Heat oven to 325℉. Great and flour a 9" square pan.

To toast the almonds, bake on a parchment-lined cookie sheet in a 325℉ oven for 6-10 minutes, making sure to stir the almonds around during baking. Do not let them burn, just turn a light golden brown and there will be a nice fragrance.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan, over low heat. Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of the vanilla chips. Let stand and DO NOT STIR.

In a large bowl, beat at the eggs until foamy. Gradually beat in the sugar, using a high speed on the hand mixer, until the mixture is lemon-colored and frothy. Stir in the vanilla/butter mixture.

Lightly spoon flour into the measuring cup and level off. Add the flour, salt and almond extract to the egg/sugar mixture and beat at low speed until just combined. Spread 1/2 of the batter in to the prepare baking dish.

Bake at 325℉for 15-20 minutes until the cake is a light brown. Meanwhile stir the rest of the vanilla chips in to the other 1/2 of the batter. Set aside.

Remove the pan from the oven and spread the jam over the warm, partially baked crust. Gently spoon the remaining dough, by tablespoons, on top of the jam. Lightly spread the dough around and the jam may peek through. Sprinkle the toasted almonds on top. Bake for another 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes before cutting into bars.