Walnut Squares Recipes

PECAN SHORTBREAD SQUARES

Steps:

• Cover a 9-inch square baking pan with heavy duty aluminum foil. Push foil neatly into corners and up sides of the pan, using two pieces if necessary to ensure it overlaps all edges (the overhang will help removal from pan). Spray foiled pan with nonstick cooking spray.
• Place the flour, cornstarch, confectioners sugar and salt in a bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Pulse a few times to mix. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal with pea-size clumps of butter within. It will seem dry; that's okay. Transfer mixture to the prepared pan and press firmly with your fingers into an even layer over the bottom. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. While the crust is in the refrigerator, adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350° F. Bake the crust until crust is set but not browned, about 17 minutes. Set on rack to cool. Leave oven on.
• In a heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat, combine butter, brown sugar, honey, vanilla and salt. Stir with a wooden spoon until sugar dissolves. Turn up the heat and boil gently for 3 minutes. Stir in heavy cream and chopped pecans.
• Pour pecan mixture over crust (it's fine if the crust is still warm). Bake until filling is bubbling and caramel in color, about 20 minutes. Cool completely on rack. To cut, use the foil overhang to lift baked square out of pan and onto cutting board. Loosen the foil from the edges, then cut with a sharp knife into 2-inch squares. Store finished pecan squares in air-tight container and serve at room temperature.
• Freezer-Friendly Instructions: These can be frozen for up to 3 months. After they are completely cooled, double-wrap them securely with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap with the layers separated by wax or parchment paper. Thaw overnight on the countertop before serving.

CLASSIC PECAN PIE BARS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Combine 1 3/4 cups flour, butter and sugar in bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in 1/3 cup pecans.
• Press crust mixture evenly onto bottom of ungreased 13x9-inch baking pan. Bake 18-22 minutes or until edges are very light golden brown.
• Combine brown sugar, 6 tablespoons flour, and salt in large bowl; whisk until mixed. Add corn syrup, eggs and vanilla; mix well. Stir in 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans. Spread evenly over hot, partially baked crust. Bake 30-35 minutes or until filling is set and knife inserted 1-inch from edge comes out clean.
• Cool completely. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Cut into bars.

MAPLE WALNUT SQUARES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 Line an 8-inch square baking pan (with straight sidewith parchment paper, leaving an overhang on at least two sides (for removing it easily after baking).
• In a food processor (or in a bowl with a pastry cutter or two knives), whisk together the flour, sugar and salt. Add butter and pulse/cut until mixture starts to come together. Stir in 1/4 cup of finely chopped walnuts. Pat evenly in to prepared 8-inch pan.
• Bake crust in centre of the preheated 350 oven until golden and set, about 18-20 minutes. Remove from oven, but leave oven on. While crust is baking, whisk together the filling ingredients and set aside. Then, scatter nuts evenly over a baking sheet and set aside.
• Once base is out of the oven, place baking sheet with the nuts in the oven for about 5 minutes, or until nuts are lightly toasted and fragrant. Remove nuts from oven and scatter over cooked crust. Re-whisk filling, the pour over-top. Use a fork to evenly distribute the nuts floating on top, if necessary.
• Place in 350 oven and bake until filling is set about 35 minutes. Cool completely in pan on a cooling rack, then carefully lift out of pan using the parchment paper edges. (I like to refrigerate for a bit before cutting in to squares, just to make the whole process neater, but the squares are quite sturdy without refrigerating, once cooled.) Cut in to squares. Eat as is, or serve on a dessert plate with a dollop of whipped cream and a scattering of nuts.

WALNUT BARS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine flour and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. , Press onto the bottom of a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until edges are lightly browned., For filling, in a small bowl, combine the eggs, brown sugar, flour, vanilla, salt and baking powder. Stir in walnuts. Spread over crust. , Bake for 25 minutes or until filling is golden brown. Cool on a wire rack., Combine confectioners' sugar and enough lemon juice to achieve desired consistency; spread over filling. Let stand until set before cutting.

COCONUT WALNUT SQUARES

Steps:

• Combine flour, brown sugar and butter in a bowl with a pastry blender or by cutting butter into dry ingredients with two knives until the largest lumps are the size of peas. Pat mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch (2 L) square baking dish. Bake in a preheated 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). While baking prepare topping.
• Topping: Stir together brown sugar, flour, baking powder and salt. Add eggs, one at a time, stirring until blended. Add corn syrup, walnuts, coconut and vanilla. Pour mixture over Base. Bake until set and golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.

