Skip to main content

You're the STAR Blog Hop & HOME Features

T his linky party is the perfect place to show off your creativity! Share your blog posts, for a chance to be featured next month!     WELCOME to the August 2022  " You're the Star " Blog Hop! Before we continue onto the Linky party I wanted to share from my blog: Keep cool during these last few weeks of summer with my delicious 3-Ingredient No Churn Ice Cream ! ___________________________ WELCOME to  HOME feature week of the August 2022  " You're the STAR " blog hop! Meet your HOME week Hosts   This week is HOME feature week Swing by the Home Hosts' Blogs: Bev from Eclectic Red Barn Cindy from Mom, the Lunch Lady Niki from Life as a LEO Wife This is a month long Linky party featuring YOU! There will be 4 different features each week and 4 different feature categories.  Just to be clear - this is NOT a themed party - you may link up ANY family-friendly blog posts any day of each month.   The "theme" occurs in our weekly features:

Butter Tart Squares

 The delicious flavours of Canadian butter tarts are transformed into a quick and simple recipe. With a crumbly shortbread crust and gooey filling, they are much quicker to make, than butter tarts!

Butter Tart Bars

Life has slowly been getting back to normal for us here at Mom, the Lunch Lady. We are now all fully vaccinated and have been enjoying the slow return to normalcy. Since it was a long weekend here in Ontario, this past weekend, we took advantage to have a family get together with some of my SO's extended family. It was a wonderful day of fun, food, laughter, adventure and memories. Even despite the cold temperatures and the rain. We finished the weekend off at the cottage with more extended family, and one heck of a bonfire!

I'm the type of person that hates showing up to an event empty handed, so I decided to make dessert, to bring to our get together. I had been wanting to make my Mom's Butter Tart Squares for some time now, so decided this would be the perfect way for me to make them for the blog, and not eat half the pan 😆 Mom use to make these a lot when we were little and they are her go to, when she has to make dessert for events. Super simple to make and so addictively delicious, these didn't last long over the weekend celebrations.

Butter Tart Bars

What are Butter Tart Squares?

Butter Tarts are a classic Canadian dessert, consisting of a filling made with butter, sugar, syrup and egg, baked in a pastry tart shell. The earliest published recipe for butter tarts, is from Barrie Ontario and was found in The Woman's Auxiliary of the Royal Victoria Hospital Cookbook in 1900.

Butter tart squares take all the delicious flavours and ingredients from butter tarts, but makes them into delicious bite size squares. Making a shortbread crust and topping it with the filling is so much simpler than making tart dough and individual tarts. While I still love making and eating butter tarts, butter tart squares are a great way to cure a craving when you are short on time.

Butter Tart Bars

Can I add nuts or raisins to my Butter Tart Squares?

The original recipe calls for walnuts, but they can be substituted for pecans, or raisins. My mom always subbed coconut for the oatmeal in the original recipe, so I do the same. You can also omit the nuts if you aren't a fan.

Butter Tart Bars

How do I store Butter Tart Squares?

The trick to these bars are to let them cool completely before cutting them. That way the filling has time to set properly. I usually leave the bars in the baking dish on the counter, covered in plastic wrap, cutting them as needed. 

If I bring them somewhere, I cut them into squares and place them on a platter, covered with plastic wrap. Depending on the temperature in your house, you may want to keep them in the fridge, so they stay set. 

You can also freeze these bars, but cutting them and placing them in an air tight container, with layers of parchment between the bars. They can be frozen for up to 3 months.

PIN IT!!!



Equipment needed for this recipe

  • 9x13 inch baking dish
  • mixing bowls (2)
  • pastry cutter 
  • measuring cups for liquid and solid measures
  • measuring spoons
  • whisk
Butter Tart Squares

1/2 C butter or margarine
1 C all-purpose flour
2 Tbs brown sugar

filling
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 C brown sugar
1/2 C coconut (original recipe calls for oatmeal)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 C walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9x13 baking dish.

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour and 2 Tbs of brown sugar. Using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles course crumbs. 

Press into the prepared baking dish and bake in preheated oven for 12 minutes.

While crust is baking whisk the eggs and add in the brown sugar, coconut, salt, baking soda and vanilla; until well combined. Using a whisk stir in the walnuts. 

