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11 Of Our Favourite Dessert Square Recipes To Make Now

From gooey oat bars to pink lemonade squares and everything in between, these simple and delicious recipes are truly bar none.
Smitten Kitchen Bake Sale Winning-est Gooey Oat Bars

Photography, Erik Putz. Food Styling, Dara Sutin. Prop Styling, Krystin Leigh Smith.

These dessert squares recipes celebrate irresistible flavour combinations—both new and old—that we're excited about. From bright pink bars that channel summer afternoons in the sun, to decadent chocolate-studded squares that have a surprise in every bite, there's guaranteed to be a dessert bar recipe here you'll want to try.

Puffed Wheat Squares

Recipe developer Haley Polinsky grew up on a honey farm in Theodore, Sask., and always looked forward to coming home from school to find this classic prairie treat waiting for her. This is her mom’s recipe, with a chocolate drizzle for extra indulgence. Get Haley's puffed wheat squares recipe.

squares of puffed wheat squares drizzled in chocolate

Vegan Strawberry-Rhubarb Oat Squares

With an irresistible oat crust and fruity, vibrant centre—these bars will transport your tastebuds to summertime. Get our vegan strawberry-rhubarb oat squares recipe.

A tin of Vegan Strawberry-Rhubarb Oat Squares on a table with a floral design.

Roasted White Chocolate Blondies

The addition of roasted white chocolate—which has a gorgeous caramelized flavour—and nutty brown butter add new flavour dimensions to the humble blondie. Get our roasted white chocolate blondies recipe.

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Roasted white chocolate blondies on wooden cutting board

Old-Fashioned Date Squares

Delicious date squares are a simple blend of brown sugar, oats, butter and sweet dates—a comforting treat for a cozy winter afternoon. If there's a baked-goods equivalent to a hug, this is it. Get our old-fashioned date squares recipe.

A large square of butter tart dessert squares, cut into smaller pieces.

Pink Lemonade Squares

Cranberries and lemon are the magic mix to sweet-tart dessert squares. Get our pink lemonade squares recipe.

Pink Lemonade Squares with lemon slices on top

Box-of-Chocolate Brownies

A chocolate candy is hidden inside each brownie square! Use whatever type of candy you prefer, but we like a variety to make each square a surprise. Get our box-of-chocolate brownies recipe.

Chocolate brownie on white plate with boxed chocolates loose on tabletop

Salted Maple Squares

The secret to these chewy squares? Maple sugar! (You can find it in fine or coarse granules or flakes, and they'll all work with this recipe.) Get our salted maple squares recipe.

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Stack of staled maple squares on blue plate

Classic Nanaimo Bars

The velvety chocolate and sweet, custardy filling make these famous squares irresistible. Get our classic nanaimo bars recipe.

Classic Nanaimo bars on wooden cutting board

Dragon Fruit Grater Cake

This sweet and earthy Jamaican dessert involves just six ingredients and doesn't require an oven. Get this dragon fruit grater cake recipe.

Squares of dragon fruit grater cake arranged in rows beside sliced dragon fruit

Smitten Kitchen’s Gooey Oat Bars

These bake-sale worthy treats taste, in Deb Perelman’s words, “like an old-school Magic Bar, but possibly even more delicious." Get Smitten Kitchen's gooey oat bars recipe.

Smitten Kitchen Bake Sale Winning-est Gooey Oat Bars

Maple Syrup Butter Tart Squares

These squares have all the flavour of classic butter tarts, but are way easier to make. Get our maple syrup butter tart squares recipe.

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Mape syrup butter tart squares on a blue plate on a wood table on a grey napkin next to cubed butter, maple syrup and a bowl of flour(Photo: Roberto Caruso)

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