Maple Walnut Squares

These bar cookies are basically a pecan pie’s New England cousin, with real maple syrup and chopped walnuts standing in for the corn syrup and pecans of the Southern classic. A shortbread crust gets pressed into a 9×13 pan and pre-baked, then a maple-and-egg filling pours on top and bakes into a chewy, sweet layer.

Both maple syrup and maple sugar in the filling stack the maple flavor twice as deep as either ingredient could deliver alone. Brown sugar adds molasses depth that ties everything together, while a generous cup of walnuts sprinkled on top toasts during the bake into a crunchy, slightly bitter contrast to the gooey sweetness underneath.

Pro Tips

• Use Grade A Dark (formerly Grade B) maple syrup for the strongest flavor. Light Grade A is too subtle and gets lost in the bake.
• Don’t skip the pre-bake on the crust. A raw crust under wet filling turns soggy and the bars never set properly.
• Stir the hot syrup mixture into the eggs slowly while whisking. Pouring hot syrup directly on cold eggs scrambles them and gives you a curdled filling.
• Cool completely in the pan before cutting. Warm bars tear and the filling oozes, while fully cooled bars cut into clean squares.

Variations

• Swap walnuts for pecans for a Southern-leaning version, or use a half-and-half mix for the best of both.
• Add a half teaspoon of bourbon or rum to the filling for an adult, slightly boozy edge.
• Drizzle melted chocolate over the cooled bars for a chocolate-maple-walnut combination.