As seen on The Great American Baking Show, these butter tart cookie bars are a hybrid of a Canadian gooey butter tart and a mouthwatering cookie bar with a buttery crumbly shortbread base! Make these cookie bars to find out why I received a Hollywood Handshake for them!
Butter tarts are a Canadian treat not too dissimilar from a pecan pie in gooey texture and deep flavor. So naturally when the first brief for the first bake on The Great American Baking Show was to create a bar cookie that had nostalgic significance for us, my mind created this beauty. I spent every summer as a child with my Canadian family and finding the best butter tart was something of a sport for my cousin and me, something I share with the judges on the first episode of the show!
I thought this post would be perfect for the holiday season because it’s around this time of year that families set out cookies and treats for all of their visitors, and you just can’t go wrong if you make and share these butter tart cookie bars!
The Hollywood Handshake
……………….oh sorry that’s me STILL in shock over a year after the hand of Paul Hollywood touched my hand and then shook it in approval as I blacked out, went to heaven, looked down, realized it was real, returned to earth and shed multiple tears! Oh and did I mention Ellie Kemper (ERIN HANNON) was there for the whole thing, celebrating the moment with me?! It was positively too much and I will cherish that moment all my days!
In all seriousness, the other eight bakers have become like family over the past year and some change–we celebrated each other’s successes and mourned each other’s struggles and it was the best experience I’ve ever had from the handshake to the babka “pancake” in episode 3, I highly recommend watching the show if you haven’t already!
On to the cookie bars…
I have made these butter tart cookie bars COUNTLESS times and in countless kitchens–practicing at my parents house in Atlanta, at my old apartment in Charlotte, at my apartment in London, in the infamous tent and now at my new apartment. Safe to say I’m somewhat of an expert on these things, so allow me to share my tips and best practices with you!
The perfect shortbread cookie base…
MIX IT BY HAND! In all my research when I was preparing this recipe I discovered that hand-mixed shortbread is the best because it ensures a more crumbly, short texture. Though we were short for time on the show (oh my, an unintentional pun!) I was determined to leave time to handmix the shortbread which proved to be the right decision.
For the shortbread cookie base we use
226g of unsalted butter
100g of granulated sugar
245g of all purpose flour
1 tsp of vanilla
½ tsp of salt
1 large egg, see below
After the cookie base bakes, allow it to cool slightly and then brush it with 1 large egg, whisked. Return it to the oven for 5 minutes to seal the egg wash. We do this to make sure that the top layer doesn’t seep into the bottom layer.
I must sound like a broken record by now but please, for the love of God, use high quality ingredients if you want high quality flavor! Especially when a recipe has such few ingredients like this shortbread cookie base, the few extra dollars will pay you back in flavor rewards–is that a thing???
The Gooey Top Layer
I’m at a loss for words as to what to call this layer–the gooey layer? The main layer? The……I’m not sure I keep switching it up. Whatever you choose to call this layer, I have a few pointers to help you avoid mistakes!
- Allow the butter and brown sugar to melt and bubble ever so slightly, then remove the mixture from the heat and let it slightly cool while you mix the egg mixture. This step requires us to be delicate with temperature. If anything is too hot or too cold, we risk shocking the ingredients which is where a science disaster can occur.
- In the same vein, make sure that the eggs are at room temperature before mixing them in!
- Mixing the eggs with the corn syrup, maple syrup vinegar and vanilla is straightforward, whisk well. However we want to avoid mixing the flour directly into this bowl. Instead, we make a slurry by mixing the 30g of flour with the egg mixture in a separate small bowl before adding that back into the egg mixture. This way no clumps of flour remain–everything should be silky smooth and ready to be put over the heat.
- Once the egg mixture is ready to be poured over the butter/ brown sugar mixture and placed over the heat, it’s important to keep an eye on the temperature again so as to not cook the eggs with a temperature too high.
- Constantly stir the mixture over the heat until it has thickened slightly. Too thick and the final texture after baking the bars will be off.
- If you’re not a fan of walnuts or raisins you may replace them–only if you MUST. I’ve had people who don’t like either tell me they loved this dessert, but to each their own. A good nut replacement would be pecans!
The Top Layer uses:
3 large eggs
85ml dark corn syrup
85ml maple syrup
25ml white vinegar (to cut through the sweetness)
8g vanilla extract
30g all purpose flour
220g brown sugar
112g unsalted butter, cold
65g raisins
60g walnuts, chopped
Why is this recipe in grams?
Well really this recipe is in grams because that’s how we had to develop our recipes for The Great American Baking Show. But also baking using the metric system is categorically superior in every way. Not only is it more accurate, but it saves on dishes and time significantly! I use this kitchen scale and love it, especially because it uses a charger instead of batteries.
In the new year I plan to give all of my recipes an option in grams, for those who prefer it!
Disclaimer
This is a copycat version of the butter tart cookie bars that I made on the show for Paul and Prue. I am not allowed to share the original recipe, however I must say there is miniscule difference in the final flavor from the original cookie bar!
Thank you for reading if you’ve made it this far in the post! I’m wishing you love, warmth and cookies this Holiday Season!
