Chocolate-Glazed Almond Bars

Oh boy. These are so good. I even ate one for breakfast this morning. These are beautiful, elegant and delicious - perfect for bridal or baby showers, a mother's day tea, or just eating for breakfast.

First, make a shortbread crust. Do this by combining the flour, brown sugar and salt in a large bowl, and adding lots of butter. You'll want it to be cold, and cut in chunks so it's easy to work with.



Just like making shortcake, you'll need to "cut in" the butter. You can do this with a pastry blender, two knives, or a large fork. Or, you can use your fingers. That's what I do. I do not have a picture of it - my fingers were full of butter.

You want the mixture to resemble coarse crumbs, sort of like this:



Pat this mixture into a greased 9x13 pan.



Bake this until edges are lightly browned.

In the meantime, you can make the filling. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg whites, sugar and almond filling. Then stir in the almonds.



Pour the filling over the crust, and bake for 25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

When cool, drizzle with the melted chocolate.



Cut into bars and store in the refrigerator. You may need to lock the refrigerator door.

For more great ideas, visit What's Cooking Wednesday and the Ultimate Recipe Swap.

Chocolate-Glazed Almond Bars

2 cups flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup cold butter
3 egg whites
1 cup sugar
1 - 12 1/2 oz. can almond filling
2 cups sliced almonds
4 - 1 oz. squares semi sweet chocolate, melted

In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Pat into a 9x13 inch greased baking pan. Bake at 350 for 18-22 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl whisk the egg whites, sugar and almond filling until blended. Stir in almonds. Pour over crust. Bake for 25 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Drizzle with chocolate. Cut into bars and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.