Bee Sting Bars
Buttery shortbread is stopped with a sticky sweet honey almond topping for these easy Bee Sting Bars.
Shortbread rocks.
Plain and simple.
Especially when you top it with a honey almond topping, which gives this bar its name.
It’s a spin off a German cake called Bienenstich (bee sting).
I created this recipe after I fell in love with a little bakery called Baked & Wired that had a similar goodie. My first project when I got home? Recreate it.
Here it is:
Make a standard shortbread dough by creaming butter and sugar, then adding flour until the dough is crumbly:
Press it out into an 8×8 pan:
Combine all almond syrup ingredients in a saucepan, and bring to a full boil:
Pour the almond topping on top of the shortbread and bake. Cut into squares and enjoy!

Bee Sting Bars
Ingredients
For the Shortbread:
- 12 tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 8.5 oz flour, by weight (1.75 cups, measured)
For the almond topping:
- 6 tbsp butter
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp amaretto
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1.25 cups sliced almonds
Instructions
- Make the shortbread by creaming together the butter and sugar for a couple minutes until combined. Add the vanilla extract and salt, and mix in. Add the flour and mix until distributed. The dough is going to look extremely crumbly. You should still be able to press it into an 8×8 pan.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Combine all almond topping ingredients in a saucepan, and bring to a full boil over medium high heat. Let it cook for 2 minutes, then remove from the heat.
- Pour the almond topping on top of the shortbread and bake for 20 minutes. Let it cool in the pan, then cut it into squares. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
39 Comments on “Bee Sting Bars”
Yeah my dough was also not at all cooked. But every other site I’m seeing eggs in the dough.
Hello I am obsessed w these bars after having them at a local bakery by a different name. Just wondering- the liquor meaning alcoholic? Or syrup?
Thanks!!
My shortbread was not cooked after 20 minutes. Methinks it needed some time in the oven before the almond mixture was added.