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.
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Irresistibly gooey
A twist on traditional pecan bars, I love that both the shortbread base and the topping are easy to make with just 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 shortbread (flour, powdered sugar, and butter) and comes together quickly.
- 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. A bowl and a spatula, along with a few basic ingredients, are all you need.
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, covering it and two of the sides. The other two sides 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 maple pecan bars.
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 all-purpose flour
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
For the filling:
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup runny honey
- 1 cup walnuts, very coarsely chopped, or in halves
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- pinch 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, covering the bottom and two sides. The other two will be greased but not lined.
- Mix soft ½ cup unsalted butter with ½ cup powdered sugar in a large bowl. It should be creamy.
- Add 1 cup all-purpose flour and patiently incorporate it all until you have a soft dough. I use a spatula or a wooden spoon.
- Place small mounds of this dough in the bottom of the prepared pan. With your fingers, press until it covers the whole surface.
- Prick with a fork and chill for 15 minutes in the freezer. Then 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 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, ½ cup light brown sugar and ½ cup runny honey in a medium saucepan.
- Cook on medium heat until it boils, stirring occasionally. It will foam, so you may want to lower the heat a bit.
- Remove from heat and immediately add 1 cup walnuts, ¼ cup heavy cream, pinch salt, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and ½ teaspoon lemon zest.
- 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 for 5-10 minutes on a wire rack.
- Carefully run a smooth-bladed knife around the edges so that they don't stick when you remove them.
- Let the pan cool completely on a wire rack and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Lift the paper to remove the whole block from the pan. Cut into squares and serve. The squares will hold better if they're chilled first.
Notes
Adapted from Rosie's Bakery Cookbook, by Judy Rosenberg
Charlotte says
So i made these yesterday, and i can't stop eating them. They are amazing! The honey and walnuts go together so well. I also left out the lemon zest as i did not have any on hand. I will add it next time and i will bake the filling for about 17-18 minutes instead of 20- i found that 20 minutes made the bars on the outer edge very chewy(however delicious!). I will definately be making thes again. Now i'm off to give some of these to my mum before i eat them all! Thanks for a great recipe!
Charlotte says
Making these right now. They sound like they could taste like a walnut bar i loved and ate in my distant childhood lol. They are baking right now and smell amazing. Will post again to say how they turned out! thanks for the nostalgia!
jackie says
could you use maple syrup instead of honey
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Jackie, I never tried it but I would assume you can. Maple syrup has a thinner consistency and is not as viscous as honey, but it should work just fine. Check that it's not too runny when the oven time is up. Leave it a little longer if that's the case.
You might want to try a smaller batch first. Happy baking!
Rachael Maple says
Hey, your recipe looks really good and I have a ton of walnuts which I am trying to use. How bad of an idea do you think subbing honey is for maple syrup. I don't have any honey on hand 🙁
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Rachael! Maple syrup has a thinner consistency and is not as viscous as honey, but it should work just fine. Check that it's not too runny when the oven time is up. Leave it a little longer if that's the case.
Bethany G says
Rave reviews! I followed recipe exactly. Made a double batch and baked in a 9X13 pan. They were phenomenal! The lemon zest gave them and extra special flavor. Don't forget the parchment paper! Thanks for an amazing recipe!!!
Paula Montenegro says
SO happy you loved them Bethany! I agree with the lemon zest, which I was skeptical at first. But it balances the sweetness wonderfully. Have a great weekend.
Gail Mondoux says
Should the filling still be pretty runny when the squares come out of the oven ?
Paula Montenegro says
It's not very firm but should not be too runny. It's similar to caramel and it hardens noticeably as it cools.
Gail Mondoux says
It did firm up . I made them for my book Club potluck and everyone said how delicious they were. I used pecans instead of walnuts.
Paula Montenegro says
So glad they turned out well Gail! Pecans are a more traditional nut to use and so delicious.
Gail Mondoux says
Is it possible to use regular salted butter instead of unsalted butter ?
I never buy unsalted butter.
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Gail! Yes, you can. Omit the salt in the recipe to compensate for it.
