Chocolate Drizzled Nut Squares Cookies

Chocolate drizzled nut squares are mouthwatering bar cookies with a shortbread crust and caramel-nut layer drizzled with semi-sweet or dark chocolate. Find more easy and delicious cookies on the Simple Cookie Recipes page.

While I’ve been very vocal over the years with my preference for all things chocolate (chocolate coconut clusters, mini almond joy brownies, and peanut butter chocolate truffles to name a very few), I DO like a few other sweets as well. Lemon would probably be my second favorite (have you tried this amazing lemon cake and frosting yet?) with caramel running close behind (caramel coconut shortbread bars or dipped onto apples).

And though this recipe for chocolate drizzled nut squares – a shortbread based cookie – doesn’t have lemon, it does have both caramel and a bit of chocolate. So you know this recipe definitely makes the cut for our annual Christmas goodie bags:

Rich?  Check.

Ooey-gooey? Oh, yes- right there in the caramel layer.

Chocolate? Of course.

Special? I think so.

Complicated? Nope.

Chocolate Drizzled Nut Squares Cookie Bars

I actually love the addition of nuts to the of caramel – both the flavor and how it ups the protein a bit. Ha! I know we’re not eating these for nutrition – but it never hurts, right?

Now that I think about it, nuts, caramel and chocolate are probably a pretty universal love – aren’t there a lot of commercial candy bars that are based around these three things?

In fact these bars are easy to customize to make your favorite candy bar flavor – use all peanuts and call them “Snicker Squares,” all pecans and they are “Pecan Squares,” all walnuts and they are….well, you get the idea.

Um, right. I think you’ll want to pin this to make sure you have it when you want it. 🙂

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Chocolate Drizzled Nut Squares Cookie Bars

Chocolate drizzled nut squares are mouthwatering bar cookies with a shortbread crust and caramel-nut layer drizzled with semi-sweet or dark chocolate.

Prep Time30 mins

Cook Time50 mins

Total Time1 hr 20 mins

Course: Desserts

Cuisine: American

Yield: 5 dozen

Author: Jami Boys

Ingredients

Crust:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup + 6 tablespoons butter (equals 1¾ sticks)
• 1 egg
• 3 cups whole wheat pastry flour*
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Filling:

• 1 ¼ cups butter
• 1 ¼ cups packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 3 ½ cups whole or lightly broken nuts any combination- I used mixed nuts and walnuts
• 1/4 cup whipping cream
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (decrease to 1/4 teaspoon if using salted nuts)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup semisweet or dark chocolate chips for drizzle

Instructions

Make Crust:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom of an 11x17-inch baking pan AND line with parchment paper (trust me, it will make your life easier to do both) leaving a 1-inch overhang on two ends to make it easier to remove the bars.
• In the bowl of a mixer, cream sugar and butter until light; add egg and beat well.
• Add flour, salt and baking powder and mix until the dough comes together. Pat evenly into the prepared pan, building up the edges some.
• Bake for 18-20 minutes until the crust just begins to brown. Remove to a wire rack to cool.
• Reduce the oven to 300 degrees. Place a baking pan larger than prepared pan on the bottom rack of the oven to catch any drips that may occur.

Make Filling:

• Combine the butter, brown sugar, honey, and maple syrup in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and boil for exactly 2-1/2 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Remove from heat and stir in cream, vanilla, salt, and nuts. Pour onto cooled crust and spread evenly.
• Place in oven on a rack over the larger pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling in the center. Cool on a wire rack 8 hours or overnight.
• Remove from pan using the parchment overhang onto a large cutting board. Cut into squares and move them slightly apart.
• Melt the chocolate chips in a cup (or baggie) in the microwave for a few seconds and then drizzle over the squares using a spoon or by cutting a tiny bit off the corner of the baggie and squeezing the chocolate out.
• Let harden before storing in an airtight container.

Notes

*You can also use all purpose flour or 2 cups all purpose + 1 cup whole wheat.

Make Ahead & Storage: Keep the bars in an airtight container in the fridge for a week or freeze for a month.

Nutrition

Serving: 1bar | Calories: 177kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 99mg | Potassium: 102mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 209IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 1mg

Did you make this recipe?Mention @anoregoncottage or tag #anoregoncottage!

Other sweet treats you may like:

Decadent Quadruple Chocolate Brownies

Espresso Walnut Shortbread Cookies with Dark Chocolate Filling

Chocolate Chip, Nut & Seed Oatmeal Cookies (gluten free)

Note: this recipe for chocolate drizzled nut squares was originally published in 2011 and has been updated with new formatting, updated images and printable recipe. Enjoy!