Day 6 … Almond Joy Bars

Here we are, Day 6 of the 12 Days of Cookies and halfway through this little project of mine. So far, we’ve had Pretzel Caramel Shortbread, Fig Mezzaluna, Dutch Windmills, Bourbon Peach Rugelah and Chai Spiced Meringues. A nice combination of flavors and textures if I do say so. So what’s up for today? Why Almond Joy Bars, of course. A bar cookie, the savoir of extreme cookie baking, with a fudgy, nutty base layer and a coconut topping inspired by a favorite candy bar. This past Halloween, I noticed something I hadn’t before as I was munching on leftover candy. I always associated the difference between a Mounds Bar and an Almond Joy to be an almond. You know, sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don’t? Turns out, and probably everyone else in the world noticed this but me, a Mounds is enrobed in dark chocolate while an Almond Joy is in milk chocolate. Where the hell have I been? This is honestly news to me. Good lord, I really need to work on my powers of observation. Regardless, I truly like them both though, if given a choice, I’ll take the nut. That’s just how I roll.

I may have mentioned previously that dear Martha (she doesn’t really need a last name does she?) has incredible lists upon lists upon slideshows of holiday cookies over on her website. It’s a treasure trove of cookie ideas and damn near anything else you might need for anything. Ever. While scanning through the endless lists, my cursor stuck on the Black Bottomed Coconut Bars. I zoomed in for more information. Layers of chocolate and coconut, how delicious does that sound? I immediately put it on my maybe list, thinking back to those Halloween treats.

So I took that idea, oh yes I did, and turned it from a Mounds Bar to an Almond Joy with a very simple addition. Smoked almonds are folded into the fudgy base for an addictive salty/sweet/smoky combination. I boosted the vanilla in the coconut topping and added salt to everything because I’ve found many of Martha’s recipes to benefit from a little salt. And you know what? They’re delicious. Delicious in that way that only sneaking a mini Almond Joy, or three, from the forbidden Halloween stash in the dark after bedtime when you’re supposed to be sleeping can be.

These cookies aren’t overly difficult to make, have a pretty white/dark contrast and the yield-to-effort ratio is high. Bar cookies are nice like that and I always have a few in my holiday cookie boxes for this very reason. When you need to make a bunch of cookies at once, bars will preserve your sanity. For best results in getting the sticky topping into an even layer, drop it in little bits with damp fingertips and gently press it together to form a solid layer. They’ll be prettier if you take the time to do this.

STRESS THERAPY BAKING FACTOR: SOMETIMES YOU FEEL LIKE A NUT. Too easy? I really couldn’t resist that old advertising gem and now it’s very likely stuck in your head. You are very welcome. But truthfully, chocolate and smoked almonds are a revelation. I worked for a fancy chocolatier for years and could not get enough of their Barcelona candy bar, a dark milk chocolate blend with smoked salt and smoked almonds. It was, and is, amazing. The broken bars that were brought to my desk were supposed to be remelted/remolded. They never made it. I admit to nothing but let’s just say my quality control skills were in full swing. Since then I’ve folded a handful or two of smoked almonds into many recipes as they make a lot of things better, most especially a brownie. Top that brownie with coconut and I think we’re really onto something.

six years ago: Adventures in India
five years ago: Christmas Cookie Primer – helpful tips for surviving cookie baking binges
four years ago: Homemade for the Holidays
three years ago: Kale & Squash Salad
two years ago: Pumpkin Spice Granola
last year: Cider Apple Pie
12 Days of Cookies Recap so far:
— Day 1 – Pretzel Caramel Shortbread
— Day 2 – Fig Mezzaluna
— Day 3 – Dutch Windmills
— Day 4 – Bourbon Peach Rugelah
— Day 5 – Chai Spiced Meringue Kisses

ALMOND JOY BARS – adapted from this recipe
Makes 24 1” pieces
Note – the bars cut cleaner if they’re cold; refrigerate for several hours after baking for nice, neat slicing.

For the chocolate almond layer:
¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
¼ cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
8 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (1 stick)
½ cup sugar
1 large egg
¼ cup chopped smoked almonds (1 ounce)

for the coconut topping:
2 large eggs
¾ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 ¼ cups sweetened shredded coconut, ½ cup reserved

1. For chocolate layer: Preheat oven to 375°
2. Line a 9” square baking pan with a criss-cross of foil, leaving a slight overhang to make removal easier. Spray with cooking spray and set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa and salt; set aside until needed.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted butter and sugar until combined.
5. Whisk in the egg, then add the cocoa/flour and with a rubber spatula, mix until smooth.
6. Fold in the chopped smoked almonds.
7. Spread batter in prepared pan, smoothing with an offset spatula.
8. Bake just until sides begin to pull away from edges of pan, 10-15 minutes (do not overbake). Let cool slightly on a wire rack while preparing coconut topping.
9. For coconut topping: Set ½ cup of the coconut aside for the topping.
10. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs with the sugar, vanilla and salt.
11. With a rubber spatula, gently fold in the flour and the remaining 1 ¾ cups coconut.
12. Drop small mounds of the coconut mixture over the chocolate base; spread and pat in gently and evenly into place with lightly moistened fingertips.
13. Sprinkle the reserved ½ cup coconut evenly on top.
14. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean with moist crumbs attached, 25-30 minutes.
15. Cool completely in pan. Using the foil sling, life the bars from pan in one piece, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate several hours or overnight. The bars can be frozen at this point, tightly wrapped, up to one month.
16. To cut, peel off foil, and cut into 24 1” bars. Keep tightly wrapped at room temperature up to 4 days.

 

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