If you’re a fan of cozy desserts, these maple walnut bars will be your new favorite. They’re buttery, chewy, and filled with toasted walnuts and maple syrup. A drizzle of maple icing takes them over the top.
What sets this recipe apart
A twist on blondies: The moist and chewy texture of a blondie with the cozy addition of maple and walnuts. Love nuts? Try my peanut butter bars, too!
One bowl: The batter comes together in one bowl in just a few minutes.
Maple icing: A heavy drizzle of maple icing adds an intense maple flavor.
Visual recipe overview
*Full recipe below in recipe card*
Blondie batter
Make the blondie batter. No need for a mixer, you just need a bowl, whisk, and silicone spatula.
Bake
Spread the batter into a greased or lined 8×8 pan and bake for 22-26 minutes.
Maple icing
Whisk powdered sugar, milk, maple extract, and salt.
Finishing touch
Drizzle the cooled bars with maple icing and a sprinkling of walnuts and flaky sea salt.
Recipe success tips
Maple syrup: I recommend pure maple syrup for this recipe for the best taste and texture. The darker your maple syrup, the stronger the flavor will be.
Maple extract: Maple extract adds a prominent maple flavor to both the bars and the icing. Don’t skip it! You can also use your maple extract in this maple pumpkin bread recipe.
Toasting walnuts: Toasting the walnuts intensifies their flavor and crunch. Toast in a dry skillet, over medium heat. Cool completely before adding to the blondie batter.
Sweet and salty: If you like desserts with a noticeable sweet-salty flavor profile, sprinkle the top of the bars with flaky sea salt after adding the icing.
Serving suggestions
These bars are best served at room temperature or warm. If warm, they might need to be eaten with a fork because they’ll be on the softer side.
To make them extra decadent, serve warm with vanilla ice cream and an additional drizzle of maple icing.
Recipe
Maple Walnut Bars
Ingredients
Bars:
- 10 tablespoons (141g) melted unsalted butter, cooled slightly but still warm
- ¾ cup (170g) light brown sugar, tightly packed
- 1 large egg
- ⅓ cup (78ml) pure maple syrup
- ¾ teaspoon maple extract
- 1½ cups (188g) all purpose flour, spooned and leveled or weighed
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 scant cup (97g) chopped toasted walnuts
Topping:
- 1 cup (120g) powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- ¼ teaspoon maple extract
- pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped walnuts, optional topping
- flaky sea salt, optional topping
Instructions
Bars:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8 square pan (preferably metal) with parchment paper and lightly grease it. Set aside. Note: If you haven't already toasted the walnuts, do so now (see note).
- In a large bowl, whisk warm butter and brown sugar for one full minute until completely combined. It will start out with the butter settling on top of the sugar, but once you keep whisking it will come together. Add egg, maple syrup, and maple extract, whisking until well combined. Remove the whisk from the bowl, tapping off any excess batter into the bowl.
- Sprinkle the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt over the top of the wet mixture. Use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to stir until the batter is fully combined, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl. Stir in the walnuts.
- Scoop the batter into the prepared pan and spread into an even layer. Bake for 22-26 minutes, until light golden brown, dry on top, and the center no longer jiggles (mine took 24 minutes). Be careful not to overbake. Place pan on a wire rack and cool completely.
Topping:
- Whisk powdered sugar, milk, maple extract, and salt until well combined. Adjust the consistency if needed, by adding more powdered sugar to thicken or more milk to thin.
- Drizzle the icing over the cooled bars (I add it to a ziptop bag and snip the corner). Top the icing with finely chopped walnuts and flaky sea salt, if desired. The icing will firm up as it sits.
Notes
Toasting walnuts:
Toasting nuts intensifies their flavor and crunch. To toast walnuts, place them in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until fragrant and lightly toasted. Watch them closely, they can burn quickly! Cool completely.Serving and storage:
Serve warm or at room temperature. Enjoy as-is or top with vanilla ice cream and an extra drizzle of maple icing. Store tightly covered at cool room temperature for 2 days or refrigerated for 4 days. Leftovers may be frozen (double wrapped) for up to 3 months.Nutrition
Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!
Beth says
These bars are superb, 5 stars and a 10/10. The maple flavoring is divine. I followed the instructions as written, added the glaze and topped with chopped walnuts. This recipe is a prize winner. Thank you so much for sharing. There is no doubt that my family and I will enjoy these for many years to come.
Allison Mattina says
Thank you for the kind review, Beth.