Buttermilk Bars

Buttermilk bars, preferably unfrosted, are my favorite type of donut. Unfortunately, not many bakeries make them. Locally, they are available, on a hit-or-miss basis, at Larry & Kristi’s Bakery in Manette. When I visit my dad and sister in Del Mar, CA, we always make a trip to the legendary V.G.’s in Encinitas, a great bakery and creator of some of the best buttermilk bars made anywhere. But if you can’t find them at a nearby bakery, you can make buttermilk bars at home. While they aren’t the same as the donut-style bars, they are devilishly good, and it’s worth passing on the recipe.

Full disclosure: I didn’t actually make the buttermilk bars described in this post. I left that to K’s mom, an experienced cook and excellent all-around baker of pies, rolls, cookies, and other treats. This fall I have been driving her to work on Mondays, and in return she frequently supplies me with a batch of home-made cookies. So why not buttermilk bars? All I had to do was look up a recipe on the Internet and contribute a couple of items she didn’t already have at home. She did the rest.

Neither of us could come up with a perfect decription of how they taste other than “Delish”—as J.W. Jackson, the detective created by the late Philip R. Craig in his Martha Vineyard mystery series, used to say. They taste a lot like a nut bread only a lot richer. The best part? Since they are made in a 9 x 13-inch pan, you can cut them to any size you want. Here’s the recipe. Enjoy!

1 1/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. brown sugar
3/4 tsp. salt
2 c. flour
1 stick oleo
1 c. chopped nuts
1 egg
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. soda
1 c. buttermilk

Mix sugar, flour, salt, cut in butter. Combine 2 cups mixture with nuts. Press in 9 x 13-inch pan. Beat remaining mixture with the rest of ingredients. Spread over first layer. Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes.

I got the recipe from the Bars: Buttermilk Bar Recipes by Becky web site.