A layer of buttery shortbread topped with a gooey mixture of honey and nuts, these walnut bars are easier to make than you'd think and very delicious! It's a great recipe for the holiday season and as a finger dessert for parties.
Irresistibly gooey walnut bars
A twist on traditional pecan bars, I love that both the shortbread base and the topping are easy to make with a bowl, a spatula, and a saucepan.
They're crunchy and chewy with an unmistakable honey flavor.
It's a great dessert for winter gatherings and holiday parties, as it can be cut into small pieces and used as finger food. Everyone will rave about it!
- The crust is a shortbread (flour, powdered sugar, and butter) and comes together in no time.
- The filling is made in 5 minutes in a saucepan. You probably have all the ingredients in your kitchen right now.
- Baking: this is a very important step because the chewiness will depend on the correct baking time, so the filling is neither too hard nor too runny.
Ingredient list
Shortbread crust
- Unsalted butter.
- All-purpose flour.
- Powdered sugar: also called confectioners or icing sugar.
Filling
- Walnuts: they will be in pieces, so broken pieces are fine (they're usually cheaper) no need to buy the more expensive whole ones.
- Honey: any runny honey works. If you choose a flavored one (eucalyptus, for example), the bars will have a different flavor.
- Unsalted butter.
- Vanilla extract.
- Brown sugar: light or dark.
- Cream: I use heavy cream, but double or heavy whipping cream also works.
- Lemon zest: it cuts through so much sweetness and butter.
Quantities are listed on the recipe card towards the end of this post. The Ingredients page has more details and lists the brands we use.
Shortbread crust
Making shortbread is easy. All you need, besides a few simple ingredients, is a bowl and a spatula.
And a little patience after adding the flour, as it seems like the dry ingredients will not integrate. But they do eventually.
Lining the pan will make it much easier to remove the nut bars from the pan. Butter or grease the baking pan and cut a strip of parchment paper as wide as the bottom. Place it covering it and two of the sides. The other two remain greased but not lined. When ready to cut, lift the block of walnut bars with the help of the paper.
Shortbread base
Put small pieces of dough all over the bottom of the pan. Then, with your hand, pat the dough until it covers it completely.
Prick and chill
Prick the bottom lightly with a fork, chill, and pre-bake as directed.
Walnut filling
This honey walnut filling is made in a saucepan and is similar to the butterscotch bars but uses honey.
Honey caramel
Use a medium saucepan with high edges. This is important because the mixture will rise and foam as it boils for 5 minutes. Set a timer (I use my phone) to be exact with the time the preparation boils.
Walnuts
The rest of the ingredients are added to the honey mixture, and the filling is poured into the prepared pan.
Baked bars
Bake according to the instructions on the recipe card. Remember to loosen up the edges before they cool completely. Chill the bars in the pan before removing and cutting.
⭐️ Vintage Kitchen Tip
Before it cools, run a smooth-bladed knife around the edges while the honey bars are still warm to loosen up any parts where the caramel is stuck to the sides. If you don't, it might be hard to remove the block from the pan easily.
Kitchen Notes
- Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperature, equipment, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier.
- Baking time: keep in mind that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look the same or very similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer(like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you need to adjust.
- Shortbread base: it can easily be frozen before baking. Prepare the dough, pat it, prick it and freeze it in the pan. Then bake it directly from the freezer.
- Nuts: I think honey and walnuts is a fantastic combination, but you can use pecans, of course, any other nut or a mix.
- Storing: these bars can be stored in the fridge for several days, always well wrapped to prevent them from drying out. Or keep them in a tin separated in layers by parchment paper.
Related recipes you might like:
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Honey Nut Bars
Ingredients
For shortbread base:
- 1 cup 140g all-purpose or cake flour
- ½ cup 60g powdered sugar
- ½ cup 115g unsalted butter, at room temperature
For the filling:
- 6 tablespoons 90g unsalted butter
- ½ cup 60g brown sugar
- ½ cup 175g runny honey
- 1 cup 120g walnuts, very coarsely chopped, or in halves
- ¼ cup 60g whipping or double cream
- Pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest, about ½ a lemon
Instructions
For the shortbread base:
- Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C.
- Butter or spray an 8-inch square pan and line with a wide strip of parchment paper. It will cover the bottom and two of the sides.
- In a large bowl mix soft butter with powdered sugar. It should be creamy.
- Add flour and patiently incorporate it all until you have a soft dough. I use a spatula or a wooden spoon.
- Put this dough in the bottom of the prepared pan in small mounds. With your fingers pat until it covers the whole surface.
- Prick with a fork and bake for 15-20 minutes, until starting to dry and barely color. Reserve on a wire rack while making the filling.
- Leave the oven on.
For the filling:
- Put butter, honey and brown sugar in a medium saucepan.
- Cook on medium heat until it breaks a boil. It will start to bubble.
- Cook for 5 minutes stirring occasionally. It will foam and maybe you want to lower the heat a bit.
- Remove from heat and immediately add the walnuts, cream, salt, vanilla, and lemon.
- Pour into the pre-baked crust and return to the oven for 20 minutes. It will be bubbling and still look wet and somewhat runny, but not as much as before baking. The filling hardens a lot when it cools down, and if you bake it too much it will become so hard it will be almost impossible to eat.
- Remove from the oven and let stand 5-10 minutes on a wire rack.
- Carefully run a smooth-bladed knife around the edges so that they don't stick when it cools completely.
- Cut into squares and serve. Or refrigerate for 1 hour after it has cooled down completely and then serve. The squares will hold better.
Notes
Adapted from Rosie's Bakery Cookbook, by Judy Rosenberg
ruby says
i think ive made these honey walnut bars… 7-8 times already?? and oh my god these are one of the best things i have ever tasted !! not only am i obsessed with them, but every single person who tries them falls in love. i highlyy recommend this recipe as its soo perfect for the cozy seasons as well !! also it’s foolproof, even my non-baker mom has made it herself a couple of times 🙂