans, spread on the preserves and distributed the rest of the crumbs over the top, pressing down a little to make sure it would hold together. Luckily, this worked. The dough is so rich and fragrant, I imagine it would work with any kind of filling. Thank you very much for sharing this recipe with us. I am sure I will be asked to make it again, but I do think next time, I will try a half batch.