Bake Along – Orange-Almond Bars

Considering this is cold season, I figured I’d share a recipe laced with vitamin C.   Eat as many as you need to make your sniffles go away.

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon finely shredded orange peel
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
Milk

Orang Icing (recipe below)

1.  Preaheat oven to 325 degrees. In a medium bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds.  Add about half of the flour, the sugar, egg, baking powder, orange peel, almond extract, and salt.  Beat until combined, scraping side of bowl occasionally  Beat in the remaining flour.  Using your hands, knead dough into a ball.

2.  Divide dough into four portions.  On a lightly floured surface, shape each portion into an 8 inch roll; flatten until about 2 inches wide.  Place rolls 4 to 5 inches apart on two ungreased cookie sheets.  Brush with milk, sprinkle with almonds.  Forgot this step.  Added the almonds on top of the icing. Not the best idea, most fell off. 

3.  Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 22 minutes o until bottoms are lightly browned.  While warm, cut rolls diagonally into 1-inch bars.  Transfer to a wire rack; cool.  Drizzle with Orange Icing.  Let stand until icing is set.  Makes about 40 bars.

Orange Icing
In a small bowl stir together 1 cup powdered sugar and 1/4 teaspoon almond extract. Stir in 3 to 4 teaspoons orange juiceto make an icing of drizzling consistency.

Don’t forget to brush with milk and sprinkle with almonds at this step! Do as I say, not as I do.

 
When I took the tray out of the oven and saw this I was so upset.  There goes this batch into the trash.  I reread the directions and realized the only thing I did wrong was to flatten the logs wider than 2 inches.  But looking at the picture in the magazine, they were the right thickness, so I continued on.  I didn’t care that I took a blurry picture because at the time I took it, I was still in my “I suck at baking” mentality.

Don’t forget to brush with milk and add almonds BEFORE baking.  Can I stress this enough?

Linking to: Made by You, Just Something I Whipped Up, Get Your Craft On, Blue Cricket Design, Sew Much Ado, Somewhat Simple, Tatertots & Jello, Sew Chatty.