Walnut Butter Tart Bars

These Walnut Butter Tart Bars taste just like butter tarts, except in the form of a bar much like a brownie – or a blondie, I suppose. I am a big butter tart fan (I have a delicious recipe for vegan butter tarts here), for those who don’t know, Butter Tarts are a Canadian dessert similar to pecan pie. These vegan dessert bars are made with a flaky pie crust base topped with buttery, brown sugar filling and walnuts. I baked these in a 9 x 13 inch cake pan, but if you wanted a thicker crust and deeper filling, you could bake yours in a 8 inch square pan; either way, these Vegan Walnut Butter Tart Bars are deeeelicious. 

I made these with my kids, and it was so simple and a fun recipe for them to participate in. I used an electric mixer for the dough, but you could also use a fork to cut in the butter and mix the dough. My youngest daughter enjoyed pressing down the dough into the pan for the crust layer, and mixing the ingredients together with a spoon.

How to Make Vegan Walnut Butter Bars:

Make the Pie Crust Layer:

Mix together the flour, sugar and flour, and stir in the water. Press the dough into the bottom of a cake pan, and bake at 350F for 15 minutes.

While the First layer bakes, prepare the second layer:

Mix together the apple sauce, soy milk, vanilla, sugar and brown sugar. Then, stir in the melted butter and flour. Add the nuts and then pour the batter over the pie crust layer. Put it back in the oven to bake for another 25 minutes.

Let it cool completely before slicing into squares. You can store these walnut butter squares in an airtight container at room temperature, or pop them in the freezer for longer storage.

Yield: 24 Squares

Walnut Butter Tart Squares

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These Walnut Butter Tart Bars are vegan, and taste just like butter tarts - similar to pecan pie - except baked in a cake pan.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Ingredients

Crust

• 1 Cup Flour
• 1/4 Cup Vegan Butter or Vegetable Shortening
• 1/4 Cup Cold Water
• 2 Tbsp Sugar

Walnut Butter Layer

• 1/3 Cup Apple Sauce
• 1/4 Cup Soy Milk
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 1/2 Cup Sugar
• 3/4 Cup Brown Sugar
• 1/3 Cup Melted Vegan Butter
• 1 Cup All Purpose Flour
• 1 Cup Chopped Walnuts or Pecans

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F
2. Prepare the crust: Beat together the butter, sugar and flour, then add the cold water and mix until a smooth dough is formed.
3. Press into a thin layer at the bottom of a 9x13” cake pan.
4. Bake the crust at 350°F for 15 minutes.
5. While the crust bakes, prepare the walnut butter layer: Beat together the Apple Sauce, Soy Milk, Vanilla, Sugar, and Brown Sugar.
6. Stir in the Melted Butter.
7. Mix in the flour, just until combined.
8. Stir in the Chopped Walnuts or Pecans, then pour the batter over the crust, and bake for 25 minutes at 350°F
9. Let cool, then slice into squares.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

24

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 161Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 39mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 1gSugar: 11gProtein: 2g