Maple Walnut Bars

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.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 18

Cook Time 25

Total Time 43

Servings

Calories 264kcal

Author Allison Mattina

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 8x8 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