Creamy Almond Puff Bars Recipes

AWARD WINNING ALMOND DESSERT BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350F with rack on lower middle position. Grease a 9x13 pan and set aside.
• Make the Crust: In a large bowl, combine the butter and powdered sugar; using electric (or stand) mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix together on medium high speed until light and fluffy, 3-4min. Gently add flour and mix on low speed just until combined. Mixture will be crumbly, so use hands to form a dough ball. Press evenly into prepared glass pan to form bottom crust (I use bottom of a flat glass cup to press down evenly.) Bake 18 minutes or until lightly browned and set. Remove from oven, but leave oven on.
• While the crust is baking, make Filling: In a large bowl, combine eggs, very-soft cream cheese, and sugar. Whisk together until creamy and no lumps remain (it really helps if your cream cheese is quite soft to start with.) Add almond extract and mix to combine. Evenly pour the filling over crust, using rubber spatula to scrape all filling. Bake 15-20 min or until set. Let dessert cool completely on wire rack.
• Frost the Bars: In a bowl, combine all frosting ingredients. Whisk until smooth and no more lumps. Evenly frost over cooled dessert bars (be sure bars have cooled completely before frosting.) Cover, chill, and serve with almond slices on top.

CREAMY ALMOND BARS

Steps:

• 1. Mix and press crust ingredients into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
• 2. Meanwhile, beat cream cheese and sugar for the filling with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the rest of the filling ingredients and beat until just mixed. Pour filling mixture over crust and bake for another 15 minutes.
• 3. Combine all frosting ingredients with a mixer. Frost bars when they are cool and top with sliced almonds, if desired. Cut into 24 squares and serve immediately or serve chilled. Store in refrigerator.
• 4. *These bars freeze very well!

CREAM PUFFS II

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• In medium saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add butter and stir as it melts, then return to a boil. Add flour and salt all at once and stir vigorously until mixture forms a ball. Remove from heat and add eggs, one at a time, stirring vigorously after each until smooth. Drop by heaping tablespoons, 3 inches apart, on a cookie sheet.
• Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven then reduce heat to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) and bake 25 minutes more. Remove puffs from oven, split and remove soft dough from center. Turn oven off, and replace puffs to dry in cooling oven, 20 minutes more. Cool completely on wire rack.
• In medium bowl, whip cream with electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Stir in vanilla and sugar. Fill puffs with whipped cream. Melt chocolate chips in microwave or slowly over low heat. Drizzle melted chocolate over tops of cream puffs. Serve immediately.

ALMOND CREAM PUFF RING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• In medium saucepan over high heat, heat 1 cup of water with 1/2 cup of butter until mixture boils.
• Turn heat to low and add 1 cup of sifted flour and 1/4 tsp salt.
• Stir vigorously over low heat until dough leaves the side of the pan in a smooth compact ball about 1 minute.
• Quickly transfer dough to a large bowl and with electric mixer at medium speed, beat in 4 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Continue beating until dough is smooth and satiny.
• On lightly floured cookie sheet, using a dinner plate as a guide, trace a circle.
• Drop heaping measuring tablespoons full of dough just inside the circle to form a ring, making sure each dropful touches the one next to it (this is what will hold your ring together once baked).
• Bake 40 minutes or until golden brown and firm.
• Turn oven heat off and allow puff ring to rest in the oven 15 minutes.
• Then place on a rack to cool way from any draft.
• Once cool, CAREFULLY cut ring in half and remove soft interior with a spoon and discard, leaving the hollowed shell.
• Combine pudding mix and 1 1/4 cups milk in medium bowl and mix for 3 minutes, then refrigerate 30 minutes until set.
• Remove pudding from frige and gradually fold in the whipped cream and almond extract.
• Fill bottom shell with pudding mixture and set top shell in place.
• In double boiler, over hot (not boiling) water, melt the chocolate chips with 1 tbsp of butter, 1 1/2 tsp milk and 1 1/2 tsp corn syrup until smooth.
• Spread on top of cream puff ring and immediately sprinkle with the toasted sliced almonds so they adhere to the chocolate then refrigerate.
• To serve, slice the ring into individual cream puff portions& enjoy.

ALMOND CREAM-PUFF RING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease and flour a cookie sheet, or use parchment paper. Using a dinner plate as a guide, trace a circle on the sheet.
• In 2 quart saucepan over medium heat, combine water, butter, and salt. Bring to a boil. With a wooden spoon, vigorously stir in flour all at once, until mixture forms a ball, and leaves the sides of the pan. Remove from heat, and beat in the eggs one at a time, until mixture is smooth. Drop batter into 10 mounds inside the circle traced on the cookie sheet, to form a ring.
• Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until golden brown. Turn off oven, leaving ring in for another 15 minutes. Remove from oven, and cool on wire rack. When cool, slice in half horizontally, and place bottom ring on serving plate. Spoon Almond Cream Filling on bottom ring, then replace top ring. Chill in refrigerator.
• To make Almond Cream Filling: Prepare pudding according to instructions on package, but use only 1 1/4 cups milk. Fold in whipped cream, and 1 teaspoon almond extract.
• To make Chocolate Glaze: In a double boiler over hot (not boiling) water, combine chocolate chips, 1 tablespoon butter, 1 1/2 teaspoons milk, and 1 1/2 teaspoons corn syrup. Heat until melted and smooth, stirring occasionally. Spoon over the top of chilled ring.

ALMOND PASTRY PUFFS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine 1 cup flour and salt; cut in 1/2 cup butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add 2 tablespoons cold water; stir with a fork until blended. Shape dough into a ball; divide in half. Place dough 3 in. apart on an ungreased baking sheet; pat each into a 12x3-in. rectangle., In a large saucepan, bring remaining butter and water to a boil. Remove from the heat; stir in extract and remaining flour until a smooth ball forms. Remove from the heat; let stand for 5 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue beating until mixture is smooth and shiny. , Spread over rectangles. Bake at 400° until topping is lightly browned, 18-20 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to wire racks., For frosting, in a small bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar, butter, water and extract; beat until smooth. Spread over pastries; sprinkle with almonds.