Gooey Butter Bars
gooey butter bars
Ingredients
for the crust
1-¼ cup (163g) all-purpose flour
¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 large lightly beaten egg
6 tablespoons melted and slightly cooled unsalted browned butter
for the filling
4 oz room temp cream cheese
4 tablespoons melted and slightly cooled unsalted butter
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups (240g) powdered sugar
for the topping
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
A Few Notes:
To brown butter: Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add the butter and heat until brown and nutty, stirring often with a rubber spatula. Watch it carefully, and remove from the heat as soon as it reaches a deep caramel color. Pour it into a bowl to cool slightly.
You can serve these at room temp or cold, but I like them best straight from the fridge!
You can double the recipe and bake it off in a 9x13” pan - it might take a few more minutes, just keep an eye on it.
Pairs Well With:
This dessert originated in St. Louis, but eventually spread to the surrounding Midwestern cities (including my hometown of Kansas City). They’re difficult to describe if you haven’t eaten one before, but I’ll give it a shot. Basically, it’s a shortbread crust topped with the gooiest, butteriest, yellow-cakiest flavored filling imaginable. The top gets a nice little shiny crackle, and it’s finished with a showering of powdered sugar - for purely aesthetic reasons. This is the thing people ask me to make for them, and I’m going to be honest - it’s my fave too!
makes an 8x8” pan - I suggest cutting these into bite sized pieces
the how-to: crust
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line the bottom and sides of an 8” square pan with two overhanging strips of parchment paper cut to the width of the pan.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugar, and salt on low speed. Add the egg and brown butter and mix on medium speed until a cohesive dough forms. Plop the dough into your prepared pan, then gently smoosh it with your fingertips until it evenly covers the bottom of the pan, all the way to the edges. Set aside until needed. Wipe out the stand mixer bowl - we’re going to use it again.
the how-to: filling
Add the cream cheese to your stand mixer bowl. Using the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese on medium high speed for 2 minutes, until very creamy. Add the melted butter, egg, vanilla extract, and salt and beat on medium speed to combine (about 1 minute). Scrape down the bowl. Add the powdered sugar and beat on low speed to combine. Raise the speed to medium-high until the mixture is completely smooth (about 2 minutes). Pour the mixture into the pan over the prepared crust and spread it around evenly.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes, until the top is lightly golden and the edges are a deeper golden brown. No need to insert a tester - these are gooey butter bars, and it’s supposed to come out gooey! Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the bars cool completely in the pan.
When the bars are completely cool, sprinkle the topping powdered sugar over the cooled bars through a fine mesh sieve. Cut into bite-sized squares and serve.
store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week
