Almond Ricotta Bars
| Summary | |
|---|---|
| Prep time | |
| Cook time | |
| Source | The Great Minnesota Cookie Book by Lee Svitak Dean and Rick Nelson (pg ) |
| Yield / serves | ~4 dozen bars |
| Rating | (unrated) |
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 c flour
- 1 T baking powder
- 1 t salt
- 1 c unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for pan
- 2 c sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 t almond extract
- 1 t vanilla extract
- 15 oz whole-milk ricotta cheese
Frosting:
- 1/2 c unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
- 3 c powdered sugar
- 1 t almond extract
- 1/2 c sliced almonds, toasted
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 325°. Butter the bottom and sides of a 13x18-inch half-sheet pan. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt, and reserve.
In a bowl of an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the butter until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the granulated sugar and beat until light and flu8ffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until thoroughly combined. Add the almond extract and vanilla extract, and beat until thoroughly combined. Reduce the speed to low and add the ricotta, a third at a time, and mix until just combined. Gradually add the flour mixture and mix until just combined.
Spread the batter in the prepared pan and bake until the cake is set, lightly golden, and the edges are starting to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 35-45 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool completely.
Frosting: In a bowl of an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to low, add the powdered sugar and almond extract, and beat until the mixture is uniform and creamy. Spread the frosting over the cooled bar cookies, slice into squares, and top squares with toasted almonds.
