Almond Joy Bars

264. Who doesn't love an Almond Joy Bar? Soft, sweet coconut with dark chocolate and a crunch of almond. One bite and palm trees start popping up all around.

I found this recipe on Pinterest and I just had to make it immediately! "Just a Pinch Blog's" Almond Joy Bars Recipe. The ingredients are basic, as well as the process but the flavor is over the top! The only item I realized, after they were done, was...there were no almonds in the recipe!! I plan to make another batch for a bake sale this weekend and will, most defiantly add the toasted almonds.

Almond Joy Bars

10 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temp

3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

2 1/2 cup flour

1/2 tsp fine sea salt

28 oz sweetened condensed milk

28 oz shredded coconut

1 tsp vanilla extract

5 cups bittersweet chocolate baking chunks

1 cup whole toasted almonds

Preheat oven to 350. Line with parchment paper a 9" x 13" sided baking pan.

Cream together butter and brown sugar for 3 minutes. Add flour and salt. Carefully mix till crumbly as bread crumbs. Transfer into lined baking pan and evenly press the crumbs into an even layer. Bake for 8 minutes. Cool while you prepare the coconut topping.

Combine the condensed milk, coconut and vanilla. Spread over the crust evenly. Return to oven for 18 to 20 minutes till it begins to lightly brown.

Melt the chocolate over a double boiler. Remove baking pan from oven and place whole toasted almonds onto the top in a pattern. Pour chocolate over top and spread evenly. Allow to cool then refrigerate until hardened, about 1 hour. Be careful not to leave the bars in the cooler too long. Remove from the baking pan onto a smooth surface. Cut into 36 squares.

Personal Notes: I would under-bake rather than over-bake. Use semi-sweet chocolate and dark chocolate mix. I also considered grinding toasted almonds and using 1/2 cup in the crust.

... I don't understand how the coconut and crust in the picture, on the recipe's blog, looks so white. Sweetened condensed milk always has an off-white color and when mixed with vanilla, the mixture is a light beige color. Also the crust, brown sugar causes the crust to be an off-white color, not white. Could they have enhanced the picture and lightened it, or used different ingredients???

All these questions aside, the recipe is a keeper!

Delicious!!!

This is a great recipe to welcome spring!

"Sometimes you feel like a nut; sometimes you don't. Almond Joy's got nuts Mound's don't."

~Hershey's Peter Paul jingle from Almond Joy and Mounds candy bars

Recipe from March 2009

Shamrock Vanilla-Butter Cookies

Lemon Blueberry Crumb Bars

Photo courtesy of My Baking Addiction

222.

Lemon Blueberry Crumb Bars

These bars are one of the best recipes I have found by far. I came across the recipe while reading MyBakingAddiction.com. You can see the original post here.

I used frozen blueberries and the baking process took a little longer.

This crumb crust tastes delicious!

This recipe has a fantastic and surprising taste. The lemon zest makes the flavor outstanding.

Serve with a bowl of fresh whipped cream or ice cream.

This is a keeper!

"Determine never to be idle.

No person will have occasion to complain of the want of time who never loses any. It is wonderful how much may be done if we are always doing.

~ Thomas Jefferson

Lemon Luscious Bars

207. When I think of dessert flavors that reign supreme to my palate, I have to say lemon is right up there next to peanut butter. Yes, I love chocolate, but when given a choice between peanut butter, lemon or chocolate flavors, I would choose in that order.

Once I heard Queen Martha say that lemon was one of her favorite choices as well...hmmm.

This recipe is a favorite of mine. My sister would make these yummy Lemon Bars from a Charlie Brown Cookbook when we were kids. Won me over every time! I found the recipe in a Taste Of Home Magazine but have improvised it to make it my own. You could make these bars lime flavored as well, just substitute the lemon juice and zest for lime. I always double this recipe because it disappears too fast. This recipe is also a beautiful and tasty addition to your Easter dessert buffet.

Lemon Luscious Bars

Crust:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup confectioner's sugar

1/2 cup butter

pinch of kosher salt

Stir together the flour, sugar and salt; cut in butter until the mixture clings together. Pat into an ungreased 8x8 inch baking dish or pan; Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes.

Lemon (or Lime) Filling:

2 eggs, large

3/4 cup sugar

zest of one large lemon, (or 2 limes)

6 Tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice, (or limes)

1 drop yellow liquid food coloring, (or green for lime bars)

2 Tablespoons flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Confectioner's sugar for dusting

Beat eggs in a mixing bowl; add sugar, zest, lemon juice and drop of food coloring. Beat till thick and smooth and light yellow, approximately 8 minutes. Sift together flour and baking powder. Add to the egg mixture and blend till all the ingredients are moist and incorporated. Gently pour the egg mixture over the baked crust. Return to oven at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes till slightly browning on edges. Cool slightly and dustconfectioners sugar over the entire surface. Cool, cut into squares.

"When fate hands you a lemon, make lemonade."

~Dale Carnegie

"Martha Stewart showed up at Manhattan FBI Headquarters to have her finger prints taken and pose for a mug shot. Then Martha explained how to get ink off your fingers using seltzer water and lemon juice."

~Conan O'Brien

"I'm so degradetated. I owe at least a dozen limes."

~Amy March, "Little Women"

Ten minutes after I put up this post, I was looking through the USA Weekend newspaper and what recipe did they have in the CookSmart section? "Luscious Lemon Bars". And here is a video of Pam Anderson and her daughters:

Three Many Cooks