BROWN SUGAR WALNUT SHORTBREAD SQUARES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350° F. Coat an 8-inch square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
• To make the shortbread crust, stir the flour, sugar and salt together in a large bowl. Drop in the butter and, using your fingers, mash and mix the ingredients together until you have a cohesive dough. (Alternately, the dough may be mixed in a food processor.) Pat and press evenly over the bottom of the prepared pan. With a fork, prick the dough all over at 1/2-inch intervals. Bake about 20 minutes, until the surface looks dry and the crust has browned lightly around the edges. Set aside to cool while you prepare the topping.
• To make the topping, in a large bowl combine the brown sugar, egg and vanilla and beat until evenly mixed.
• In a small cup or bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt and stir or whisk together to blend. Add to the brown sugar mixture and beat vigorously until smooth-the batter will be very stiff. Stir in the walnuts. Spread over the prepared crust. Bake about 25 minutes, until the surface looks dry and the filling has set and risen slightly. Cool completely, then cut into 2-inch squares. Store in an airtight container.

WALNUT SQUARES WITH CREAM CHEESE ICING

Steps:

• 1. Lightly grease a 9-inch square cake pan. Set aside. Preheat oven to 325^. Base: Work together the ingredients for the base in a food processor, to make fine crumbs. Press into the prepared baking pan and bake for about 15 minutes. Test with tooth pick.
• 2. Filling: Stir together the filling ingredients. When the base comes out of the oven, spread this over top, return to the oven, and bake until set, about 25 minutes. Cool completely on a rack.
• 3. Icing: Beat the cream cheese, butter and melted chocolate until smooth. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar, and lastly the lemon juice. Chill until spreadable, about 10 minutes. Spread the icing over the cooled walnut filling and cut into diamonds.

EASY BROWN SUGAR WALNUT BARS

Steps:

• Cut into 2-inch bars; cool in pan. The recipe makes about 16 walnut bars.

CHEWY WALNUT PAN BARS

Steps:

• In a bowl, beat the eggs, brown sugar and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; add to the egg mixture. Stir in walnuts. , Pour into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until bars pull away from edges of the pan. Cool on a wire rack.

WALNUT SHORTBREAD SQUARES

Steps:

• For crust, preheat oven to 275F; crumble ingredients together until well mixed; Press into a greased 9x13 pan and bake in a slow oven (275F) for 8 minutes; increase temp to 375F and top with second mixture and continue baking.
• For topping: Mix all ingredients well; spread mixture over the partially baked crust and continue baking in a moderate oven (375F) until well set and slightly browned, about 30 minutes; cool and cut into squares.

PORTUGUESE WALNUT SQUARES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9 inch square pan.
• In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then stir in the vanilla, milk and 2 tablespoons Port wine. Combine the flour, chopped walnuts and baking powder; stir into the creamed mixture. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Brush the top with 2 tablespoons of the Port wine as soon as it comes out of the oven. Let cool to room temperature before glazing.
• To make the glaze, beat together the confectioners' sugar, 1 tablespoon of butter, and 1 tablespoon of port wine until smooth and spreadable. Spread over the cooled bars.

WALNUT SQUARES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees, grease well an 8" square pan.
• Beat egg until foamy, beat in brown sugar and vanilla.
• Sift together dry ingredients, mix into to egg mixture, stir in walnuts.
• Bake until the top has a dull crust about 25 minutes, cut into squares while warm, cool and then remove from the pan.
• Easily doubled, bake in a 9x13 pan.

BROWN SUGAR WALNUT SHORTBREAD BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line or grease an 8x8 pan.
• In a bowl, whisk together flour, powdered sugar, and salt.
• Mix in butter using a pastry cutter or 2 knives. Mixture should crumbly forming small pea sized clumps of dough.
• Press shortbread into pan evenly, and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the edges are beginning to brown. Remove from oven and set aside to cool slightly.
• While crust is cooling, make the filling. Whisk brown sugar, egg, and vanilla until smooth.
• Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt and mix until smooth.
• Stir in chopped walnuts.
• Pour into pan and spread evenly. Bake for 25 minutes, until the surface looks dry and the filling has set and risen slightly. Cool completely, then cut into small squares.