Preparation

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8-inch baking dish with parchment paper, letting the paper hang slightly over the sides. Spray with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
• Add almonds to a food processor. Pulse the almonds until finely ground (like coarse sand). Set aside.
• In a large bowl, using a hand mixer, beat the butter, confectioners’ sugar, and almond extract together until smooth and creamy (about 2 minutes).
• Add the flour and almond crumbs and mix until just combined. You should have a crumbly dough.
• Set aside about ½ cup of the dough, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate while you finish assembling the bars.
• Press the remaining dough evenly into the bottom of your prepared pan.
• Spread the raspberry jam in an even layer over the dough.
• Take the reserved dough from the refrigerator and crumble it evenly over the jam layer.
• Bake for 45–50 minutes, until the top is lightly golden brown and the jam layer no longer jiggles in the center.
• Let the bars cool completely in the pan before lifting them out and slicing into squares.