CRANBERRY AMARETTO ALMOND BARS

FANTASTIC

These pretty bars are the perfect combination of sweet and tart. The mixture of cranberries, amaretto and almonds are like good old friends sitting right on your palate. These babies will be gone from the sweet plate in no time.

The cranberry-Amaretto filling used here is also available as a standalone recipe: Cranberry-Amaretto Filling.

The almond-coconut topping used here is also available as a standalone recipe: Almond-Coconut Topping (Cranberry-Amaretto Bars).

The almond sugar glaze used here is also available as a standalone recipe: Almond Sugar Glaze (Cranberry-Amaretto Bars).

Ingredients

• 2 sticks (225 g) or 1 cup (240 ml) unsalted butter
• 1 cup (240 ml) sugar
• 1 tsp (5 ml) cinnamon
• 1 tsp (5 ml) almond extract
• 1 x egg yolk
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) Amaretto
• 2 cups (480 ml) all purpose flour
• 2 cups (480 ml) cranberries
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) Amaretto
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) sugar
• 1 x juice of an orange
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) dried cranberries
• 3 tbsp (45 ml) Amaretto
• 2 cups (480 ml) slivered almonds, slightly crushed
• 1 cup (240 ml) flaked coconut
• 1 tsp (5 ml) cinnamon
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) brown sugar
• 1 cup (240 ml) icing sugar
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) boiling water
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) lemon juice
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) butter
• 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) almond extract

Method

1. To make the base, preheat the oven to 325º F.
2. Cream the butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer.
3. Add the sugar, cinnamon, almond extract, and Amaretto, then beat to mix well.
4. Beat in the egg yolk.
5. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour, scraping the bowl clean with a spatula. Beat until thoroughly mixed; the dough will be thick.
6. Grease a foil-lined 9 x 15" jellyroll pan with softened butter.
7. Press the dough into the pan and spread it to cover the bottom. Cover the dough with waxed paper and smooth it out with your hands.
8. Bake the dough for 30 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let it cool for about 20 minutes.
9. To make the cranberry Amaretto sauce, place the cranberries, Amaretto, sugar, and orange juice in a medium saucepan and set the burner to medium-high heat.
10. Bring to a boil, then simmer over medium to low heat, stirring often, for 15-20 minutes, until the cranberries have broken down and the mixture has thickened.
11. Let cool, then transfer to a bowl and cover with cling wrap. Set aside.
12. To make the almond coconut topping, soak the dried cranberries in a small bowl with Amaretto. Let stand for 15 minutes.
13. In a medium-sized bowl, thoroughly combine the slivered almonds, flaked coconut, cinnamon, and sugar.
14. Combine the Amaretto-soaked dried cranberries with the almond coconut mixture. Let stand until the baked dough (above) is completely cool.
15. To make the almond sugar glaze, combine the sugar, boiling water, lemon juice, butter, and almond extract in a small bowl.
16. With an electric mixer, beat lightly until the mixture is completely smooth.
17. To assemble, preheat the oven to 325º F.
18. With a rubber spatula, spread the cranberry Amaretto sauce over the cooled, baked bar until it is completely covered.
19. Sprinkle the almond coconut topping evenly over the cranberry Amaretto sauce until completely covered.
20. Drizzle the almond sugar glaze back and forth across the entire topping.
21. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the topping turns golden brown. Make sure the dried cranberries do not burn.
22. Let cool completely in the pan, then slice into 32 bars.