Rich and pretty, these are a great holiday cookie. Fancy enough for a special occasion, but easy to cut small to serve a crowd. Ingredients -- CRUST -- 1 cup Butter 1/2 cup Powdered sugar 2 cups Flour -- FILLING -- 8 ounces Cream cheese softened 1/2 cup Sugar 2 Eggs 1 teaspoon Almond extract -- FROSTING -- 1 1/2 cups Powdered sugar 1 1/2 tablespoons Milk 1/4 cup Butter softened 1 teaspoon Almond extract 1/2 cup Sliced almonds toasted

Instructions
CRUST:
Cut butter into dry ingredients (food processor makes this speedy!) and pat into a 9x13 pan. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes.
FILLING:
Mix sugar and cream cheese with mixer until well creamed. Beat in eggs and almond extract until fluffy. Pour over curst while still hot. Bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes. Cool completely.
FROSTING:
Cream sugar and butter. Add milk and almond extract, mix well. Spread evenly on baked, cooled filling. Sprinkle toasted almonds on top. Press almonds gently to help them adhere to the frosting. Refrigerate until serving.

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Yields: 24 Bars