Orange and Strawberry Almond Streusel Bars

To make the crust, in a large bowl, mix melted butter with flour and powdered sugar, until crumbly. Remove 1/3 cup of mixture for topping and set aside.

Press the remaining crust into the bottom of a baking sheet. I used a cannoli tube to roll the dough evenly into the pan.

Carefully spread almond paste onto dough using a butter knife or the back of a spoon. Spread strawberry preserves on one side of the crust and the orange marmalade on the other side. (You can change up your filling flavors if you choose, using about 1 cup total for the whole pan. Raspberry preserves are delicious too.)

In a mixer, beat cream cheese with vanilla and powdered sugar. Spoon into a pastry bag (I used tip 48) and make diagonal lines on top of filling. Sprinkle with reserved crust mixture.

Bake in a 350ºF oven for 30 minutes. Remove and cool completely. Cut into about 3 dozen squares. I cut mine even smaller, and it made about 60 small rectangles. You can place these on a cookie sheet and stick in the freezer. After 30 minute, remove from the cookie sheet and place in a Ziploc bag or airtight freezer safe container. When ready to serve, allow to thaw on counter for at least 1 hour.

Enjoy!