Pour filling over pre baked crust and return to oven for 20 minutes longer. 

Cool completely before cutting into squares.




Comments

  1. I would eat these for sure and can totally see them being devoured at family gatherings! Great recipe!

    ReplyDelete
  2. These look SO good! My husband loves decadent desserts like this. I will have to make them for him now. Thanks for sharing this yummy recipe!

    ReplyDelete
  3. This look so good. I don't think I have ever had tart squares before. This looks like a great snack to have.

    ReplyDelete
  4. This simple bar recipe is the perfect dessert!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Yum! These butter squares were so delicious! I loved how rich they were!

    ReplyDelete
  6. These sound amazing and I love the coconut swap!! Delicious!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I also like to make and take something to get togethers. I don't like to show up empty handed. The walnuts are a nice change to pecans that I usually use in desserts. Simple and perfect for a dessert for your family or guest.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Super excited to try these butter tart squares! They look amazing and sound so sweet and decadent. What an awesome dessert idea to bring to a gathering!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love learning new recipes and desserts from other places. This recipe looks easy to follow and delicious.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I love homemade butter tarts (fellow Canadian here :), so I am super excited to try these butter tart squares; they look delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe from your family collection.
    I do so love trying different regional desserts and am honored you shared.
    Can I omit the nuts ? Maybe add a little of the oat meal with coconut, or
    Will it make a difference? Have a blessed day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Coconut would work without affecting the consistency of the filling. I'm not sure about oats, as they will absorb some of the moisture.

      Delete
  12. Interesting history for this yummy cookie! I need to try making it now, you made me curious!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

We love hearing from you!! Let us know what you think.

Popular posts from this blog

No Yeast Old Fashion Cinnamon Rolls

 These delicious cinnamon sticky rolls have been in my family for over 40 yrs. No yeast is required, so you can whip up a batch of these in no time. Still tender, sticky sweet and delicious! Ever since I can remember Mom would make these as a special treat. It wasn't too often, but every once in a while, we'd come home to these no yeast cinnamon rolls, as an after school snack. Growing up, this is what I thought cinnamon rolls were. I wasn't aware that there was a yeast version of cinnamon rolls. As much as I LOVE the yeast version, this no yeast version seems to make an appearance more frequently here at home.  Since there is no yeast in the dough, it does not need to rise for 30 minutes before being rolled out and baked. When I worked in the retirement home the residents were always excited when I made these cinnamon rolls. They said it reminded them of their childhood. It was amazing seeing how happy a simple recipe could make them. I don't make these very often and

50+ Creative Cottage Meal Ideas

When the warm weather hits many of us head to the cottage, to enjoy the sunshine and time near the water. Instead of always packing up burgers and hot dogs, I've rounded up over 50 creative meal ideas for delicious breakfasts, lunches and dinners. Ever since I was little my family always enjoyed a few weeks camping at a near by provincial park, during the summer months. When us kids, became older and moved away, Mom and Dad bought a trailer which remained parked at a location, so we would often go and visit for a few weeks then too. My mom has always been an amazing cook and with her outside kitchen often made our family favourites, even at camp. Now that my SO and his family have a cottage, we are frequently there for most of the summer. Hamburgers and Hot Dogs seem to be our go to, so I wanted to collect new creative meals perfect to make while camping, or at the cottage.  Breakfast Recipes Healthy Banana Milkshake Thick, creamy banana milkshake made without ice cream, dairy, and

Black Forest Roll Cake

Light and fluffy cherry and whipped cream filling is rolled in an airy sponge cake. 13 years ago, I made a dinner that I was totally proud of. Not only did it taste wonderful, it looks fantastic too. I was so proud of myself that I took a photo, which I wanted to share with my friends and family. Only I didn't know how I could share it with everyone, at the same time. Then a thought came to me- a blog!!!  I've always been a foodie. While growing up, I'd often watch talk shows, just to see the cooking segments. I'd sit with a pen and paper, quickly jotting down ingredients and directions, to hopefully recreate recipes at home. I still remember a beet salad I begged my mom to let me make, asking her to buy raspberry wine vinegar for the dressing. It turned out to be something neither of us enjoyed, and up until a few years ago, Mom still had the vinegar in her cupboard.  I first started my first blog, Hun... What's  for Dinner?, as a way to share recipes with my famil