These bars are amazing! They have a thick, chewy almond sugar cookie bottom with a smooth, rich chocolate cream cheese top, and they look almost as great as they taste! Top them with toasted sliced almonds, if you have them, for extra wow! :o)
Sorry about the blurry picture...
It was the best I could do with my fussy baby today!
Almond Fudge Cream Cheese Bars Recipe
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons cream of tarter
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons almond extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 (8oz) package cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon almond extract
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350degrees F and grease a 9" sqaure baking pan, line it with parchment paper and grease the parchment.
Whisk together the first four ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside. In a stand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy - about 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until well blended. Beat in the almond extract and then mix in the flour mixture until just incorporated.
Press the dough evenly into the pan and bake for 35-40 minutes, until light golden brown. Set aside to cool slightly while you make the chocolate topping.
In a small saucepan, melt the chocolate chips and oil over very low heat (or use a double boiler!), stirring constantly. Remove from the heat to cool for 10 minutes. Whisk in the room-temperature cream cheese until smooth, and spread the topping over the cooled cookie layer. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until the chocolate is firm. Enjoy with a cup of strong coffee! :o)
