almond swirl bars

How To Make almond swirl bars

• Step 1
  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13x2 pan.
• Step 2
  In a large bowl, cream the almond butter and margarine together. Add the sugars, stirring well. Add the eggs and almond extract. Stir to combine til smooth.
• Step 3
  In a small bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. Fold the flour into the almond butter mixture in several parts. The mixture will be stiff.
• Step 4
  Spread the almond mixture into the greased 13x9x2 pan. (I use a table knife to spread it out.) Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top of the almond mixture.
• Step 5
  Place the baking pan in the oven. Set your timer for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, pull the pan from the oven. The chocolate chips will have melted and you can run a knife through the pan to marbelize the flavors. Swirl the chocolate into the almond batter. (Channel your inner Monet or Van Gogh.) After marbelizing the cookies, return the pan to the oven. Don't forget to set your timer. Bake an additional 20-25 minutes. Cool, then cut into bars. Makes 2 dozen.
• Step 6
  Notes: You can use butter instead of margarine if you prefer. The original recipe is made with peanut butter and vanilla extract. I like to make it with crunchy peanut butter. When I use peanut butter, the dough is REALLY stiff and takes some effort to spread in the pan. I have also used a 50/50 blend of all-purpose and whole wheat flour to make this recipe. For chewy cookies, bake for a TOTAL TIME of 25 minutes. For crunchy cookies, bake for a TOTAL TIME of 30 minutes. The original recipe says you'll get 4 dozen 1 inch squares. I say 2 dozen bars. Store in an airtight container. Maybe even hide the container behind something else, because these won't last long. Enjoy!
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