Brown Butter Chestnut Crumb Bars

Browned butter adds rich flavor to the crust and crumble topping in these chestnut crumb bars, with a sweet, creamy and nutty filling of roasted chestnut puree. Using canned sweetened chestnut spread makes this a quick and easy recipe that’s perfect for the holidays.

You might also love these almond crumb bars, brown butter apple pie bars, and spiced pear crumble muffins.

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What is Chestnut Spread?

Chestnut spread, also called chestnut paste, chestnut cream or creme de marrons, is a creamy, sweetened puree of chestnuts. It’s not a very common ingredient in the United States, and is not well known even outside of France, but it’s a staple in many French households. In fact, I’d never heard of it until I read David Lebovitz’s post on creme de marrons. After reading his review, I was intrigued enough to buy a can of chestnut spread on Amazon, because if David Lebovitz recommends something, you know it’s going to be good.

But since I didn’t know exactly what it was going to taste like, I wasn’t sure what I was going to use it for, and it sat in my pantry for a while before I came up with the idea of using it as a filling for these chestnut crumb bars. And since I bought a 17-ounce can, I had enough for today’s recipe, as well as for a chocolate chestnut cake, which I’ll be sharing soon, also. The chestnut spread has a lovely flavor, similar to dates, so there’s definitely a sweet date essence in these chestnut cookie bars.

It’s a little pricey, and I’m not sure where else you can buy it other than on Amazon. If you were to look for it locally, try a store like World Market, which carries a good selection of international sauces, spreads, jams, cookies, chocolate and other ingredients. And if you were able to get your hands on some chestnuts and felt inclined to make your own chestnut puree, I’m sure that would work well in today’s recipe, too.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Just a Few Ingredients. Besides the chestnut spread, you only need a few standard pantry ingredients for today’s recipe.

Quick and Easy. The brown butter crumble mixture doubles as both the crust and the crumb topping, and the chestnut spread makes an easy filling to sandwich between the crust and topping.

High Altitude Tested. While these chestnut crumb bars will work at any altitude, mountain bakers can bake with confidence knowing that I test all of my recipes at Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet.

Perfect for the Holidays. Chestnuts are a classic Christmas flavor. After all, the song goes chestnuts roasting on an open fire, so if you wouldn’t eat chestnuts during the holidays, when would you? I actually baked these bars for our Thanksgiving dessert, as an easy alternative to pie, and let me tell you, they were fantastic. The crumble topping and crust is buttery and crisp, but tender like shortbread. And the chestnut filling thickens in the oven, with a soft, chewy texture.

See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.

Ingredients

• Unsalted Butter. By browning the butter first, you’ll give the crumble mixture a richer, deeper, nuttier flavor that’s just delicious.
• Flour. All-purpose flour gives the crumble structure and strength.
• Light Brown Sugar. Adds a touch of sweetness.
• Salt. Balances the sweetness.
• Baking Powder. Gives the crust a little bit of lift as the bars bake.
• Vanilla Extract. Flavor.
• Chestnut Spread. You’ll need 1 cup of chestnut spread, or 12 ounces. I bought a 17-ounce can, but most of the cans I see available on Amazon are 8 ounces each, so you’ll need to buy 2 cans.

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Line an 8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper, or spray with non-stick baking spray.
• In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Continue to cook the butter, swirling the pan occasionally, until nutty brown solids form on the bottom of the pan. This should take about 5 minutes.

• Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine 2 cups of the flour (reserving 1/2 cup of flour for later) with the brown sugar, salt and baking powder.
• As soon as the butter is browned, use a spatula to scrape the bottom of the pan to scrape up all the browned bits. Pour the hot butter over the flour mixture, and add the vanilla. Stir with a spoon to form it into a soft dough.

• Scoop 2/3 of the dough (reserving 1/3 of the dough for the crumb topping) into the prepared baking pan, and use your hands to press the dough evenly into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 20 minutes.

• Take the reserved 1/2 cup of flour and add it to the remaining 1/3 of the dough. Use a fork or pastry cutter to work the flour into the dough until you have a crumbly topping. Set aside.

• After the crust bakes for 20 minutes, take the pan out of the oven. Spread the chestnut filling over the hot crust, and sprinkle with the crumb topping.
• Return the pan to the oven, and bake for 20-25 minutes, until the topping is a light golden brown.

• Cool completely for several hours before cutting into squares.

Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!

Frequently Asked Questions

How long will chestnut bars stay fresh?

You should store the cooled bars in an airtight container at room temperature, and they’ll stay fresh for at least 3 days.

Can I use a 9-inch pan instead of 8-inch?

You can use a 9-inch pan, but your bars will be a little thinner than if you use an 8-inch pan.

What else can I use chestnut spread for?

Besides today’s chestnut bars, I used up my can of chestnut spread in a chocolate chestnut cake (coming soon). But in France, people typically just eat it on its own, swirled into yogurt, or spread on toast.

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