Almond Caramel Bar Cookies

Ingredients

Dough:
3/4 cup butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon lemon zest
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup cornstarch

Topping:
6 Tablespoons butter
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY
1 cup slivered almonds
1 1/2 Tablespoons milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°.

Dough: In a large bowl, beat butter with mixer until light. Add sugar and lemon zest. Continue beating until fluffy. Mix together flour and cornstarch. Add to butter mixture and mix until crumbly. Press into an ungreased 8-inch square pan. Prick dough with tines of fork. Bake 20 minutes, or until surface just begins to brown. Remove from oven.

Topping: In a saucepan, over medium high heat, stir together butter, brown sugar and honey. Continue stirring until mixture comes to a boil. Allow to boil no more than 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in almonds and milk. Spread on top of crust. Bake an additional 20 minutes, or until caramel topping is bubbly. Cool completely before cutting into bars. Yield: 2 dozen cookies.