(Lower-fat) Butter Tart Squares

Butter tarts are a Canadian thing – a sweet goo with raisins or pecans (or nothing at all) baked in pastry cups – here they are in bar form, which are far easier to make in large quantities than individually rolled and filled tarts. To make them even more festive, add a handful of dried or fresh cranberries, whose tartness will cut through the sweetness of the filling. If you want these to slice cleanly, freeze them first.

Base:

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup all-purpose or whole wheat flour

pinch salt

Topping:

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp. baking powder

pinch salt

1/3 cup honey, corn syrup or maple syrup

2 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

3/4 cup raisins or currants (if you want to be really authentic)

1/3 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a medium bowl, stir together the butter and brown sugar until creamy. Add flour and salt and stir until well combined and crumbly.

Press into the bottom of an 8” x 8” pan that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until just barely golden around the edges.

Using the same bowl (no need to wash it), combine the brown sugar, flour, baking powder and salt. Add the eggs, maple syrup and vanilla and stir until well blended and smooth. Stir in the raisins and pecans.

Pour over the base and return to the oven for 25–30 minutes, until golden and bubbly around the edges but still slightly jiggly in the middle. The topping will puff up a bit as it bakes and then settle again when you remove it from the oven. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.

Makes 16 squares.

Per square:

194 calories, 5.1 g fat (2.1 g saturated fat, 2 g monounsaturated fat, 0.6 g polyunsaturated fat), 36.2 g carbohydrates, 34.7 mg cholesterol, 2.2 g protein, 1 g fiber. 23% calories from fat