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–+ servings
Chestnut bars with crumb topping cut into squares.

Brown Butter Chestnut Crumb Bars

Heather Smoke
Brown butter adds rich flavor to the crust and crumble topping in these chestnut crumb bars, with a sweet and nutty filling of roasted chestnut puree.

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5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings9

Ingredients
 

  • ¾ cup unsalted butter
  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, divided
  • ⅓ cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
  • ¾ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
  • ¾ tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (12 oz) chestnut spread or puree

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.

Notes

Leftover chestnut crumb bars should be stored in an airtight container, and will be fresh for up to three days.
Keyword Brown Butter, Chestnut, Crumb Bars, Pie Bars
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