Inspired by the traditional almond bars at Christmas time from my husband’s Dutch family, this vegan version is just as tasty as the original. They have a lovely almond flavor and are dense and sweet. Not overly sweet, but just right. It took me a few times to get the texture right, and actually eliminating butter (yes, even the vegan version), actually made the consistency better. (Thanks to my husband for the suggestion of trying to make these more like my Sicilian Cake recipe!) There are just a few ingredients; but a key ingredient is the almond paste. This can be found online. To add a little more intense almond flavor, I added in a little almond extract. You can get away without using almond extract; but this brings it up a notch. The nice thing about vegan baking is that you don’t need to worry about raw eggs. So you can taste the batter along the way to see if it needs more of anything. These also happen to be gluten free, and you can freeze them. Enjoy!
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350F. Prepare the egg replacer according to package instructions and set aside for a few minutes to thicken. In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Then add the prepared egg replacer. Beat on high speed with a hand mixer until well blended (like the consistency of chocolate chip cookie dough). Grease a 9″ x 13″ baking dish. Pour in the batter and spread it around the pan, smoothing the top. Bake for 30 minutes or until the edges start to slightly brown. Cut into squares.
