Allrecipes shared with me these fun cookie facts:
- Allrecipes members viewed 31 million cookie recipes in December 2010, a 21% increase from 2009.
- · The weekend before Christmas, December 18th and 19th, 2010 marked the busiest days for viewing cookie recipes
- · 96% of home cooks believe sharing holiday cookies is a good way to show they care
- · Top recipients for holiday cookies include friends and family, co-workers, troops, first responders, church groups, and the postman.
- · Sugar cookies are the #1 holiday cookie type. Classics such as chocolate chip, peanut butter and gingerbread also fall into the top 10 cookie recipes.
Community members of Allrecipes and Nestlé USA have pledged to bake more than 13,848 cookies so far this holiday season. Visit the Facebook page and YOU can take the pledge to bake for Cookies Across America.
Taste of Home was kind enough to send me their gorgeous Taste of Home Cookies magazine. Filled with amazing cookies, it was not easy choosing the first cookie to bake from it.
I fell in love with the Scandinavian Almond Bars and couldn't wait to bake them. Sort of like a biscotti, these cookies are crisp and rich with a delicate almond flavor. The light crunch from the almond slivers and the soft, sweet sugar drizzle…this is a cookie we will be making every Christmas.
Scandinavian Almond Bars
Ingredients
1 cup sugar
½ cup butter, softened
1 egg
½ teaspoon almond extract
1-¾ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon 2% milk (I used almond milk:)
½ cup sliced almonds, chopped
ICING:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
¼ teaspoon almond extract
1 to 2 tablespoons 2% milk
Directions
In a large bowl, cream sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
Beat in egg and extract. Combine dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture and mix well.
Divide dough into fourths; form into 12-in. x 3-in. rectangles. Place 5 in. apart on greased baking sheets.
Brush with milk.
Sprinkle with almonds.
Bake at 325° for 18-20 minutes or until firm to the touch and edges are lightly browned. Cool on pans for 5
minutes.
Cut diagonally into 1-in. slices. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.
In a small bowl, combine the confectioner's sugar, extract and enough milk to achieve desired consistency; drizzle over bars.
Yield: about 4 dozen.
What special things do you do to share with your community during Christmas or throughout the year?:)
Oh, these look amazing! Love the almond flavoring and that scrumptious glaze! Perfect to give away during the holidays, but I'd have to keep some behind to have with my tea 🙂 Merry Christmas, my friend!!!
how gorgeous! tis the season for cookies!
i must make these soon. been wanting for a while now.
i made them once with European butter--what a difference, so good.
These did remind me of biscotti. Love the almonds, I've made my fair share of cookies for the season, but would one more batch hurt, I think not. This is a great thing to do. Wishing you and your family a Very Merry Christmas.
-Gina-
Hey missy just dropping by quickly to say hi even from MA. So these are the cookies you were telling me about they look absolutely delciious and love that they are Scandinavian!! 🙂
Buon Natale these are great !
wow..lipsmacking gooooooooood..:)
stunning cliks..
love your space..
happy following you..
do stop by mine sometime..
Tasty Appetite
Oh my gosh, I love these. They look delicious, with simple, pure flavours. Buzzed.
These bars look so delicate & crubmly and are just perfect for the lovely cause you are involved in.
These look fab and I'm always a fan of cookies and bars that just need to be sliced into shape - so much quicker than individually portioning them. Happy holidays 🙂
Ooooh! These sound delicious! Anything almond gets my vote! My family always has almond sweets around Christmas especially cookies!
I love how buttery and crumbly these cookies look - - perfect for a cup of tea
A most do for me! Love how it looks, I am sure it tastes great!
Have a wonderful weekend.
13848 cookies means 1154 dozen cookies are being baked and pledged to others by people in the All Recipes/Nestle community. That's wonderful!! The recipient of your almond bars are going to be thrilled. They look wonderful.
Yum, definitely one to bookmark!
These look lovely, I love the almond slivers on top.
These look gorgeous and super delicious! I love bars like this, they're prefect on the go! Great recipe 🙂
They do look beautiful, Lora. I wasn't familiar with these but now I want to make them.
What a great cause to bake cookies for, Lora, and those bars look incredible. They remind me of Mandel Kakor, which is a Swedish version of almond biscotti, although yours are not twice-baked. I can only imagine how tender they are - and the glaze..WOW!
I donated money to a homeless shelter this year. Haven't been baking like I usually do. I think I needed a bake break for one season! One or two cookies, and that's it!
Love these cookies too!