Buttery shortbread base and the gooiest nut and fruit filling make up these fabulous bars loaded with nuts and dried fruit. Incredibly delicious and such a crowd-pleaser!
A sweet, gooey, nut bar that can count as a snack or maybe dessert.
The loaded part of the title gives you permission to use whatever nuts or dried fruits you like. I like to make almost an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink version. All bits and pieces go into this masterpiece.
They're a close relative to the walnut squares with honey, and we love both. Don't make me choose.
The shortbread base
The base is a buttery shortbread.
A very standard one (using cups as the volume unit) with 4 parts flour, 2 parts butter, 1 part sugar, and a pinch of salt. Works every time for whatever type of square or bar you want to make.
It can be frozen before baking. You can line your pan with the shortbread base, prick it with a fork, and pop it in the freezer for a few days, or weeks until you're ready to bake the whole thing.
The butterscotch topping
And the topping, oh the butterscotch topping.
It has butter, sugar, and cream. Gooey, sweet, and the perfect vehicle for the citrus zest, nuts, and dried fruits.
What goes into the filling?
You can use whatever combination of dried fruit and nuts (or just nuts like the original recipe) and even substitute the cream for coconut cream like I did today. Just because I had some. I usually use good and faithful double fatty cream.
It's butterscotch after all.
It's my favorite, the one that also works time and time again. And I've made these bars a million times. I even sold them at the cafe at some point, and people went crazy for them. Seriously.
Related recipes you might like:
Let me know in the comments below if you made this recipe and loved it and if you had issues so we can troubleshoot together. I love to hear what you think, always. Thanks for being here. It's much appreciated.
You might also consider subscribing to our FREE email series 'Baking the Best' and our regular newsletter. Or connect via Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.
Dried Fruit and Nut Bars
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- pinch salt
For the topping:
- 5 cups mixed nuts and dried fruit, I like 1 cup almonds, ¾ cup walnuts, ¾ cup pistachios, ½ cup cashew nuts, 1 cup light and dark raisins, ½ cup dried apricots and ½ cup dried pears.
- ½ teaspoon orange zest, about 1 orange
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest, about 1 lemon
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ cup heavy cream
Instructions
For the crust:
- Line a 13x18-inch (23x33cm) metal baking pan with 2-inch sides with parchment paper that hangs a bit over the long edges, covering the bottom and both long sides but not the short sides. This will help remove the whole block of nut bars from the pan.
- In a bowl mix 1 cup unsalted butter and ½ cup sugar with a whisk or handheld electric mixer.
- Add 2 cups all-purpose flour and pinch salt in two or three additions, mixing well. It will all come together in a shabby ball. Be sure the flour is well mixed and no dry patches remain. If using the electric mixer, do so at the lowest speed.
- Distribute the dough in small mounds on the bottom of the pan. With lightly floured hands, slowly and patiently pat the dough to cover the entire surface and go 1 inch up the sides. Start with the sides and work towards the middle, flouring your hands as necessary.
- Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC).
- Bake the dough for about 15 minutes, until beginning to color. Don't bake it all the way through.
For the topping:
- When the dough is baking, start with the topping.
- In a large bowl mix the 5 cups mixed nuts and dried fruit with ½ teaspoon orange zest and ½ teaspoon lemon zest.
- In a medium saucepan, melt 1 cup unsalted butter with ½ cup maple syrup.
- Add 1 cup light brown sugar and ¼ cup sugar, mix well, place over medium heat and cook until it starts to boil. Cook for exactly 2 minutes without stirring after it starts to boil.
- Remove from the heat and add ¼ cup heavy cream carefully as it will bubble furiously.
- Immediately pour over the nut mixture and mix well to coat everything.
- Pour this caramel nut mixture over the pre-baked dough, carefully covering the whole surface. Don't dump everything in the middle because it will be hard to spread to the sides without tearing the dough. Some parts will have more caramel than others but it will even out in the oven.
- Bake for 25 minutes, remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.
