It’s Day 7 of my 12 Days of Christmas Cookies Series! Nothing says Christmas to me like almond pastry, and these buttery almond crumb bars with almond paste filling are everything I want in an almond dessert. The shortbread base is rich and cookie-like, and a simple filling of sweet almond paste delivers the most delicious almond flavor. Topped off with crumble topping, they’re simply irresistible.
Looking for more recipes like this? Don’t miss these brownie shortbread bars with ganache, cranberry almond bars, and classic English toffee.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Simple Pantry Ingredients. This easy recipe only has 7 ingredients, so these are quick to make.
Perfect for Almond Lovers. These are big on almond flavor! If you love almond pastries, you’re going to love these almond crumb bars.
Delicious Christmas Gifts. If you’re giving these almond crumb bars away as gifts, they look especially pretty wrapped in a strip of wax paper and tied with baker’s twine. These almond bars make a delicious addition to a Christmas cookie box! And they’re just as great for breakfast as they are for dessert, accompanied by a strong cup of hot coffee.
High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour. Provides structure to the dough.
- Granulated Sugar. Sweetness.
- Coarse Kosher Salt. Salt balances the sugar, and adds a great salty-sweet finish in the crumb topping.
- Cardamom. A little cardamom nicely enhances the almond paste, and is a traditional spice to use in Scandinavian pastries and almond desserts. If you don’t like cardamom, you can substitute with cinnamon or nutmeg, or simply leave it out.
- Vanilla Extract. Use a good-quality vanilla extract for the best flavor.
- Unsalted Butter. Richness and moisture. Butter is a key ingredient in shortbread recipes.
- Almond Paste. The almond paste (not almond pastry filling) is sweet, and makes a simple, but perfect filling for these almond crumb bars.
Instructions
Make the Shortbread Crust.
- Preheat the oven to 350, and line an 8×8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper, so that the paper hangs over sides a little.
- In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt and cardamom. Drizzle with the vanilla extract.
- Add the butter, and use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour mixture until moist and crumbly.
- Dump the dough crumbs into the prepared pan (reserving 1 cup of the crumbs for the topping), and press firmly against the bottom of the pan.
Add the Filling and Topping.
- Crumble the almond paste with your hands, and sprinkle it evenly over the crust. Sprinkle the reserved 1 cup of crumbs over the almond paste.
Bake.
- Bake the almond bars on the center oven rack for about 30-35 minutes, until golden brown and crisp.
- Set the pan on a cooling rack and cool completely before lifting the bars out by the parchment paper and cutting into bars.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!
Frequently Asked Questions
How should I store these bars?
These almond bars should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. Or, they can be wrapped well and frozen for 3-6 months.
Can I use almond pastry filling instead of almond paste?
This recipe for almond bars uses almond paste as a filling between the shortbread crust and the crumb topping. So let’s discuss what almond paste is, and how it differs from almond pastry filling. You’ll find both on the baking aisle at your grocery store, and while they both contain almonds, they are very different products and are not interchangeable in recipes.
- Almond Pastry Filling. Very sweet, with a thinner jam-like consistency that’s easily spread. Use it as a filling for cakes, pastries and cookies. A little goes a long way as it is very sweet.
- Almond Paste. Sweet and coarse, with a moist, crumbly, stiff texture that’s not spreadable. Crumble and sprinkle it over batter, dough or pastry to use as a filling in pies and cakes. If leftover almond paste dries out in the package, you can still use it by grating it or chopping it up in a food processor, and then re-hydrate it with a little water.
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Almond Crumb Bars
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon, or 1/8 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ cup cold, unsalted butter, diced
- 8 oz almond paste (not almond pastry filling)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350, and line an 8×8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper, so that the paper hangs over sides a little.
- In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt and cinnamon. Drizzle with the vanilla extract.
- Add the butter, and use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour mixture until moist and crumbly.
- Dump the dough crumbs into the prepared pan (reserving 1 cup of the crumbs for the topping), and press firmly against the bottom of the pan.
- Crumble the almond paste with your hands, and sprinkle it evenly over the crust. Sprinkle the reserved 1 cup of crumbs over the almond paste.
- Bake the almond bars on the center oven rack for about 30-35 minutes, until golden brown and crisp.
- Set the pan on a cooling rack and cool completely before lifting the bars out by the parchment paper and cutting into bars.
These look so good, I cannot wait to make them!
Hi, I would love to bake these but I am not in a high altitude area. Would I have any problems with the outcome?
Thank you
Sandra, great question! This recipe will work at any altitude.
Thank you for getting back to me. I will let you know how they turn out. Thanks again!!
I want to make almond bars to sell at a market. Almond paste is a bit pricey. Anyway to add some almond flavoring to cut down on all the almond paste? Thanks
There’s no alternative to the almond paste in this particular recipe, since it’s the filling for the bars. You can always try making your own almond paste if you don’t want to buy it.
Another option would be to just make almond shortbread cookies, which doesn’t use almond paste: https://curlygirlkitchen.com/classic-almond-shortbread-cookies/
These are so easy and really delicious! I love them just as they are or drizzled with a little warmed raspberry jelly. Such a hit with the family!
Wow wow wow. These are incredible! I made these with GF flour and had to add about 2 T of almond milk to the crumb mix to hydrate it properly. I will definitely make these again!
I’m so glad they worked with the GF flour! I don’t use GF flour often, but also find that it usually requires a little more liquid.
Hi! looking forward to making these bars. Can I put sliced almonds on top before baking? I want to make them extra-almond and easy to identify among other desserts.
I think I’ve made these about 4 times now, there’s no better compliment than to keep making something you love! I’m at 6200 ft in Aurora and I didn’t have to change a thing. The only place I could find almond paste was to order through Walmart.com. Thank you for your wonderful recipes!
I made these with brown butter and they were delicious and lots of compliments from guests!