Butter Tart Squares

Crisp shortbread is layered with a gooey, sweet mixture of nuts and fruit topped with a crisp caramelized layer of brown sugar crust to make these irresistible Butter Tart Squares.

This recipe transforms classic butter tarts into a simple bar dessert recipe that you can make in a fraction of the time. To make this recipe, you’ll press the crust into a baking pan, with no need to form individual tart shells.

Butter Tart Squares

Butter Tart Squares were described by Beth as The Ultimate Canadian Food . You know that I could not resist baking something described that way!

I’m super happy to say that this dessert lived up to its reputation. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve made these Butter Tart Squares over the past ten years.

Butter Tart Filling Ingredients

The filling for butter tarts is a base of butter, sugar, and egg. Some recipes create a sweet, syrupy, runny filling, others make them gooey, but firm enough to slice and hold.

We like our butter tarts made into bars and very generously filled with chewy raisins and nuts.

melted butter
light brown sugar
eggs
all-purpose flour
baking powder
vanilla extract
kosher salt
raisins
chopped pecans or walnuts

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Butter Tart Crust

You’ll need only three ingredients to make the crust for this recipe: butter, flour, and sugar.

This is a simple shortbread crust that is crisp and buttery. It’s lightly sweetened and almost melts in your mouth.

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I’m a big fan of a simple shortbread crust – and shortbread-style cookies and bar desserts too! Nothing beats the ease of combining just a handful of ingredients for these simple treats.

Baking Tip: Here’s a tip for pressing shortbread crusts into baking pans. I tear an extra section of parchment paper and lay it on top of the dough. Use that paper to press the pan into the crust. Your hands will stay clean and the dough will spread smoothly across the pan.

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Butter Tart Recipe

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9″ square pan with parchment paper or grease it very well with butter.
To make the crust, beat the butter and the sugar together until smooth. Add the flour and stir just until combined. Press into the prepared pan and then bake for 15 minutes. Let the crust cool completely.
When the crust has cooled, mix together the filling ingredients. Stir the brown sugar into the melted butter and then add the remaining ingredients. Pour the filling over the crust.
Bake until the top springs back when lightly touched, approximately 22-25 minutes. Let cool completely before cutting into squares.

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Ingredients1x2x3x

Crust Ingredients

▢ ½ cup butter softened
▢ 1 cup all-purpose flour*
▢ ½ cup sugar

*Gluten-Free Alternative for the Crust

▢ ⅔ cup brown rice flour
▢ ⅓ cup potato starch

Filling Ingredients

▢ 2 tablespoons butter melted
▢ 1 cup light brown sugar
▢ 2 eggs
▢ 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour**
▢ ½ teaspoon baking powder
▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla
▢ ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
▢ 1 cup raisins
▢ ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts

**Gluten-Free Alternative for the Filling

▢ 2 tablespoons brown rice flour

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9" square pan with parchment paper or grease it very well with butter.
To make the crust, beat the butter and the sugar together until smooth. Add the flour and stir just until combined. Press into the prepared pan and then bake for 15 minutes. Let cool completely.
When the crust has cooled, mix together the filling ingredients. Stir the brown sugar into the melted butter and then add the remaining ingredients. Pour the filling over the crust.
Bake until top springs back when lightly touched, approximately 25-28 minutes. Let cool completely before cutting into squares. Enjoy!

Notes

{originally published 6/21/12 – recipe notes and photos updated 7/13/21}

Check out all of the Gluten Free Dessert Recipes on this website!

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Light, buttery, almond flavored shortbread thumbprint cookies have been the most requested cookie I make for almost as long as I can remember. My friend Augusta gave me this recipe years ago and it became a forever favorite at first bite.

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Thumbprint Cookies with Jam

There’s something so endearing and adorable about jam thumbprint cookies. Fruity jam adds the perfect amount of sweetness to the flaky shortbread cookie. The easy glaze on top of these thumbprint cookies adds a beautiful touch.

These cookies are great as a snack, tucked into lunches, or when served as dessert. I especially enjoy them with cafe con leche , chai , or a London Fog on a chilly afternoon.

Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies

With just the right amount of sweetness, filled with jam, and then lightly drizzled with icing, these cookies are a hit with everyone who tries them. Don’t be fooled by their unassuming appearance. They’ll surprise you by just melting in your mouth.

Almond extract is what gives these cookies just a hint of almond flavor. It adds a nice layer of nuttiness that complements the buttery flavor of the shortbread cookie and the fruitiness of the jam.

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Jam Thumbprint Cookies

I often reach for a jar of my family’s favorite homemade peach jam to use in these cookies. You can use whatever flavor of sweet preserves you like. I’ve made these cookies with several varieties of jam and the cookies turn out delicious every time.

I typically just use whichever flavors of jam I happen to have on hand at the time. For this last batch, I used apricot jam and a mixed berry jam. You really can’t go wrong with the jam choice. If you enjoy eating the jam, you’ll likely love it in the cookies.

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How to Make Thumbprint Cookies

Chilling the dough for a solid hour in the refrigerator is an important step in this recipe. So even if you’re in a hurry to bake these cookies, don’t skip that step.

Chilling the dough helps keep the butter in this recipe solid. And the cold butter helps the cookies maintain their structure in the oven.

When it comes to filling thumbprints with jam, less is more. A quarter teaspoon or so should do it. Too much and you risk disrupting the structure of the cookie and the jam to cookie ratios. (Yes, jam to cookie ratios are a thing!)

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The last thing to remember here is to be extra careful not to overbake these cookies! You want to take these cookies out of the oven before they are even slightly brown.

Overbaking will result in a much harder cookie without that crumby delicate shortbread texture. If you love thumbprint cookies like we do, you’ll want to try Hazelnut Thumbprint Cookies and Marmalade Thumbprint Cookies too.

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Almond Thumbprint Cookies

Combine the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add the flour and almond extract. Beat again to combine. Chill the dough for 1 hour in the refrigerator.

When ready to make the cookies, preheat the oven to 350°F. Roll the dough into 1″ balls or use a 1″ scoop to place them onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Press down on the top of each cookie and use your thumb to create a small indent. After all the indents are made, fill the indents with about 1/2 teaspoon of jam.

Bake for approximately 10 minutes. Remove from the oven before the cookies are browned. Let cool on the trays for 1-2 minutes and then remove to a wire cooling rack.

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To make the glaze, add the almond extract to the powdered sugar and then slowly add the milk. Stir constantly and stop adding milk when you reach the consistency of icing. It should drizzle off the tip of a spoon in a thin white stream.

When the cookies are completely cooled, drizzle the icing over the tops. Allow them to sit until hardened and then store in an airtight container.

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Shortbread cookies don’t get as much love as they deserve, in my opinion. Delicious, simple, and not-too-sweet, they appeal to the palettes of kids and adults alike.

If you’re looking for more great shortbread cookies, I recommend Sugared Shortbread Cookies for sure. They’re a simple cookie sprinkled with sugar crystals that you can bake and serve all year round.

If the perfect slice of cinnamon toast met Pecan Sandies, these Cinnamon Pecan Shortbread Bars would be the result. This is a tender shortbread, filled with pecans, and then generously topped with cinnamon sugar.

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Espresso Chocolate Chip Shortbread is a flaky shortbread that is barely crisp on the outside. These shortbread bites melt in your mouth with chocolate and just a hint of coffee flavor.