Chewy Almond Squares

Oh no! I've been infested with 'lazy bugs' lately.  Whenever I chance upon easy to bake recipes, it's like 'hitting the jackpot' ...

"Almond blondies! Chewy almond squares, easy to make, no need for a mixer."

"No need for a mixer for this recipe, all you need is a whisk and a strong spoon."

Woah ha ha ! see what I mean ....

Recipe adapted from Simply Recipes
Below my slightly modified version as I had reduced the quantity of brown sugar and omitted whole almond for decoration.

Chewy Almond Squares
Yield: Makes 9 squares
INGREDIENTS:
112g unsalted butter, melted plus butter for greasing the pan
85g light brown sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon of almond extract
128g all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
50g toasted, blanched almonds, chopped

One 8x8-inch baking pan

METHOD:
1) Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease an 8x8-inch baking pan with butter. Toast blanched almonds if you have not already done so, and when cool, roughly chop them.

Some prepared ingredients 

2) In a mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter and brown sugar until there are no more lumps of brown sugar. Whisk in the beaten egg and almond extract.

Toast almond at 170°C for about 5 - 8 minutes and roughly chopped 

3) In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and pinch of salt. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and mix until smooth. Stir in the chopped almonds.

4) Pour into the prepared baking pan and smooth the surface.

5) Bake at 180ºC for 20 to 25 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Cool completely before cutting into squares.

Quick & easy .... freshly baked. Well, here's our afternoon tea break with some freshly baked nutty chewy almond squares! 

Happy baking! Enjoy your weekend ^-^!

I am submitting this to Best Recipes For Everyone event, "Fun with Almond' April 2015, host by Fion of XuanHom's Mom Kitchen Dairyand co-host by Doreen of my little favourite DIY.