- If the caramel spilled to the sides of the dough, run a thin knife around the edges after it's cooled for a few minutes so it doesn't stick. If it does stick and you have trouble removing it, simply pop it in the oven for 4 or 5 minutes until the caramel is warm again.
- Lift the parchment paper and place the whole block on an even surface to cut it. I make 12 large squares or 24 bars or triangles by cutting them in half again.
Notes
Adapted from Cookies, by Maida Heatter
Family Foodie says
My kids and I love butterscotch. These bars look great for a picnic and would go great with a good cup of coffee. LOVE all the fruits and nuts.
Nicole @ Daily Dish Recipes says
Oh Paula, look at all those nuts and butterscotch. What a gorgeous presentation and what wonderful flavors and goodness!
Jennie @themessybakerblog says
Paula, these bars are to-die-for delicious. Yum!
Grandbabycakes says
These bars are loaded alright! With tons of flavor. I love the citrus zest addition.
Nancy @ gottagetbaked says
Paula, oh my God, I need these bars in my life asap. Seriously, I'm making them as soon as I can. "Loaded" is right - I love every single ingredient you've used. I can just imagine the citrus zest playing against the sweetness of these chewy & crunchy bars. You paint such beautiful pictures with your words - I want to live out the scenario you wrote about (eating, playing with my dog, walking, then munching on my butterscotch bars before taking a nap = perfection).
Courtney @ Neighborfood says
These are blowing my mind! I think I'm going to have to make a batch for our vacation in a few weeks. They seem like the perfect thing to get me through hour 10 of the road trip. 🙂
Cocoa and Lavender says
Wowser! Those look amazing - I think I could actually smell the butterscotch as I was reading. And I love the idea of the cocoanut cream in them. You really are brilliant! Picnicking is great fun... We used to picnic in cemeteries when I was young. I loved across from an old Victorian cemetery and several of the tombs had built in tables for the living to join the dead for a meal. Not as morbid as it sounds. My favorite ones were in the late fall or winter, around out Tahnskgiving time. Is that a tradition in Argentina? ~ David
Gourmet Getaways says
What a perfect way to finish any picnic. These look so delicious 🙂
Camille says
Those ARE loaded - in a good way!
Shannon @VillageGirlBlog says
lol Who needs a picnic, I want these now! Yum!
Medeja says
I find such bars soooo addictive! Though they are sweet, I can't resist such toppings! 😀
Jeannie Tay says
That looks so scrumptious! I love your photos, the ingredients look so delicious even before baking!
Sarah Reid says
Wow, loaded is right! But how delightful this combo is
Lori @ Foxes Love Lemons says
Wow, these look so great. I bet they would be good topped with a trail mix mixture! What exactly is coconut cream? Is that like coconut milk here in the States, or something different?
wp_vknotes_admin says
It's basically thick, pretty much like regular cream. Milk won't work, as it won't thicken correctly.
e / dig in says
paula, these look like they would make great christmas gifts. i love that they have citrus zest in them, that would really make them zing!
Marissa | Pinch and Swirl says
Paula, these bars look like heaven. Heaven! All of those chunks, plus the buttery, gooey layer, all on top of a shortbread crust. So. Making. These.
Kathya Rodriguez says
This bars are just what i need right now.
Guru Uru says
These bars definitely look like they would be my weakness, they have everything delicious in them 🙂
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Mary Hirsch says
Those bars look mighty tasty, Paula, and perfect for a picnic. I love dried fruit and am willing to put it into about anything. I don't bake very much with butterscotch so that would be a nice surprise. I'm even thinking these look nutritious. Are they? We have a new power bar product, KIND, which I buy for hiking. Your bars remind me of their bars. I am leaving in a hour for a Memorial Day Week-end picnic. Guess what I am taking? Fat-free brownies. Much rather had gone the butterscotch bar route but hadn't read your Post. LOL
Tara says
Man I would adore these. I love anything like that, the more nuts the better. I am always excited to come over to your site every week. Thanks for sharing!!