Delicious Dutch Almond Bars – Traditional Cookie Bars
This post may contain referral links for products I recommend. Please read my disclosure policy.
My grandma lives in Pella, Iowa, a unique little town in the middle of the state. It was founded by Dutch immigrants and this town has more than embraced their heritage. It is basically an old-fashioned, miniature Dutch village in the middle of the Iowa farmlands. The town square has all Dutch storefronts, many of the people in the town still speak Dutch and they even built a full-size working windmill a few years ago that grinds flour. Hundreds of thousands of people flock to Pella each year for tulip time in the Spring. You have to see it to believe it.
One of the most famous attractions in town is Jaarsma bakery. At tulip time, visitors line up around the block to buy sweet rolls, spice cookies and other Dutch pastries and breads. This past week during Thanksgiving, my trip to Jaarsma resulted in the immediate consumption of two donuts, a sweet roll and an almond cookie.
Many Dutch sweets (my favorites) are made with almond paste. It comes wrapped in flaky pastry dough in the form of Dutch letters, sandwiched inside buttery cookies or in bars. Below is an easy recipe from my sister, who is famous in the family and amongst her friends for making the BEST almond bars. Give it a try, it’s heel lekker!
Frequently Asked Questions
What are dutch letters?
Dutch letters are traditional pastries that my family indulges in whenever we visit Jaarsma bakery in Pella, Iowa. They are made with shortcrust or flaky puff pastry dough wrapped around a sweet almond paste filling and while they are often shaped into the letter “S,” other letters may be used for special occasions or personal initials.
Are Dutch almond bars good for holiday baking?
While we make them throughout the year, these dutch almond bars are always in the house around the holidays. They are a perfect addition to holiday dessert tables and cookie exchanges. Their rich almond flavor makes them a delightfully unique offering and these almond bars are a perfect addition to any holiday repertoire.
Why is almond paste so expensive?
Almond paste costs more than many baking ingredients because almonds are one of the more expensive nuts to grow and harvest. High-quality almond paste also contains very few fillers, so you’re paying for a product with a high almond content. While it may cost more upfront, I find that almond paste is well worth the investment because of the rich, sweet almond flavor and incredible moisture it adds to baked goods.
Can I make almond paste at home?
Yes, I have made almond paste at home before and it is a surprisingly easy process with only a few ingredients needed. While store-bought almond paste is convenient and works beautifully in this recipe, making your own is a great option if you can’t find it at the store or want to control the ingredients.
Can I substitute marzipan for almond paste?
I’ve never done it, but I wouldn’t recommend replacing the almond paste with marzipan. Marzipan contains more sugar and has a firmer, smoother texture than almond paste, so it would likely change the taste and texture of the recipe significantly. In a pinch I would choose to make my own almond paste over substituting marzipan.
Print Delicious Dutch Almond Bars
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 30-35 min
- Total Time: 45-50 min
- Yield: 24 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
Description
Traditional Dutch almond bars have an incredible aroma and addicting flavor. Perfect for holiday parties, cookie exchanges, or treating neighbors and friends any time of year!
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted
- 2 cups sugar
- 16 oz. (1 lb) almond paste
- 2 teaspoons almond extract
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups flour
- 1 cup (about 4 oz.) sliced almonds
- 2 tablespoons coarse sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9″ x 13″ baking dish with cooking spray.
- Add together melted butter, sugar, almond paste, and almond extract. Mix well.
- Mix in eggs until incorporated.
- Mix in flour.
- Spread dough evenly across the baking dish and sprinkle the sliced almonds and coarse sugar across the top.
- Bake the bars for 30-35 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. The center will be soft and slightly underbaked.
- Let the bars cool completely before cutting into squares.
Notes
These bars are a great make ahead dessert as they last 2-3 days on the counter, a week in the fridge, and up to 3 months in the freezer!
I’ve had something similar to these in Solvang, CA. It’s a ‘Danish Town’ off the freeway, on the way to Santa Barbara. Windmills, a “Danish Days” queen, Danish themes inns… the whole deal. On one trip to So Cal I pulled into one of the windmill fronted shops to pick up a quick gift for my mother… and promptly locked my keys in the car! I had to spend 3 hours waiting for AAA. No problem. I hung out in the bakery, where the local girls (mostly Mexican-American) worked… all dressed up in little dutch hats and aprons. I tried almost one of everything they sold in those next 3 hours. Including some amazing almond crusted bars that look very similar to your sisters. I should give these a try and relive those pastry stuffed hours…
holy smoly, this looks awesome. my mother in law (who is dutch) makes a very dense and very delicious almond cake…but i’ll bet this kicks it outta the water. i’m definitely going to make this!
Quit playing games with my heart! Oh, this looks great. I love having bar-pastries like this for breakfast. (guiltily admitted)
mmm I too love anything with almond paste in it. There’s nothing tastier in my opinion. I’ll be trying this recipe for the holidays.
How funny that they also have Tulip Time in Iowa, I never knew!…I grew up with it from living in Holland, MI. My dad would love the town of Pella, I’ll have to tell him about it. The man has been wanting to build his own windmill for years ;)
How funny! I have a classmate from Pella (I go to the law school at Iowa). These look great!
a friend of mine gave me a recipe that looks similar, but in dutch they are called ‘Jan Hagel’. They taste kind of like short bread to me. A friend of mind from south africa said that to her they tasted like ‘Milk Tart’. Anyway, it looks tasty!
I just made these. My friends gobbled them up. Personally, I thought they were very pale in appearance and had a “not quite baked enough” taste. I have never baked with almond paste before, so maybe they’re OK. My friends sure thought so! I’m not sure I’d make them for myself! Maybe too much almond paste?
love love love almond bars, lived in Iowa for a year and got to see tulip time in Pella and in Orange City :)
These look awesome but I don’t know what went wrong :(
How long do they need to cool
I baked them for a bit longer and cooled them for two hours but they are very liquid like from I would say the butter
Help
I had the same problem. What I do is turn the oven down to 250 and bake them an additional 25 minutes. I then take a creme brulee torch and touch up the top of the bars. Then they are perfect!
I used to live in Pella Iowa and I know the bakery you are talking about. I loved the Dutch Letters and have longed for a recipe so I could make these. I just bought some almond paste from a Mennonite store and then searched for recipes using the paste. Thanks for posting this! I am excited to make them. I might even shape them into letters. :-)
My ex in-laws live in Pella and I would bet your Grandmother knows them.
Born in Pella! 3rd generation. Just moved 500 miles away and missing dutch letters. Think this might help. Thanks