We really enjoy receiving homemade treats during the holidays in our family. We’ve also been known to give out a few ourselves. We once got almond roca bars and my husband was hoping to get some this year…so I said “Why not just make some ourselves?!”. Needless to say, he was way too excited over the idea…ha.
Our girls really loved helping with these, and it is officially on our list for traditional recipes during this time of year — what’s more, this year our second child has outgrown her allergy to hazelnuts and almonds =D. ..so thrilled she can enjoy these with us. Gifts of homemade goodness are awesome! Who doesn’t love the warmth and goodness of memories, especially when it is made tangible through delicious foods and gifts?!
We hope you have fun making, sharing and scarfing them down.
Thank you to The Food Charlatan and The Girl Who Ate Everything for sharing their take on this recipe. I used both blogs to help with ours.
Almond Roca Bars
- 1 cup butter (at room temperature is best, I use the guide on the package when measuring)
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
- 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9″ x 13″ baking dish. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter with the white and brown sugar in a large bowl. Add egg, almond extract and salt and mix to combine. Add in the flour and mix well some more. Spread mixture into the prepared pan, it will be like cookie dough in consistency so have fun pressing down with your clean hands. (Wet your fingers a bit to help with this part).
- Bake for 13-15 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Spread the chocolate chips immediately after baking and let them sit to melt, we put it back into the oven for 5 minutes to speed this up (the chocolate chips won’t look like they melted from sight, spread a part to check if they has softened). Spread the chocolate evenly on top and sprinkle with sliced almonds. I suggest you cut the bars while it’s warm so it’s easier to lift once cooled to avoid cracking.