These whole wheat butter tart bars are like butter tarts but without the hassle of making tiny little individual crusts – doesn’t get any better than that. These butter tart bars are on the richer, sweeter side but they’re definitely worth the indulgence for special occasions. They’re easy, delicious, made with simple ingredients!

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Butter tarts are one of my favourites and these butter tart bars with a whole grain crust is my favourite way of enjoying them. These are inspired by one of my favourite bakeries in Vancouver that only used freshly milled grain, no white flour allowed!

What are Butter Tart Bars?

Butter tart bars are everything you love about butter tarts but in bar form!

What Are The Benefits Of Fresh-Milled Whole Wheat Flour?

Nutrient-Rich: Fresh-milled whole wheat flour retains all the nutrients found in whole grains, including fibre, vitamins, and minerals, which are often lost in commercially processed flours.

Better Flavour: Fresh-milled flour has a deeper and more complex flavour compared to store-bought flour, taking your baked goods to the next level.

Healthier: Whole wheat flour contains the bran, germ, and endosperm of the grain, providing a balanced nutritional profile, aiding digestion and contributing to a robust microbiome.

More Fun: Milling your own flour is fun! It allows you to experiment with different grains and create custom blends tailored to your baking needs or interests.

Fresher: Freshly milled flour doesn’t contain preservatives or additives, offering a more natural and wholesome ingredient for your recipes.

Where Do I Get Fresh-Milled Whole Wheat Flour?

If you’re living in a city, you can mostly likely find a bakery or fancy grocery store that sells fresh-milled whole wheat flour. If you’re living in the country and you can source whole-grains, you may want to consider milling your own flour. You can start without making a large investment by using a powerful coffee grinder or blender that you already own. A step up would be purchasing a KitchenAid grain mill attachment. If you’re really enjoying working with fresh-milled whole-grains and you have a reliable source of grain, you can also consider a Harvest NutriMill which is the one I use and love both for its beauty and practicality.

When you feel ready to invest, you can get a NutriMill with $20 off using my discount code BRONSBREAD20 at checkout.

To Brown the Butter or Not To Brown the Butter?

I’ve made them both ways and I will say that browning the butter for the filling takes these bars to another level.

I would highly recommend browning the butter but it really depends on the kind of time you have. They are also so good without browned butter.

What You’ll Need

You can make these butter tart bars with basic ingredients and materials. They can be as simple or as gourmet as you’d like.

Materials

8″x 8″ Glass Baking Dish
A standard 8″x 8″ glass baking dish is perfect for this recipe, giving you the right size for evenly baking your butter tart bars.

Medium Bowl
Use a medium-sized bowl for mixing the crumble base. This bowl should be large enough to easily incorporate all the dry ingredients and the melted butter.

Large Glass Measuring Cup
A large glass measuring cup is ideal for combining the liquid ingredients for the filling. It’s also handy for measuring your wet ingredients before pouring them into the filling mixture.

Whisk or Immersion Blender
A whisk works well for manually mixing the filling ingredients, but if you want a smoother consistency, an immersion blender can help combine the ingredients quickly and evenly.

Small Saucepan
A small saucepan is needed to melt the butter for the fillin.

Ingredients

Butter: You can’t make a butter tart without butter! It provides that rich, creamy flavour that’s essential for these bars.

Sugar: Brown sugar is your best bet here, giving that deep, caramelized sweetness to balance the richness.

Whole Wheat Flour: I used a blend of freshly milled hard red wheat, hard white wheat, and spelt for a nutty, hearty flavour.

Eggs: With rich, golden egg yolks that provide that custardy texture and flavour we all love in butter tarts.

Cream: Use heavy cream for the richest, creamiest filling, or substitute with half-and-half or milk for a lighter version.

Vanilla: A splash of simple vanilla extract.

Salt: I prefer using sea salt for the base, with a sprinkle of Maldon flaky sea salt on top to add a delightful burst of flavour.

Optional: A splash of maple syrup for more depth of flavour.

Optional: For a little something extra, add a pinch of coffee grounds to elevate the flavours.

How To Make Whole Wheat Butter Tart Bars

Preheat the Oven
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Prepare an 8″x 8″ baking dish by greasing it with butter and dusting with flour, or line it with parchment paper for easy removal.

Prepare the Crumble Base
In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, and soft butter. Mix until the ingredients form a crumbly texture.

Assemble the Crust
Transfer the crumble mixture to your prepared baking dish and press it down evenly to form a solid base.

Bake the Base
Bake the crust for 15 minutes, or until lightly golden.

Make the Filling
While the crust is baking, prepare the filling. In a large glass measuring bowl, combine melted butter, brown sugar, vanilla extract, maple syrup, eggs, cream, flour, and coffee grounds. Use a whisk or immersion blender to mix until smooth and syrupy.

Bake the Bars
Once the crust is done, pour the filling over the baked base and return the dish to the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the filling is set and slightly golden around the edges.

Add the Finishing Touch
As soon as the bars are out of the oven, sprinkle flaky Maldon sea salt over the top while the filling is still soft and sticky.

Cool and Slice
Let the bars cool for 1 hour on the counter, then place them in the fridge for another hour or more to fully set.
Once chilled, slice into squares and enjoy!