Christine Lanman says
Also, one more question. I’ve seen other recipes topped with chocolate drizzle and flaked salt. Could I add those to this recipe? Also, in your list of ingredients you do not list salt, but in your filling prep instructions you do. Should I add salt to the filling, and if so how much? If I add flakes salt on top, should I leave the salt out of the filling? Thank you.
Paula Montenegro says
Yes Christine, you can drizzle chocolate and sea salt on top, no problem! Do so when they are at room temperature. Salt is a pinch, and I've added it. Hope this helps!
Christine Lanman says
Hi Paula, is it possible to double the walnuts while leaving everything else the same? I have so many walnuts. (Costco).
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Christine! You can add more for sure, I don't know if double because the honey mixture won't be enough to hold them all together. If I were you, I would add the amount the recipe says and then add by handfuls until there clearly is too thick.
There is a fantastic walnut maple bundt cake in the blog that uses a lot of them (the images are not the best but the recipe is great lol!).
Christine Lanman says
Thank you so much! Happy holidays!
Ralph M says
Hi the recipe calls for 1/2 cup of butter which is listed as 115 g in the crust and 3/4 cup of butter for the filling which measures only 90 grams. On my scale 1/2 cup equals 115 g so 3/4 cup should be about 172 g. What is the correct measurement for the filling? Thanks!
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Ralph, the amount is 6 tablespoons (90g). It was wrongly copied, apologies for that and thanks for the heads up.
Dave A says
Do you think it will work to substitute maple syrup for some (or all) of the honey? My gang loves maple, but not so much honey.
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Dave! It should work well. Or maybe half corn syrup and half maple to give it more structure.
Dani says
The filling’s taste was wonderful.. Thanks for sharing this recipe, it was a good surprise In my mouth.
Stephanie says
Can the recipe be doubled? I want to make a half sheet pan's worth of Walnut Honey bars and freeze a bunch and give as gifts.
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Stephanie, yes, it can be doubled. The largest I made was 9x13-inches and it bakes well. With these types of recipes, you don't want to overbake it because the caramel will harden too much and that's not good when you bite. Just keep that in mind.
If you have enough room in the oven, I suggest making two 8 inch pans at the same time. You make one doubled recipe but divide it when patting the dough and adding the filling. Second best option is making one large 9x13. Hope this helps!
Stephanie Klein says
Totally helps. Thank you! I will do two pans!
Kimberly says
I was wondering if I could add an egg or two to the filling, or even just the yolks, to kind of create a texture similar to pecan pie, except with walnuts instead of pecans and honey instead of corn syrup. Which sounds amazing to me. What do you think?
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Kimberly, if you want to add eggs I think you're better off not cooking the honey mixture first. It will take longer in the oven, like pecan pie does. Let me know how it goes!
Kimberly says
Right because I don't want them to scramble. hey thanks for the quick reply!! Last question- How would you describe the filling in comparison to a pecan pie filling? Is it as gooey and pudding-like as pecan pie or is it more like a chewy caramel candy bar in texture? I'm honestly gonna try both ways most likely i just wanted to know which to make first. I've got a lot of time on my hands with everything that's going on lately. Hope you and yours are well!
Paula Montenegro says
It's more like a candy bar. The stove cooking and further get the caramel (more butterscotch really) to a soft bite but if you keep on baking it will get harder. It's not pudding-like at all, IMO. Stay safe Kimberly!
Shashank says
Honey and walnut what a great combination it is. Those points and notes which you have mentioned in this article are very useful. Thank you so much for sharing with us.
Lisa says
The perfect nibble for the holidays, everyone loved them!
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
What an amazing recipe and this is so simple to make. I have some fresh pecans at home from the local farm and I want to give this recipe a try. This is perfect for the holidays. Happy Holidays to you and your family!
Paula Montenegro says
Happy holidays to you Sandhya!
Andrea Metlika says
I've never had anything like this. They sound delicious. Can't wait to share these with my family.
Jere says
You are right I have everything here to make this recipe and am needing some for Christmas Day that is easy but looks like I spent hours making something. I love walnuts so this is perfect.
Maca says
I don't know if the other comment went through. Just wanted to tell you this recipe is amazing! And easy really. That was a surprise. Happy holidays Paula!