Butter Tart Bars

We turned this quintessential Canadian dessert into a bar form and elevated it with a sprinkling of Maldon salt. You can expect the same soft buttery middle and a sugary lattice on the edges, these are hard to resist! The recipe below is adapted to fit a  8-by-8-inch square pan.

Butter Tart Bars

Base
1 1/4 cups (159 g) Flourist Whole Grain Red Fife Flour
1/4 cup (50 g) white sugar
pinch of sea salt
1/2 cup (113 g) butter, cold and cubed

Filling
1/2 cup (114 g) butter, softened
1/2 cup (110 g) brown sugar
1/2 cup (100 g) sugar
3 tbsp cream
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/2 tbsp Flourist Sifted Red Spring Wheat Flour 
pinch of salt
pinch of ground coffee (optional) 
Maldon salt for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350°F and line a 8-by-8-inch square pan with parchment paper. 

To make the base, mix together flour, sugar and salt in bowl. Use a pastry blender or your fingers to cut in the cubed butter until well combined and crumbly. It will be dry and sandy. Firmly press mixture into the bottom of the prepared square pan and bake for 15 minutes. 

Make the filling while the base bakes. In a standing mixer with a paddle attachment or with a hand blender, cream together butter and sugars. Add cream and vanilla and beat together. Add eggs and continue mixing until smooth. Add flour, salt and ground coffee, if using, and mix until thoroughly combined. Pour batter over baked base.  

Return pan to oven and bake for 25-35 minutes or until deep golden brown. A few minutes after removing from the oven, run a knife around the edges to loosen any sugar that is stuck to the pan and sprinkle with Maldon salt. Let cool to room temperature. Place in refrigerator for 15 minutes before slicing. Once cold, use a sharp knife to slice into squares.