Desserts
Maple-Walnut Bars with shortbread crust
With a bottle of the golden-brown-tinged elixir in hand, think beyond pancakes and waffles and give these Maple-Walnut Bars a go. Inspired by a classic French-Canadian sweet treat, they’re almost pecan pie-like. With a buttery shortbread crust, slightly bitter walnuts, and rich maple syrup flavor, these bars are completely addictive. Whether you sample them straight from the pan, with a splash of heavy cream over the top (as Canadians prefer them), or with just a dollop of whipped cream, you’ll be hard-pressed to eat just one.
Ingredients
FOR THE CRUST, CREAM:
FOR THE FILLING, BEAT:
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly coat bottom of an 8-inch square baking pan with softened butter. Line pan with an 8-inch square of parchment paper, then liberally coat paper, sides, and corners of pan with more softened butter and flour, shaking out excess.
For the crust, cream butter and sugar with a mixer on medium speed. Add flour and salt; mix until incorporated. Press crust into prepared pan; refrigerate 30 minutes. Bake crust until lightly browned, 20 minutes.
For the filling, beat syrup, sugar, eggs, bourbon, vanilla, and salt with a mixer on medium speed until combined; stir in walnuts. Pour filling over crust.
Bake bars until filling is golden brown and set, 35–40 minutes.
Transfer pan to a rack and let bars cool 10 minutes. Run a knife around edges to loosen bars from pan. Let bars cool completely before cutting into squares. Serve bars with heavy cream.
For easier removal of the bars, coat the entire inside of the baking pan (sides and corners) with butter.
To ensure the filling doesn’t make the bars mushy, parbake the crust until the edges are lightly browned.
To minimize sticking, run a knife around the sides and corners of the pan after 10 minutes of cooling.
Nutritional Facts
Nutritional Facts
Per bar
Calories: 512
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 25g 38%
Saturated Fat 11g 55%
Cholesterol 82mg 27%
Sodium 224mg 9%
Carbs 68g 22%
Fiber 2g 8%
Protein 6g
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.