Perfect Scandinavian Almond Bars

It’s been so hot in Bergen this summer that I haven’t felt much like baking lately. But earlier this week I invited some people over and wanted to serve them an easy sweet treat, so I opted for one of the quickest and most delicious cookies I know: mandelsnittar, or Swedish sliced almond cookies.

I love making Swedish sliced cookies because they’re so fast and easy. You don’t even have to form the cookie dough into individual cookies. Instead you simply roll the dough into two long logs and then slice up the cookies when they’ve finished baking.

I’ve also shared recipes for a chocolate version here, and white chocolate and lemon version here. But I really do love an almond dessert and have to say these ones are particularly good.

They’re crispy along the edges and soft and chewy in the center. And they are wonderfully almondy without tasting fake – you don’t need to add any extra almond extract to these.

Tips

You can mix the cookie dough with an electric mixer, or you can simply use a wooden spoon. At the end you might need to use your hands to knead the dough so it fully comes together.

We often use light syrup in our cookies in Scandinavia, which is similar to British golden syrup (like Lyle’s Golden Syrup), or light treacle. However since light treacle isn’t commonly used in the US, you can instead use a combination of half maple syrup and half honey in these.

You do need to use both maple syrup and honey. I’ve tried with only maple syrup and the texture wasn’t right – these need the stickiness of the honey as well.

Since the syrup is so sticky, instead of pouring it into my measuring spoon I press my spoon into the cookie dough to make a tablespoon sized well and fill that instead.

I usually use vanilla sugar, but you can use vanilla extract instead, if you prefer.

Stir the dough until it’s almost combined, but still a bit crumbly before you add the almond paste.

Almond paste

These Scandinavian almond bars are filled with almond paste, which is like a less sweet version of marzipan we often use in baking (in Norway we also use kransekakemasse).

You can order almond paste online here. Or you can make your own almond paste:

• 1 1/2 cups of almonds
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 egg white

Add the almonds and half of the sugar to a food processor and pulse until the almonds are finely ground. Add the rest of the sugar and pulse again until it’s fully combined. Then add the egg white and process until the paste comes together into a ball. If it’s too sticky you can add a bit more sugar.

Roll the paste into a log and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until using.

You could also probably use marzipan instead, though the marzipan will be considerably sweeter than the almond paste. I haven’t tried this myself, but let me know how it goes if you do!

Take the almond paste out of the fridge right before using and either grate it or finely chop it. Add it to your cookie dough, stirring until it’s totally combined. Continue mixing or knead with your hands until the dough forms a ball.

Roll the dough into two long sausages and place on your baking sheet, pressing down gently with your fingers.

I like to brush the logs with a whisked egg so that the almond flakes stick better to the cookies, but you can skip this step if you don’t have an egg. Then just be sure to press the sliced almonds into the dough when you add them.

Bake for about fifteen minutes, until the logs are a nice golden brown (I like them a bit on the browner side). Then wait just a few minutes before slicing into diagonal cookies. Don’t wait until they’re cool to slice, because then they might break as you slice them.

These taste best when they’ve fully cooled. Enjoy!

You can switch the recipe from US measurements to metric by clicking from “US Customary” to “Metric” under Ingredients.