Recipe: Iced Almond Bars

ICED ALMOND BARS
Source: The Cooking Club Party Cookbook: Six Friends Show You How to Dine, Drink, and Dish
Yield: about 12 bars

After we oooohed and aaahed about how delicious we thought this dessert was, Becky filled us in on a little cookie bar secret. They are even better frozen! Lucky for us she had a stash for each of us to try. The rest of the night was spent coming up with other foods we like to eat frozen. The hands-down winner: Milky Ways.

FOR THE COOKIE:
2 cups sugar
3 sticks unsalted butter, softened
3 eggs
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
6 ounces slivered almonds, without skins, ground in a food processor
FOR THE GLAZE:
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3 tablespoons milk
maraschino cherries (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 13-by-9-inch baking dish.

Using an electric mixer, cream together 1 cup sugar, 2 sticks butter, and 1 egg in a large mixing bowl. Add the flour, salt, and 1 teaspoon almond extract. Mix the dough with your hands to combine thoroughly.

Pat the mixture firmly into the prepared dish. Set aside.

Using an electric mixer, cream together 1 stick butter, 1 cup sugar, 2 eggs, and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (you can use the same large bowl to help with clean-up). Add the ground almonds and stir.

Pour this mixture onto the cookie crust and spread until evenly distributed. Bake for 20 minutes.

To make the glaze, mix the powdered sugar, butter, almond extract, and milk in a medium bowl.

Once the cookies are cool, pour the glaze on top. Cut into bars. Garnish each cookie with a cherry on top, if desired. (Another option: After the cookies cool, cut them into bars first and then glaze each cookie individually to allow the glaze to drip over the side.)