Lisa Tokach gave me this recipe when we were working on the story about bees and honey for KANSAS! magazine. It's a variation of a candy-like bar that shows up on several websites and in several cookbooks. A buttery shortbread crust is topped with a honey-infused walnut filling; bars are then drizzled with dark chocolate and finished with flakes of salt. It is very rich but it is delicious—a honey of a recipe!
Salted Honey Walnut Bars
Yield: 30 to 36 sweet treats
INGREDIENTS:
For the crust
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup powdered sugar
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
For the filling
12 tablespoons (6 ounces) unsalted butter, cubed
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup (12 ounces) honey
2 1/2 cups walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup (4 ounces) heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt
For finishing
4 ounces dark chocolate, cut or broken into pieces for quick melting
1/2 teaspoon large flaked sea salt or other finishing salt
DIRECTIONS:
To make the crust
1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with foil, extending the foil up and over all four side for easy removal of bars from pan; spray foil with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Combine the flour, powdered sugar, and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer; mix until ingredients are just blended and begin to come together as a soft dough.
3. Press the crust evenly into the prepared pan.
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| Above - I covered the crust mixture with waxed paper and then used my hand to press the mixture into place as show in the next photo. |
4. Bake at 350° for 20 to 25 minutes, until it is golden brown around the edges.
5. Cool the crust while you prepare the filling.
To make the filling
6. Combine the butter, brown sugar, and honey in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
7. Stir while the butter and sugar melt. Bring the mixture to a boil and let it boil, stirring only occasionally, for five minutes. After five minutes, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the walnuts, cream, vanilla, and fine sea salt.
8. Pour the filling over the crust and bake the bars for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating halfway through the cooking time, until the bars are bubbling all over. They won't be completely set, and should still jiggle when you move the pan, but the filling should have bubbles over the entire surface. Remove from the oven and let them cool on a wire rack.
9. The bars will firm up as they cool. Once cool, lift the edges of foil to remove bars from pan. For the cleanest cuts, the bars should be completely cool—either by letting them sit at room temperature for 3 to 4 hours, or by placing them in the refrigerator until set. Cut them into small squares or slim rectangles.
To finish
10. Melt the chocolate in the microwave, and drizzle the chocolate over the tops of the bars.
11. Sprinkle a big pinch of large flaked sea salt over bars.
12. Refrigerate them again, briefly, to set the chocolate before serving.
13. Store bars in refrigerator or freeze.
How to substitute honey for sugar—according to the National Honey Board . . . When substituting honey for granulated sugar in recipes, begin by substituting honey for up to half of the sugar called for in the recipe. For baked goods, make sure to reduce the oven temperature by 25°F to prevent overbrowning; reduce any liquid called for by 1/4 cup for each cup of honey used and add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda for each cup of honey used. Because of its high fructose content, honey has higher sweetening power than sugar. This means you can use less honey than sugar to achieve the desired sweetness.
Salted Honey Walnut Bars
Yield: 30 to 36 sweet treats
INGREDIENTS:
For the crust
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup powdered sugar
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
For the filling
12 tablespoons (6 ounces) unsalted butter, cubed
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup (12 ounces) honey
2 1/2 cups walnuts toasted and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup (4 ounces) heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt
For finishing
4 ounces dark chocolate, cut or broken into pieces for quick melting
1/2 teaspoon large flaked sea salt or other finishing salt
DIRECTIONS:
To make the crust
1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with foil, extending the foil up and over all four side for easy removal of bars from pan; spray foil with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Combine the flour, powdered sugar, and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer; mix until ingredients are just blended and begin to come together as a soft dough.
3. Press the crust evenly into the prepared pan.
4. Bake at 350° for 20 to 25 minutes, until it is golden brown around the edges.
5. Cool the crust while you prepare the filling.
To make the filling
6. Combine the butter, brown sugar, and honey in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
7. Stir while the butter and sugar melt. Bring the mixture to a boil and let it boil, stirring only occasionally, for five minutes. After five minutes, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the walnuts, cream, vanilla, and fine sea salt.
8. Pour the filling over the crust and bake the bars for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating halfway through the cooking time, until the bars are bubbling all over. They won't be completely set, and should still jiggle when you move the pan, but the filling should have bubbles over the entire surface. Remove from the oven and let them cool on a wire rack.
9. The bars will firm up as they cool. Once cool, lift the edges of foil to remove bars from pan. For the cleanest cuts, the bars should be completely cool—either by letting them sit at room temperature for 3 to 4 hours, or by placing them in the refrigerator until set. Cut them into small squares or slim rectangles.
To finish
10. Melt the chocolate in the microwave, and drizzle the chocolate over the tops of the bars.
11. Sprinkle a big pinch of large flaked sea salt over bars.
12. Refrigerate them again, briefly, to set the chocolate before serving.Store bars in refrigerator or freeze.
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