Almond Roca Cookie Bars
Thu, Aug 19, 2010
Cookies, Desserts, DessertStalking, Foodgawker, Itsy Bitsy Foodies Sightings, Search by Course
(+7 rating, 5 votes)
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If you like Almond Roca, then these bar cookies will be a hit in your household. And they are a cinch to make! One recipe goes a long way because they are buttery and rich so you can cut them into small squares.
- 1 cup butter
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup white sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 cup flour
- ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ⅓ cup almonds, coarsely chopped
- Mix the sugars, egg yolk and flour.
- Cut the cold butter into small cubes and cut the butter into the flour mixture using a pastry blender, two forks or your fingers.
- Spread the cookie crust into a greased 9x13 pan.
- Bake it for 25 minutes at 325 degrees.
- Cool the crust slightly.
- Melt the chocolate pieces over low heat in a small saucepan, stirring constantly.
- Remove the chocolate from the heat just as it has all melted being careful not to overcook the chocolate.
- Spread the melted chocolate over the cooled cookie crust.
- Sprinkle chopped almonds on top.
- Let the bars rest in the pan until the chocolate hardens.
- Especially if it is warm out the bars may be soft and fragile. You can cover them with plastic wrap and let them firm up overnight or even refrigerate them.
- Cut the cookie bars into small squares.
{TIP: Use cold butter that has been cut into small cubes. Toss the butter cubes with the flour mixture and then “cut” the butter in using a pastry blender, two knives, your fingers or a food processor until the crust forms.}
Based on reader comments, I made a half batch of these according to the original recipe and a half batch with double the amount of flour in the crust. After a blind side-by-side tasting amongst my extended family, the consensus was that the original version {pictured on the left below with a thinner crust} was the favorite and had more of a caramelized Almond Roca flavor. Everyone thought that the thicker-crust version {pictured on the right below} was also good but more like a shortbread cookie topped with chocolate and almonds. I’ll leave it up to you to decide which version to make because it comes down to personal taste.
Original Almond Roca Crust vs. Almond Roca Crust with Additional Flour
Tags: almond roca, almonds, bar cookies, butter, chocolate, toffee
Would it be wrong of me to lick my computer screen? These look so good. I love treats like this, all buttery and chocolatey!
I found this recipe today on foodgawker and, since I had all the ingredients, decided to make it for a girls night tonight. There must be a typo in this recipe. I tried it twice and the crust did not work either time. I’m pretty sure it should be 1 cube butter, instead of one CUP. Just wanted to bring that to your attention.
Amanda, I’m sorry these didn’t turn out for you. What was the specific problem with the crust? The recipe is correct: there is 1 cup of butter in the crust. It is very buttery (as you can tell from the pictures). They firm up as they cool and when stored in the refrigerator. When cutting in the butter, you want to use cold butter and cut it into small squares. Then, using your fingers, a pastry blender, or a food processor, mix it together to form the crust.
My crust turned into a sludgy-type of consistency while in the oven and when it cooled, it was more like those lace cookies instead of what’s pictured here. I followed the recipe to the word–and it turned out the same both times! Maybe that’s how the crust is supposed to be and I was expecting more of a shortbread consistency? But, even after cooling, it hadn’t firmed up enough for me to spread the chocolate over. (Thanks for responding, by the way.) 🙂
mine turned out the same way so i did a search of other almond roca cookie bar recipes and the problem is it needs 2 cups of flour not 1…
Kristina, I’m not sure what’s going on because I haven’t had the same issue with the cookie crust. This weekend I made another batch of them – a half batch of the original recipe and half of them according to your recipe suggestion {with double the amount of flour in the crust}. After a blind test, the consensus amongst my extended family was that both versions were good but the original version had more of an Almond Roca flavor. The thinner crust had more of a caramelized flavor. The version with more flour had a thicker crust and ended up more like a shortbread cookie topped with chocolate and almonds. It probably is just a matter of personal taste. With the original recipe, you could try letting the bars cool overnight or even refrigerate them to help them harden. Though mine weren’t a gloppy mess they were fairly soft and fragile the first day in the 80-degree heat but they firmed up even more overnight. I hope this helps and thanks again for your feedback! {I have added pictures in the post above to show the difference between the two versions of bars.}
Hi I am a retired- cook, baker, so not too much of a novice here, at this. I hope this might help someone. I simplified the recipe 🙂 Easy Peasy! No cubing no pastery cutting just mix. Place all measured & room temperature ingredients in mixing bowl (except chips and nut meats). Use the entire egg instead of just the yolk, and depending on your altitude, more flour by as much as 1/2 to 1 cup. Mixture will be smooth but should not be tacky. Scoop into un-greased cookie sheet. Press crust into the entire bottom of your cookie sheet as you would a huge cookie. (Trick: if you have clean hands wet them with water, then you can smooth the crust out better with your fingers and it won’t stick to you, just make sure you do not get carried away with watery hands as it would not be good for your crust.) Cook your crust till golden brown. 25-35 minutes. Cool. Melt chocolate chips in microwave till no longer formed( stirring about every minute ( Hint: choc. chips will hold their form unless you stir them “do not over cook”…They do not melt into a puddle like syrup!) When smooth non-formed consistency they are ready to be frosted on to the crust while hot. Last sprinkle with almond nut meats. Cool till chocolate is firm cut & serve. These freeze really well. I served them to our study group. Everyone loved them. It’s in my Christmas must do list of goodies!
I made this recipe although I added toffee pieces with the almonds!! My family loved it!! I also doubled the recipe and made it in a 11X15X1 inch baking pan!! turned out awesome!!
It worked well for me as written- took them to a party and they were loved!