Butter Bars From Scratch: Gooey Goodness Awaits!
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If you like your dessert rich, creamy, and ooey-gooey, you’re going to love this butter bars recipe!
This ooey gooey butter bars recipe is the stuff of legends. While the shortcut recipe (using boxed yellow cake mix) has been making rounds for years, it’s nothing compared to this homemade from-scratch butter bars. I promise it takes just a few extra steps (and a couple of minutes more) and you have an old-fashioned over-the-top dessert bar that tastes like it came straight from Grandma’s table. I’m excited to share this recipe treasure.
If you’ve never tried a gooey butter bar before, let me tell you about these rich and creamy layers. The bottom is soft and moist like a cake and it’s topped with a sweet custard-like cream cheese layer. Fun fact: because they’re so rich in flavor, they’re often called Neiman Marcus bars.
Keep reading for serving ideas, but these butter bars taste delicious no matter how you serve them. Let’s get baking!
Recipe Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Sugar
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Eggs
- Butter
- Cream cheese (check out our easy-peasy homemade cream cheese recipe)
- Eggs
- Powdered sugar
- Wee bit of vanilla extract
I know that seems like a lot of ingredients but it’s just a scant amount for most of them and they come together as quick as a wink. As usual, the full recipe and ingredients are down in the printable recipe card.
How To Make Butter Bars
Place the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, butter, and eggs in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low just until a dough is formed.
Line a 9×13 baking dish with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray or just spray your pan directly with a good coating of cooking spray and leave out the foil part.
The foil makes it easier to remove the bars all at once and get nice clean cuts but it isn’t necessary.
Pat dough into the bottom of the prepared pan and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, place cream cheese and beat until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs, vanilla, and powdered sugar and beat until well combined and smooth with no lumps. Pour over the crust in the pan.
Bake at 350 for about 50 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
Gooey In The Middle
You’ll have to rely on them looking nice and golden rather than the traditional toothpick test as these are supposed to stay a little gooey in the middle.
Allow your butter bars to cool completely before cutting so the top layer can set a bit.
Hint: These are delicious warm but just not as pretty when you cut them that way. I suggest eating one warm and then letting the rest cool – but you didn’t hear that from me!
Once cooled, sprinkle the tops with a little more confectioner’s sugar, cut, and enjoy!
They also taste great with a serving of whipped cream.
Storage
- Store in an airtight container either at room temperature or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Butter bars also freeze really well for up to 3 months. Wrap them individually so you can enjoy a butter bar whenever the craving hits!
Recipe Notes
- For a festive touch, turn your butter bars into cranberry butter bars. Simply add 2 cups of fresh or frozen (and thawed) cranberries to the cream cheese filling.
- Speaking of cranberries, you can also decorate your butter bars with sugared cranberries and fresh mint leaves.
- Other topping ideas include fresh strawberries, caramel sauce, or a simple glaze using powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and milk.
- Enjoy your butter bars at room temperature or cold.
You may also enjoy these other bar recipes:
Recipe for Chocolate Chip Bars
Lemon Bars Recipe and Video Tutorial
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup butter at room temp
Filling:
- 8 oz cream cheese at room temp
- 3 large eggs
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Place the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, butter, and eggs in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low just until a dough is formed. Line a 9x13 baking dish with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray or just spray your pan directly with a good coating of cooking spray and leave out the foil part. (The foil makes it easier to remove the bars all at once and get nice clean cuts but it isn't necessary).
- Pat dough into bottom of prepared pan and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, place cream cheese and beat until smooth and creamy. Add 3 eggs, vanilla, and powdered sugar and beat until well combined and smooth with no lumps. Pour over crust in pan.
- Bake at 350 for about 50 minutes or until the top is golden brown. You'll have to rely on them looking nice and golden rather than the traditional toothpick test as these are supposed to stay a little gooey in the middle. Allow to cool completely before cutting so the top layer can set a bit.
Notes
Nutrition
“The hope of the world lies in what one demands, not of others, but of oneself.”
~James Baldwin
Thanks, love to all
Love to you Mary!!
I’ve been wanting to go to Pulaski for the day – that may be on our summer “list” this year 🙂
The last day trip we took as a family was to Paducah, KY (seems like a long way away, but about 4 hours from our home near Bham. We made several stops along the way and enjoyed the antique stores and a cute little restaurant (Chandies) in Paducah. They had the BEST meatloaf sandwich!
I love Paducah!! Mama and I have gone to several quilt retreats there!!
It always cracks me up when I hear someone mention Paducah! It’s my husbands hometown, and the river front is one of my most favorite places to just sit and be still.
They used to have an awesome antique shop downtown, but they closed a few years ago. I was so sad to see they had gone! But at least there is still Starnes!
Oh yummy! Hey…….when am I gonna see you again? That gift is still waiting for you!
One of these days life is going to slow down a bit – I keep waiting for it! I have a gift for you as well!
One of the things I have for you is something I asked Les to pick up on one of his trips. You need to be using it! We just have to make time…life is full sometimes…and short!
Butter Bars are just about my favorite, hands down, and these look absolutely delicious. Oh. My.
They are good Patti!! I hope you get the chance to find out for yourself soon!!
What a beautiful drive! Thank you so much for sharing all that beautiful, lush green with us! We live in Florida close to the beach. It’s so lovely – I love nothing more than taking my tattered and loved bible and doing my readings and then sit and watch the waves. Those waves just mesmerize me. Every single wave looks different… even if only in minute differences. Then, I start thinking a bit deeper and think of how each drop in the ocean is placed there by God’s own design. It’s glorious to remember that! The best days are those that my sweetheart feels up to coming with me. We do our marriage bible study and there’s just no place else I’d rather be…. and butter bars? Yum-o-Rama! Going to try them out this weekend!
You sound like my kind of person! My soul felt peace anew just reading this. Blessings to you and yours!! Now I’m gonna go grab my Bible!
I cannot wait to make these! Can I use self rising flour and leave out the baking powder and salt? I normally only have self rising flour. Thanks for the wonderful recipes and uplifting stories- you give us food for our bodies and for our souls!
Kathy W.
You can but you are going to end up with a lot more baking powder and salt than this recipe calls for, about three times as much of each. The crust will likely rise a little more and it will be saltier but you may enjoy the difference. 🙂 (I’m not scared of a little salty sweet!)
Christy, these look wonderful. I can’t wait to try them. BTW, I sent an email to you. I had a question about a recipe. Thanks. Phyl
Hey Phyl! I will go look for your email. My inbox gets to be a bit of an abyss at times 🙂 Thank you for being here!!!
Christy, I just made this for some friends that are helping us put it a new fence. Everyone said these are the best dessert ever! I can’t thank you enough for all the great recipes you post and the wonderful posts on your website. You truly are a kind, caring person can make total strangers feel like friends. Thank you for everything
Our day trip was actually a 3 day trip. It was our first road trip since quarantine . We delivered a donor car from our Car Care Ministry. I can’t wait to make the Butter Bars. When we can have a car care ministry again I’ll take these for our wonderful servants.
Looked like a bunch of kudzu on that drive to TN. Looking forward I making these. I could see some chilled blueberry sauce on top as well…..mmmmmm
Oh my goodness, that would be good!
I made these once for a family get together. Now, I’m not allowed to attend family get togethers unless I have a double batch of these gooey butter bars in my hands. Frankly, they snatch the platter out of my hands before I get in the door. (Not sure if they mean for me to let myself in. ) Seriously, if you are on a diet, you don’t want to make this recipe. If you want to be popular, make a double batch!