Norwegian Almond Bars: A Sweet Take on Shortbread with Marzipan Filling. Also known as Scandinavian Almond Bars! My family has a very deep Scandinavian heritage so I was thrilled to find this recipe! Now these cookies will not win any beauty contest, they are addicting!
This was a recipe Passed down from my grandma’s collection, discovered in a Pillsbury’s Best cookbook from the 1950s. Despite any reservations about marzipan, this cookie is to die for. Essentially an almond paste, marzipan adds a unique flavor that elevates traditional shortbread with a very subtle flavor. Norwegian bars are a very easy recipe to make and make a delicious cookie! They do not take long to whip up; anyone will be happy to have this treat at their table.
Norwegian almond bars can be made with pre-made marzipan, or I will include how to make the almond filling from scratch!
Ingredients you will need
Recipe Tips & Tricks
Shortbread is most easily made in a food processor, but it can also be mixed with a Danish dough whisk (better than a normal whisk and the butter doesn’t get stuck inside;)) I have even found that using my hand always works well. But always be careful not to overmix shortbread or the cookie will get tough!
You can use a standard round 9-inch cake pan, a 9×9 square pan, or a special pan made for shortbread! None of the pans you use will change how the recipe is made, the change will be the bake time, if the crust is thicker, it will likely need a longer bake time.
This recipe has an almond filling- also known as marzipan. You can make the almond filling from scratch or you can buy premade marzipan. This is the exact package I used, and one- 7oz package is the perfect size for the filling!
Baking tools I used
How to make Norwegian Almond Bars
Click to watch a video on how to make Norwegian Almond Bars
Norwegian Almond Baars
Ingredients
Shortbread
- 2 cups Flour
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- ½ cup Sugar
- 1 cup Butter softend
- 1 Egg beaten
Marzipan Filling – From Scratch (or you can use storebought Marzipan)
- 2 cups Powdered Sugar
- 1 ½ cups Blanched Almond Flour
- 1 Egg White
- 2 Tbs water
Instructions
- Sift together the flour, baking powder, and sugar in a mixing bowl.
- Cut in the butter, and mix with a dough hook or by hand until the butter is the size of small peas. You can also add the mixture to a food processor.
- Add in one beaten egg and mix until the dough comes together. It will still be a bit crumbly, but it should generally form a ball.
- Add ⅔ of the shortbread mixture in a 9 in round pan or 8×8 pan.
- If you are using store-bought marzipan, roll it out until it is the shape of your pan, then add it on top of the. shortbread.
- Use the remaining shortbread to create a lattice pattern on top of the marzipan.
- Brush the strips of the lattice with an egg wash
- Bake at 350° for 35-40 min
Homemade marzipan
- To make marzipan from scratch, combine the blanched almond flour, powdered sugar, egg white, and water in a bowl and mix well until it forms a paste. Use this for the marzipan filling between shortbread layers.
One response to “Norwegian Almond Bars Recipe | Traditional Almond Shortbread”
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If you like Norwegian Almond Bars, check out Traditional Olso Kringle
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