Butternut Bars
Butternut Bars are inspired by a vintage recipe that belonged to my Great Aunt Liz. She made these chewy, buttery treats on repeat for my Dad and his siblings, and frequently baked and brought them in to work to share with her colleagues.
While this recipe was mainstay in my Dad’s family, I only recently learned about it after talking with family members. Rediscovering such a beloved heirloom recipe felt like finding a lost treasure. I was really excited to try it out.
The recipe uses a relatively simple set of ingredients. However, the results yield delightfully complex flavors and textures. Once baked, the ingredients meld and become something entirely different. They have a soft, but chewy texture and a scrumptious caramel buttery flavor profile that makes it hard to have just one.
They are comprised of two mixtures:
- A pastry-like crust that you press into the 12x8 pan and pre-bake; and
- A filling which includes separated eggs - the yolk, which gets beaten until fluffy with coconut and walnuts and then egg whites whipped into stiff peaks and then gets folded into the filling.
The result is a light buttery bite that has a crackly soft, not too sweet top with subtle caramel notes and chewy coconut throughout. Once baked, you can’t taste the specific layers and ingredients as they come together into a cohesive confectionary bliss.
Another thing that I like about these bars is that they use pretty common ingredients that most people have on hand. I can see why my Aunt Liz made them so often. They are the perfect everyday dessert treat.
Ingredients
- CAKE FLOUR: With a lower protein content, cake flour contributes to a crust that is soft and melds into th layers of the bar.
- UNSALTED BUTTER: Room temperature and cut into small cubes
- GRANULATED SUGAR
- EGGS: Large eggs. Separated and at room temperature
- LIGHT BROWN SUGAR: Packed
- UNSWEETENED SHREDDED COCONUT: The filling is already sweet so unsweetened coconut provides the coconut flavor without the added sweetness,
- CHOPPED TOASTED WALNUTS: After chopping the nuts, toast them in 350• oven for about 5 minutes.
How to Make Butternut Bars
1.) Cream the room temperature butter in the bowl of a standing mixer on medium speed for two minutes. Add granulated sugar and beat for another minute.
2.) Turn the speed down to low and add the cake flour, beating just until the dough comes together. It will be very soft.
3.) Turn the mixture out onto a quarter baking pan lightly spray with nonstick baking spray. Using an angled spatula, spread an even layer of the dough into the pan.
4.) Bake the crust in a 350• oven for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. The crust will look bubbly. Set aside.
5.) In a clean bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites to firm peaks on high speed. Set the egg whites aide in a bowl.
6.) Beat the egg yolks on high speed of a standing mixer using the paddle attachment for about 2 minutes or until they thicken. Add brown sugar and continue to beat on high speed for another minute. Mixture should look cohesively mixed and fluffy.
7.) Add toasted chopped walnuts and unsweetened coconut on low speed until just incorporated.
8.) Fold mixture with whipped egg whites using a rubber spatula being careful to not deflate the whipped egg whites.
9.) Pour filling onto warm crust and use an angled spatula to spread filling evenly to the edges of the pan. Optionally garnish the top with chopped nuts, coconuts and/or pearl sugar.
10.) Bake at 350° for about 25-30 minutes until the surface looks dry and golden brown. Remove pan and set aside to cool.
Slice into squares or triangles. They are delicious warm, but once completely cooled, the filling sets and makes them easier to cut. They can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for 2-3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I promise they won't last that long! 😉 Enjoy!
Butternut Bars
Description
TEST
Ingredients
FIRST LAYER | CRUST
- 1 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
- ⅓ granulated sugar (70 g)
- 1.5 cups cake flour (190g)
- ¼ tsp Kosher salt
FILLING
- 4 eggs separated and at room temperature
- 2 cups (350 g) brown sugar (packed)
- ½ tsp Kosher salt
- ¾ cup coconut (65 g)
- ¾ chopped and toasted walnuts
Optional: Extra nuts, coconut or pearl sugar for garnish on top.
Instructions
Pre-heat oven to 350°
FIRST LAYER | CRUST
- Cream the room temperature butter in a bowl of a standing mixer on medium speed for about two minutes.
- Add granulated sugar and beat for another minute. Turn the speed down to low and add the cake flour, beating just until the dough comes together. It will be very soft.
- Turn the mixture out onto a quarter sheet baking pan lightly sprayed with baking spray.
- Using an angled spatula, spread an even layer of the dough into the pan.
- Bake the crust in a 350• oven for about 20 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. Set aside.
FILLING
- In a clean bowl of a standing mixer on high speed, whip the egg whites to firm peaks on high speed using the whisk attachment. Set the whipped egg whites aside.
- Beat the egg yolks on high speed of a standing mixer using the paddle attachment for about 2 minutes or until they thicken.
- Add the brown sugar and continue to beat on high speed for another minute. Mixture should look cohesively mixed and fluffy.
- Add toasted chopped walnuts and unsweetened coconut on low speed just until incorporated.
- Pour filling onto warm crust and use an angled spatula to spread filling event to the edges of the pan.
- Garnish optionally with mor chopped nuts, coconut or pearl sugar.
- Bake at 350• for about 25-30 minutes or until the surface looks dry and golden brown.
- Remove pan and set aside to cool.
Slice into squares or triangles. They are delicious warm, but once room temperature, the crust and filling are set and they are easier to cut. They can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days or chilled in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I promise they won’t last that long!
Matriarch Muse
Liz Murray was born in 1914 in Pennsylvania. She studied home economics at Marywood College and went on to serve as the head dietician of a State Hospital for 35 years. During that time, she directed her team to cook three meals per day for 1,600 people.
Liz never married and lived in bustling Irish Catholic homestead with her mother, aunts, and her younger sister Marguerite’s family, including her six nieces and nephews. When her sister tragically died at age 47, "Aunt Liz "served as a beloved mother figure to her nieces and nephews. She was kind and generous, elegant and funny. Her cooking is the stuff of legends in our family. From Thanksgiving feasts to sweet treats, to even making her niece’s massive, scrumptious cherry walnut wedding cake, Aunt Liz remains our family's culinary gold standard. It’s such an honor to celebrate and preserve her food legacy.
Aunt Liz
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