Nigella Lawson served up delicious banket bars with almonds and apricot jam on Nigella’s Amsterdam Christmas.

The ingredients are for the almond paste filling are: 250g blanched almonds, 250g caster sugar, 1 unwaxed lemon, finely grated zest only (save the juice for the glazes below), ⅛ tsp or 1–2 drops rosewater, ¼ tsp fine sea salt and 1 large free-range egg.

For the banket bars: 1 free-range egg, pinch of salt, 325g or 320g pack ready-rolled all-butter puff pastry (thawed overnight in the fridge if frozen), flour, for dusting and 2 x 270g logs of almond paste (see above).

For the apricot glaze: 2 tbsp apricot jam, 1 tsp lemon juice and 30g flaked almonds.

For the icing glaze: 60g icing sugar and 1 tbsp lemon juice (or as needed to make a runny icing to zig zag over the banket bars).

See more festive recipes by Nigella in her book titled: Nigella Christmas: Food, Family, Friends, Festivities available from Nigella Christmas: Food, Family, Friends, Festivities now.