Butter Tart Slice

This Butter Tart Slice (also known as Butter Tart Squares or Butter Tart Bars) is like eating a delicious classic butter tart in the form of a square, but it's quicker and easier to make! With a delightful buttery shortbread crust and a gooey butter tart filling, these bars are perfect on a baking platter and make a great dessert or snack.

Butter tart square being held up in a hand

This Butter tart Slice is popular around Christmas, especially in Canada! They are a great addition to your baking platter or for bringing along to a potluck or simply to enjoy with a cup of coffee, tea, or milk. If you're also crazy about butter tarts, give my butter tart cake, butter tart cookies, butter tart cupcakes, butter tart ice cream, and Butter Tart Waffles (Canadian Waffles) a try!

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🥘Ingredient Notes
📖 Variations & Substitutions
🔪How to Make Butter Tart Slice
🌡️Storage
👪 Serving Size
Recipe Tips
🥗 What to serve with butter tart square
❔ Recipe FAQ's
📋More Squares and Bars
📋Butter Tart Slice recipe

Love dessert bars? Try these Chocolate squares. And if you're looking for something a little more traditional, you'll love this Date Slice!

These are the Butter Tart Bars I grew up eating and I finally got the recipe from my Auntie Sue! I'm so happy to be able to share it here. It's THE BEST Butter Tart Slice I've ever had!

🥘Ingredient Notes

You will need the following ingredients for this recipe:

Ingredients in Butter Tart Slice in glass bowls, labelled.

Brown Sugar. You can use light or dark brown sugar. It will only change the color of the bars, not the taste. *I used dark brown sugar in this batch.
Butter. I prefer to use unsalted butter in my baking so I can control the salt (although this recipe has no added salt).
Icing Sugar. Icing sugar is what we call "powdered sugar," or "confectioners sugar" in Canada.

See recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantities.

📖 Variations & Substitutions

Butter-You can use salted butter; it will just cut the sweetness a little.
Raisins - If you're not a fan of raisins, simply use pecans!

🔪How to Make Butter Tart Slice

PREP: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F/176 degrees C.

Base ingredients mixed together in a food processor.

Step 1: Shortbread Base: Mix base ingredients together in food processor until they cling together.

Base ingredients pressed into a prepared pan.

Step 2: Press crust mixture into the prepared pan.

Baked base on large black rectangle trivet.

Step 3: Bake base/crust for 10 minutes in preheated oven.

Topping ingredients mixed together in medium glass bowl with dark wooden sppon.

Step 4: Topping: Meanwhile, mix topping ingredients together in a large bowl. Only mix until combined.

Step 5: Spread topping over base.

Baked butter tart slice in pan, on a black trivet.

Step 6: Bake for 25-30 minutes or until middle is almost firm. *28 minutes was perfect for me!

Butter tart squares cut into 9 pieces in pan.

Step 7: Cool for at least 10 minutes, then loosen the edges with a butter knife or spatula and slice into 9 servings. *Once you remove them from the pan (I use a pie lifter for this) you may want to cut off the edges of each piece to make them look nicer.

🌡️Storage

Store these butter tart bars in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

You can freeze these bars in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

👪 Serving Size

This recipe makes 9 servings. However, you can half, double, or triple the recipe by clicking on the serving number and selecting the number of servings you'd like. The ingredient quantities will automatically adjust.

3 butter tart slices on a white plate with more in a pan in the background.

Recipe Tips

Spray your pan VERY GENEROUSLY. Make sure you spray your baking pan very generously with non-stick spray (or use Wilton Cake Release). The butter tart filling is very sticky and will harden against the sides of the pan. If you don't spray it thoroughly, you will have a tough time loosening the square from the sides of the pan.
Room temperature ingredients. Make sure your eggs and butter are softened to room temperature to ensure the ingredients will incorporate into a smooth crust and filling.
Use a spatula to flatten the base/crust. Using a flat utensil will help evenly flatten the shortbread base.
Don't overmix. Mix your filling ingredients just until combined; overmixing can affect the texture.
Loosen the squares from the sides of the pan. Before attempting to remove the bars from the pan, you'll want to use a spatula or butter knife to loosen the edges.
Use a pie lifter. A pie lifter will ensure you get the squares out in one piece!

🥗 What to serve with butter tart square

Butter tart squares go well with a cup of coffee, tea, eggnog, or milk. If you want to make the ultimate baking tray for the holidays, put them on a platter with: Whipped Shortbread Cookies (with cornstarch), Christmas Nougat (shown) Almond Pinwheel Cookies, Eggnog Cookies (with frosting, and Chocolate Gingerbread Bark!

Nougat candy, cut into squares, on a wooden cutting board with green and gold mini bows

❔ Recipe FAQ's

What can I use instead of a food processor for the shortbread crust?

If you don’t have a food processor, you can use a pastry cutter or your hands to mix the crust ingredients until they cling together.

Are butter tart slices the same as pecan pie bars?

Not quite! While both have a gooey filling, Butter Tart Slices typically use raisins or pecans and a shortbread base, whereas pecan pie bars have a more robust pecan filling and a pie crust.

How do I cut these butter tart squares neatly?

Cool the bars completely (at least 10 minutes) before cutting. Use a sharp knife, and clean the blade with a damp cloth between cuts for cleaner edges. Trim the edges off edge pieces for an even neater look.

Why is my butter tart filling too runny or not setting properly?

If the filling is too runny, ensure you’re baking the bars until the center is almost firm but still slightly jiggly—it will set further as it cools. Avoid overmixing the eggs, as this can affect the texture.

Can I double this recipe?

Yes, you can double or even triple the recipe. Use a larger pan (e.g., 9x13 for doubling), and adjust the baking time slightly—start checking for doneness a few minutes early, but it may need additional baking time.

If you love traditional butter tarts but want them ASAP, you'll love these quick and easy butter tart squares! And if you just can't get enough of that butter tart flavor, check out my collection of The Best Butter Tart Recipes.

📋More Squares and Bars

Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:

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