Gooey Butter Squares
Gooey Butter Squares
There’s no doubt that I will never turn down a shortbread cookie. The simplicity and slight sweetness of a shortbread cookie will always hit the spot. Whether your craving needs satisfying in the morning or after dinner, these Gooey Butter Shortbread cookies can easily pull a double.
Imperial Sugar sponsors this recipe post. However, all opinions and suggestions are my own. Thank you for checking out this recipe.
When making a classic dessert, it’s only right to use Imperial Sugar because, just as with the sugar… this cookie bar is simple, tried & true.
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Ingredients
Crust
- 1 c. all-purpose flour
- ½ c. salted butter, softened
- ⅓ c. Imperial Sugar powdered sugar
Topping
- 1 Tbsp. water
- 2 Tbsp. light corn syrup
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 6 Tbsp. salter butter, softened
- ¾ c. Imperial Sugar granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 1 large egg
- 1 c. + 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper. Spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
Combine all crust ingredients in a bowl; beat at medium speed just until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press dough evenly into the bottom of prepared pan.
Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven; cool for 10 minutes.
Combine water, corn syrup, and vanilla in a small bowl; set aside.
Place 6 tablespoons of butter, sugar, and salt into a bowl; beat until well combined. Add egg; beat until well mixed.
Add flour alternatively with corn syrup mixture; beat until well mixed after each addition. Spread topping evenly over shortbread crust.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.
Cool completely. Remove from pan; sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.
Cool completely; cut into bars.
This recipe makes 9 square bars or 18 rectangular bars.
A few recipe notes...
Allow your butter to soften at room temperature—that’s soft to the touch. You can achieve this by setting the butter out on the counter an hour or two before using it.
Light corn syrup helps to ensure you achieve a perfect shortbread appearance and texture with its transparent, often vanilla-flavored, and mild sweetness.
For a more festive serving, you can use themed cookie cutters to carve out fun shortbread shapes. The round shape provides for a blank canvas to decorate the shortbreads with faces (e.g. snowmen, reindeer, Santa/Santa’s hat, teddy bears, etc.) or ornaments.