Happy Hollywood Baking!
Can baking be therapeutic?
I often talk about baking being a therapeutic hobby but I’d like to share more about why I feel that way as well as how it can become a relaxing hobby for you!
When I bake, it’s my creative time. I may put on my favorite nostalgic movie or tv show in the background, or a Spotify playlist titled “French café” and leave my troubles behind.
Sometimes I pour myself a glass of wine and light a candle. Then, with the mood set, the mixing of batter, kneading of dough and smoothing of icing is my only care in the world.
When I say baking is therapeutic, sometimes people respond saying “not for me it isn’t!” I completely understand why someone might feel that way. There have been plenty of times where I spend hours on something only for it to fail or something breaks that shouldn’t or I forget to clean as I go and am left with a disastrous kitchen to clean.
So I should in reality, have a caveat to my “baking as therapy” claims…
Baking is therapy when you curate the experience to be relaxing.
How do you curate that relaxing experience for yourself, you ask?
How to make baking therapeutic…
- Prepare your mind–know that it’s okay if the cake doesn’t rise, or the butter wasn’t chilled enough. Shift your mindset from seeing your failures as mistakes to seeing them as opportunities for learning.
- Prepare your space–I cannot and will not bake on top of a messy kitchen. If I were to do this I would be starting from a place of stress! Take an extra 10 minutes to clean any dishes in the sink and wipe down the counters, this small effort will pay you back greatly in brain space and clarity.
- Clean as you go! I’ll tell you the one way to make baking stressful and tiresome, is to not clean as you go! After I use each ingredient that I no longer need, I put it away.
After each major step in the process, I wipe down the counters and put dishes that are no longer needed in the sink. If there is chill time or baking time I don’t sit, I do the cleaning then. Make this shift and you’ll really notice the difference!
By the way, this last tip really helped me when I was on The Great American Baking Show–and the crew that cleaned up behind us made a point to tell me that my workspace was always so clean they didn’t have much to do!
I would reply by saying “it’s how I stay sane in this tent!”
Additional suggestions:
*Maybe try printing off the recipe instead of looking at it on your phone, tablet or laptop and use this time to unplug from technology for a few hours
**Invite friends or family over to share your creation with you. Time spent with loved ones over food is a universally special experience
And that’s how I discovered baking for my mental health. If you try any of these suggestions, let me know how it went for you! I’m really invested in spreading this message to others in hopes that baking will enhance your lives more than it already does!
Butter Tart Cookie Bars
Ingredients
For the Shortbread Base
- 226 g good quality unsalted butter room temperature
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 1 tsp good quality vanilla extract 4g
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 245 g all purpose flour
- 1 large egg for egg wash
For the Top Layer
- 3 large eggs
- 85 ml dark corn syrup
- 85 ml good quality maple syrup
- 25 ml white vinegar
- 2 tsp good quality vanilla extract 8g
- 30 g all purpose flour
- 220 g brown sugar
- 112 g good quality unsalted butter cold
- 65 g raisins
- 60 g walnuts roughly chopped
Instructions
For the Shortbread Base
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (roughly 180°C) and line a 8” x 8” pan with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, place 226g of room temperature butter and 100g of granulated sugar. Using a spatula, mix butter and sugar together until well combined.
- Add 1 tsp (4g) of vanilla extract and 1/2 tsp of salt to the bowl and mix in.
- Add 245g all purpose flour and mix with a spatula until just starting to come together.
- Pour dough out onto a clean surface and finish bringing it together by hand.
- Place shortbread dough into lined 8” x 8” pan and press down with your fingers to spread it out, sprinkle a little flour if it is sticking to fingers.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes or until shortbread is golden brown.
- Whisk 1 egg and brush it over the slightly cooled shortbread base. Return to the oven for 5 minutes, then set aside to cool.
For the Top Layer
- While the cookie base is baking, prepare the filling by adding 220g of brown sugar and 112g of cold unsalted butter to a saucepan.
- Place the saucepan over medium heat until the butter has melted and the mixture begins to bubble a bit. Sit the mixture aside.
- Add 3 large eggs to a medium bowl. Whisk the eggs by hand using a whisk to break up the yolks.
- Add 85ml of dark corn syrup, 85ml of good quality maple syrup, 25ml of whitevinegar and 2 tsp (8g) of vanilla extract to the eggs and whisk until combined.
- Pour a small amount of the egg mixture into a separate small bowl and add 30g all purpose flour to the bowl. Whisk together until smooth, then pour back into the egg mixture.
- Carefully pour the egg mixture into the saucepan and continuously stir over low/medium heat until the mixture has thickened slightly.
- Spread 65g of raisins and 60g of chopped walnuts over the cooled shortbread base. Then pour the slightly thickened topping over the nuts and raisins making sure to spread in an even layer.
- Bake for 30 minutes, remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 30 minutes. If you cut the bars right away the filling will not have set properly.
- Cut, serve and enjoy!
[…] I was on the Great American Baking Show, I had to develop a cookie bar recipe. The recipe I developed had a shortbread base which means I practiced almost 15 different […]