It’s hard to beat a good butter tart, but these bars have all the gooey goodness and the rich buttery taste without having to fiddle with a pastry. Just pat the shortbread crust in a 9 by 13 deep pan and spoon the filling over top. What could be easier? The hardest part about this recipe is waiting to eat them!
Once you make these bars they will become your new favorite treat. These are the world’s best butter tart bars.
Ingredients: Base:
- 2 cups of all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar (I use vanilla sugar)
- 1 cup of butter
Topping:
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 cups packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup corn syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups golden raisins
- 1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 by 13 inch deep pan with parchment paper.
To make the base, combine flour and sugar in a large bowl. Using two knives or a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture is the texture of a coarse meal. Press firmly into the baking pan, going slightly up the sides of the pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes until just slightly golden. Remove from oven.
To make the topping, in a large bowl, stir together melted and cooled butter and eggs. Add sugar, flour, corn syrup, baking powder, vanilla and salt; stir until combined. Fold in raisins and pecans. Pour over base and bake for an additional ~25 minutes, or until the top doesn’t jiggle and or it springs back when touched.
Let cool on a rack. When cool, cover and refrigerate overnight before cutting into squares. This is the hardest part.. the waiting… but it is very important, as you need these bars to fully set before you cut them and eat them. They will keep for a few weeks in the fridge in a sealed container, but they wont last that long.
This recipe can be easily doubled – to do so you will need to use a 12 by 16 in baking sheet. You will have a little filling leftover but that is OK as it doesn’t not affect the outcome at all.
Enjoy!
