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18 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.
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Classic lemon squares with sliced lemon on top of custard for an article about the 18 best dessert square recipes

(Photo: Erik Putz)

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

Triple-Chocolate Brownies

Triple-chocolate brownies, made with melted butter. Why? Melted butter has already released much of its water content, making the finished treats soft and dense, as well as flavourful. Get this triple-chocolate brownies recipe.

Triple chocolate brownies, made with dark and white chocolate chips, plus cocoa and bittersweet chocolate, dusted with powdered sugar on a blue serving plate next to a cup of black coffee on a rustic wood table

Lemon Squares

We love a classic citrus treat. These squares pair a sweet, crispy base with a jiggly rich and tangy custard. Get our lemon squares recipe.

Classic lemon squares with sliced lemon on top of custard for an article about the 18 best dessert square recipes

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.

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Pink Lemonade Squares with lemon slices on top

Pumpkin Brown Butter Blondies

"It would be great if canned pumpkin were sold in just the right amount to make a pie. But since it isn’t, these blondies are a delicious way to use up the rest. The ribbon of pumpkin butter makes them addictively good." Get Eshun Mott's pumpkin brown butter blondies recipe.

A person with a glass in hand, and a partially eaten Pumpkin Brown Butter Blondie in the other. A plate of blondies is set on a tray beside them for an article about the 18 best dessert square recipes

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.

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.

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Classic Nanaimo bars on wooden cutting board

Gluten-Free Brownies

Dark and fudgy brownies are always a hit, and now the gluten-sensitive can enjoy them, too. Get this gluten-free brownies recipe.

18 Of Our Favourite Dessert Square Recipes To Make Now

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.

 3 Smitten Kitchen Bake Sale Winning Gooey Oat Bars stacked between a white napkin/thin paper for an article about 17 Of Our Favourite Dessert Square Recipes To Make Now

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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A stack of maple butter tart squares on a blue plate, next to a grey napkin with cubes of butter in a bowl on top of a cutting board in the background for an article about 17 Of Our Favourite Dessert Square Recipes To Make Now

Hazelnut Brownies

These brownies get the perfect nutty crunch from lightly toasted hazelnuts. Get this hazelnut brownies recipe.

A blue-rimmed white plate of two hazelnut brownies with a blue and white fork resting on it next to a plate of more brownies and a bowl of hazelnuts and two small red and blue pennants for an article about the 18 best dessert square recipes

Dream Squares

Here's a chewy toasted-coconut classic from Tait's Bakery. What a great way to use up glaceed fruit left from holiday baking. Get this dream squares recipe.

Chocolate chip and nut cookie bars, close up

Lemon-Cranberry Coconut Squares

Tart lemon adds tang to the sweet coconut in these irresistible squares. Get this lemon-cranberry coconut square recipe.

18 Of Our Favourite Dessert Square Recipes To Make Now

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A Bright Spot: Our Spring 2026 issue features 12 colourful DIY decor hacks from guest editor Alexandra Gater. Plus, recipes for protein-packed breakfasts, cheese soufflé and a dreamy rhubarb cake.