Gooey Marzipan Almond Bars + Video

I seriously love these gooey marzipan almond bars so much wow.

But. Let me state for the record. At the outset. Of this post. That if you don’t like marzipan/almond extract/almond paste/any sort of almond flavor, fugettttaboutit, do not bother with these almond bars. You and these bars will not vibe. In fact, you may detest these bars. Trust. These gooey bars are FULL of almond flavor.

But the thing is. I LOVE almond flavored desserts; I’d say almond is amongst my top three pastry flavors, for sure. Hence my impassioned appreciation for these marzipan almond bars. Aside from the fact that they’re so soft and gooey and so easy to whip up and also, side note, I made a video tutorial for these gooey marzipan almond bars. Go on then:

Or, watch it on YouTube.

This is actually the first recipe containing marzipan on the blog, ever. Which is totally cray, I know, given my self-proclaimed obsession with almond everything.

But. I am also aware that almond flavor is a very particular one, one that not everyone appreciates. I feel like the camps are divided on marzipan the way they’re divided on coconut. The people feel strongly, one way or another, about both of these foodstuffs.

Anyway. I guess what I’m trying to say is, it wouldn’t make too much sense to post a marzipan-full recipe every other week on the blog, because marzipan isn’t for everyone. Although, I personally would certainly not mind, so really, I’m being so selfless here, okay?

Also. Just a PSA. Almond extract and marzipan and almond paste don’t taste anything like actual almonds. Like, almonds are far from my favorite nuts, but almond flavor, as mentioned, is way up top on my life preferences list.

There’s triple almond flavor involved in these gooey bars. Here’s all the almond entities going down:

• Almond extract. Full-bodied, strong, sweet, yummy.

• Slivered almonds. Crunchy, crackly, nutty goodness.

• Marzipan. Broken up into clumps and dispersed throughout the dough. So that every bite has a cluster of chewy, gooey, rich almond paste deliciousness.

Some more facts I’d like you to be aware of:

• These marzipan almond bars are completely dairy-free. No butter. Just oil. And yet, these bars are still so rich and tender and gooey and flavorful.

• These gooey bars are so insanely quick and easy to mix together. One bowl, one spatula, whisk the wet ingredients, pour in the dry, drop the dough into your pan, and twenty minutes later, you’re chomping on (but more like sinking your teeth into) these tender, soft-batch almond bars.

A rich and thick and dense and tender and INCREDIBLY GOOEY dough. Made in minutes. Packed with almond flavor and slivered almonds and clumps of marzipan. Dairy and hassle free.

Gooey marzipan almond bars — you just get me.

Gooey Marzipan Almond Bars

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Yield: about 18 bars

1/2 cup canola/vegetable oil
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup + 2 tablespoons packed flour
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup slivered almonds
3 tablespoons marzipan, broken into small clumps

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line an 8" square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving some excess hanging over the rim for easy removal later.

2. In a large bowl, vigorously whisk together the oil, sugars, egg, and extracts until smooth.

3. Pour the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt over the wet ingredients and mix everything together until just combined. Stir in the slivered almonds and marzipan clumps last.

4. Flatten dough into prepared pan. Bake for 20-23 minutes, until the edges are set and golden but the center is still slightly under baked. Bars may seem a bit raw but are supposed to be that way!

5. Let bars cool before lifting them out of the pan by the excess parchment paper and slicing.