{{Short description|Type of dessert}} {{About|the confectionery|restaurant buffets|dessert bar (buffet)|other uses|Bar (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox prepared food | name = Dessert bar | image = Layered bar.jpg | image_size = 250px | caption = A bar made of coconut shavings, caramel, chocolate and butterscotch chips, almond pieces, and an Oreo cookie crust | alternate_name = Bar, square | country = United States, Canada | region = Midwestern United States | creator = | course = | type = Dessert | served = | main_ingredient = Sugar, eggs, butter, flour, milk | variations = | calories = | other = }}
'''Dessert bars''', or simply '''bars''' or '''squares''', are a type of American and Canadian dessert that has the texture of a firm cake or softer than the usual cookie.<ref name="Four-sided">{{cite book|first=Lorraine|last=Bodger|title=The Four-Sided Cookie|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sYjkkCedsCwC&dq=dessert+bar&pg=PA36|publisher=St. Martin's Griffin|accessdate=30 January 2009 | isbn=978-0-312-20675-8|year=2000}}</ref> They are prepared in a pan and then baked in the oven. They are cut into squares or rectangles.<ref name="in Minnesota">{{cite book|first=Berit|last=Thorkelson|title=You Know You're in Minnesota When...: 101 Quintessential Places, People, Events, Customs, Lingo, and Eats of the North Star State|publisher=The Globe Pequot Press|year=2005|isbn=0-7627-3895-2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rWSpAJc0G64C&dq=dessert+bar+minnesota&pg=PA4}}</ref>
They are staples of bake sales and are often made for birthdays. They are especially popular during the holidays, but many people eat them all year. Many coffee shops and bakeries also offer the treats. Popular flavors include peanut butter bars, lemon bars, chocolate coconut bars,<ref>{{cite news|first=Emily|last=Buckert|date=24 December 1998|accessdate=30 January 2009|title=Good Taste: Quick Dessert Bar|work=The Victoria Advocate|page=23|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=d94LAAAAIBAJ&sjid=V1YDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6559,5435802&dq=dessert+bar}}{{Dead link|date=January 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> pineapple bars, apple bars, almond bars, toffee bars,<ref name="church potluck" /> chocolate cheesecake bars<ref name="Four-sided" /> and the seven-layer bar.<ref name="in Minnesota" />
In addition to sugar, eggs, butter, flour and milk, common ingredients are chocolate chips, nuts, raspberry jam, coconut, cocoa powder, graham cracker, pudding, mini-marshmallows and peanut butter.<ref name="church potluck">{{cite book|first=Susie|last=Siegfried|title=Church Potluck Carry-ins and Casseroles: Homestyle Recipes for Church Suppers, Family Gatherings, and Community Celebrations|publisher=Adams Media|year=2006|isbn=1-59337-549-2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eQyVcmT_c7wC&dq=dessert+bar&pg=PA155|accessdate=30 January 2009}}</ref> More exotic bars can be made with ingredients including sour cream, rhubarb, pretzels, candies, vanilla, raisins, and pumpkin.
== Regional variants == The Nanaimo bar is a bar dessert that requires no baking and is named after the city of Nanaimo, British Columbia.
The seven-layer bar variant, which is also called the "magic bar", "Hello Dolly bar", or "coconut dream bar", generally contains a graham cracker base, butter, condensed milk, coconut flakes, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and chopped nuts.<ref name=mashed>[https://www.mashed.com/264544/the-untold-truth-of-magic-cookie-bars/ The Untold Truth of Magic Cookie Bars]. Mashed, October 20, 2020.</ref> The recipe dates back at least to the mid-1960s, when early published recipes appear; the name "Hello Dolly" appears to refer to the musical ''Hello Dolly'', though the reason for the connection is unclear.<ref name=mashed/>
In parts of Canada, dessert bars are called "dainties"<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.winnipegomyheart.com/2009/05/the-winnipeg-o-my-heart-glossary-of-terms/ | title=The Winnipeg O' My Heart Glossary of Terms « Winnipeg O' My Heart }}</ref> and typically include unique staples of Canadian cuisine such as Nanaimo bars, butter tarts, and confetti squares.
[[File:Delicate Meyer Lemon Squares.jpg|thumb|Lemon squares]] Popular belief holds that lemon squares originated in Trinidad and Tobago.<ref name="Prairie Home">{{cite book|first=Judith M.|last=Fertig|title=Prairie Home Cooking: 400 Recipes that Celebrate the Bountiful Harvests, Creative Cooks, and Comforting Foods of the American Heartland|year=1999|publisher=Harvard Common Press|isbn=1-55832-145-4|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eEMyNDQP4VEC&q=seven-layer+bar}} </ref>
==Commercial variants== thumb|right|240px|Bars topped with walnuts Several manufacturers sell dessert bar mixes. Betty Crocker introduced Supreme Dessert Bar mixes in 1992, with lemon bar, chocolate peanut butter bar, and caramel oatmeal bar recipes. They added M&Ms Cookie Bars and Raspberry Bars the following year. In 2004, Krusteaz added a line of dessert bars to its selection of baking mixes.<ref>{{cite news|title=Krusteaz dessert bar mix tastes homemade|date=11 February 2004|work=The Spokesman-Review|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=SR&p_theme=sr&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=100B81EE10A144C8&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|accessdate=30 January 2009|archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304232304/http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=SR&p_theme=sr&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=100B81EE10A144C8&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |url-status=dead}}</ref> The U.S. Navy SEAL Guide to Fitness and Nutrition includes numerous bars in its "lightweight menus".<ref>{{cite book|first1=Patricia A. |last1=Deuster |first2=Anita |last2=Singh |first3=Pierre A. |last3=Peltier |title=The U.S. Navy SEAL Guide to Fitness and Nutrition|page=416|publisher=Skyhorse Publishing|year=2007|quote=They've been staples of bake sales and school birthday treats for years. Technically they are cookies baked in a pan, but most people call them 'bars'.|accessdate=30 January 2009|isbn=978-1-60239-030-0|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m2zzqcoMEyQC&dq=dessert+bar&pg=PA416}}</ref>
==See also== * Bar cookie, a type of dessert bar that includes brownies * List of American desserts * List of cookies
==References== {{commons category|Bars (dessert)}} {{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dessert Bars}} Category:Cuisine of the Midwestern United States Category:Cuisine of Minnesota Category:American cookies Category:Bars (food)