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These Maple Frosted Walnut Bars are some of the most delicious treats imaginable. A shortbread crust, a buttery, chewy nut center, and rich maple frosting make these easy dessert bars the perfect addition to your holiday buffets or gift baskets!
This post for Maple Frosted Walnut Bars was originally published in November, 2014. The photos were updated in October, 2017.
My friend Jen has a daughter named Grace who goes to preschool with my older two boys. Grace is one of those little girls who always looks adorable in the cutest outfits and the latest trendy styles. But don’t be fooled — she also knows how to hang with the boys! Gibbs and Casey adore her, and (for some reason) she seems to enjoy their rowdy company as well.
So when Jen invited Gibbs and Casey for a play date after school one afternoon, we all jumped at the opportunity! I enjoyed a couple of hours of time with Spence, and the older boys enjoyed some special time with Gracie. They ate lunch, built with blocks, played hide-and-seek outside, snacked on popcorn, and dressed up in Grace’s costumes! Jen sent me this picture while they were there…
And even though Jen found Casey peeing on a tree next to her backyard patio (ah! so embarrassing!), she fortunately has a sense of humor and even invited them back for another date.
Yes, she really is a saint, and I knew that I had to properly thank her for her bravery.
A batch of these Maple Frosted Walnut Bars seemed almost good enough to show her how appreciative I was!
Little scavengers that they are, of course my boys had to taste-test the goodies before we delivered them!
It’s a good thing that Gibbs and Casey were headed out on a bike ride when they grabbed these treats to go…giving them plenty of opportunity to pedal off that instant sugar rush!
My boys LOVED these squares and assured me that their girlfriend would too.
Are you ready to make your own? Check out the simple recipe below, which comes together quickly and easily!
The shortbread crust is topped with a rich, buttery, brown sugar and walnut filling that reminds me a lot of pecan pie. Top it all off with some Maple Frosting and it doesn’t get much better than that! I really think that these are a must-serve at all of your holiday gatherings this season!
If you’ve tried these Maple Frosted Walnut Bars or any other recipe on The Seasoned Mom, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! You can follow me on Facebook, on Instagram, on Pinterest, and on Twitter!
Maple Frosted Walnut Bars
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup 1 stick butter, softened
For the Filling:
- 1 ½ cups packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons flour
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup finely chopped walnuts
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the Maple Frosting:
- 2 ¼ cups powdered sugar
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- ½ cup 1 stick butter, softened
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-2 tablespoons whole milk as needed to reach desired consistency
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
Start by Making the Crust:
- In a large bowl, use a pastry blender or fork to cut the butter into the flour. Press the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 12 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, combine filling ingredients.
- When the crust comes out of the oven, pour filling over the warm crust and spread evenly. Return dish to oven and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes.
- Allow to cool completely before frosting.
For the Maple Frosting:
- In a medium bowl, beat sugars, butter, and salt with an electric mixer until combined. While beating, slowly add the maple syrup. Mix in the vanilla and beat on medium-high speed until the frosting is light and fluffy. If necessary, add milk one tablespoon at a time until the frosting reaches a spreadable consistency.
- Spread frosting over cooled filling. Cut into squares and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
I noticed these right away — they look awesome! 🙂
Thanks, Dee! 🙂
Those look amazing!!! I’m definitely saving this one 🙂
These look and sound wonderful! 🙂
Good grief- those all look amazing! I’d love to have you link up to the linky party I’m starting Saturdays- it’s called “Found & Foraged” at http://www.averystreetdesign.com and will be at 8 pm. Hope to see you there! xo.
Maple! I love maple and can’t wait to try these! (I’ll have to substitute pecans for the walnuts though, since I’m allergic to walnuts 🙁 ).
I bet the pecans will be just as good, Anita! Enjoy!!!
Those look wonderful! My kids are big maple fans…I need to try these!
Perfect Fall treat! Thanks for linking up with SNF! Pinned to our party board!
Thanks for stopping by, Jaren! And thanks for the pin, too. 🙂
YUMMY That’s the word for these bars. YUMMY! I can’t wait to try these babies and take them to work, because I know I’d eat the whole pan. Sharing! Cause these are too good not to. Thank you for linking up with #FoodieFridays
Thanks so much, Christie! I appreciate the share, and I hope that your co-workers enjoy!
I love the combination of maple and walnut, these bars look great. Thanks for linking up to Sweet and Savoury Sunday, stop by and link up again. Have a great day!!
Did anybody actually make these? All of the comments talk about how they WILL make them. I made them, UGH! I followed the directions exactly, the icing stayed runny after beating for 15 minutes so I added some dry instant vanilla pudding to thicken it up enough to put on the cake. They are so tooth aching sweet I wouldn’t serve them or even give them away. The icing also stayed grainy. Sorry, not for me and I will read the comments carefully next time to see if the writer really made them.
Hi, Connie! I’m sorry that you didn’t enjoy the bars. I’ve made them many times and we always enjoy them. In fact, my mother-in-law just requested the recipe because the batch that I recently shared disappeared so fast! I also haven’t had a problem with runny or grainy icing, so I’m not sure what went wrong. Again, I’m sorry that they weren’t a success in your kitchen. 🙁
My frosting was grainy also. And I whipped it for quite some time. I believe it was from the brown sugar. I haven’t eaten them yet, as they are still cooling.
Hi! Can I make the bars the day before? They sound amazing.
Absolutely! Enjoy, Sydney!
Love the play date costume pictures 🙂 It’s so nice to be able to drop the kids off for a day of fun. BTW- Hope you can share more on the Merry Monday Party and The Ultimate Cookie & Goodies Party too.
Mmmm, that’s all I can think of to describe these. Mmmm is a descriptive word right 😉 Thank you for sharing at Merry Monday!
Thanks for stopping by, Amanda!
Can’t wait to try these for the holidays:)! For the pear crisp recipe you posted can you use both apples & pears? Also, do you use light or dark brown sugar in the above recipe?
Hi, Cynthia! Yes, you can use pears, apples, or a combination of the two. You just want to make sure that you have a total of about 6 cups of fruit in any combination. I use light brown sugar for this recipe. 🙂 Enjoy!
Does this require real maple syrup, or can I use regular syrup with maple flavoring? Made your Pear Crisp yesterday, and it was delicious and easy! I did add some crushed ginger snap crumbs to the topping and everyone thought it was a wonderful addition. Truly enjoy your blog, but do wish people would comment AFTER they make the recipe, rather than how your lovely pictures look. Always love your pictures, but was pleased and shocked you have a dog! A cutie!
Hi, Anita! I’m not sure, since I’ve never tried it with the regular syrup. I think it would work fine, it might just have a bit of a different taste.
The ginger snaps sound like a great addition to the pear crisp. I’m so glad that you made that recipe. We love it!
Your pictures and plat plating is worth a thousand word!
Thank you so much, Gery!
I’m obsessed with these, Blair! I keep coming back to them. I think I might make them soon, and I definitely wanna make that maple frosting for something. OMG!
Also definitely still obsessed with the apple cake with walnut glaze. You say you’re not a baker, but GAH!!
Aw, thanks, Sarah! You’ve GOT to try that apple walnut cake. It’s one of my favorite fall desserts EVER. 🙂