Trying out “Norwegian Christmas Butter Squares” from Tumblr

This recipe has been floating around the Internet. I’ve seen it on Tumblr, Facebook, reddit, and Ifunny. I included the post I saw most recently but it does not include the original recipe poster’s name. Based on a quick search it appears this recipe originated from a Tumblr user under the name of “locusimperium”. The different posts have really talked up this recipe and made it sound amazing so I knew I had to give it a try.

It seems to me this is trying to be similar to a sugar cookie. Sugar cookies are delicious but the work required to chill, roll, and cut the dough can be time consuming. The promise of an amazing and easy sugar cookie in bar form had me excited. Less effort for a known delicious dessert is absolutely my style.

It’s a simple recipe that starts with putting your baking pan in the freezer to cool while you make the dough. Then you start mixing. I went ahead and creamed the butter and sugar together even though it wasn’t mentioned. Then I added in the vanilla, eggs, and opted to add in 1 teaspoon of almond extract. If you like or love almond extract, this is such an amazing addition. However if you are not a fan of the almond flavor, do not add this. With such a simple recipe it really takes over the flavor profile. Not in an overpowering way, but it’s definitely front and center. Finally I added in the salt and flour.

The dough was thick and tasted really good at this point, very similar to a sugar cookie dough. I scooped it all into the 9×13 pan and started flattening it with my hands. Actually, I tried using a rubber spatula first but the dough kept sticking to it. Funnily enough, it didn’t stick to my fingers. Once it was even in the pan, I sprinkled on some white sugar and starting moving the pan around like someone had mentioned in one of the post variations, I used a method that looked similar to panning for gold. Once the pan was fully coated in sugar I poured the extra out.

I put it in the oven to cook and at about 14 minutes it was ready to come out and it already smelled amazing. I let it sit for a few before cutting and then went ahead and cut it into 24 pieces. I eyeballed each cut and just cut at the estimated half way point over and over until it looked good.

These cookies looked gooey with a crust on top. Since they were still a little warm they were almost falling apart they were so soft. I took a bite and fell in love. The soft gooey center with the crisp top was a textural miracle. The sugar topping provided an extra layer of texture that blew me away. Could every sugar cookie be improved by being coated in sugar crystals? I’d love to find out. This cookie was sweet but not over bearing. The almond flavor pulled through in a fantastic way. I ate more of these than I should admit.

This recipe as prepared totals 3354 calories. If you divided the pan into 24 cookies each cookie is 140 calories.

Here are the links to products used today:
Rubber Spatulas – https://amzn.to/3JWDtAA
Oven Mitts – https://amzn.to/3JYq5Mg
Vanilla Bean Paste – https://amzn.to/3QGEsZB
9×13 glass baking pan – https://amzn.to/3ygJB3Y
Plastic Measuring Cup – https://amzn.to/4bDJIoV
KitchenAid Scraper Attachment – https://amzn.to/3WCPm67
*These are affiliate links meaning if you click on the link and buy the product, I will earn a small commission, but you will not be charged a penny more.