Mom's Maple Nut Squares

I'm on a diet, which means I am baking a lot more then usual to make up for what I am not allowing myself to have. Which means the stuff I'm baking is oh, SO, good. Which also means, my body is no where near bathing suit ready! Thank God it's still January!

This recipe comes from my mom. It reminds me of winter aromas and flavors. Where she got the recipe from remains a mystery, but WOW, these are fantastic and one of my absolute favorites! My mom was a passionate baker who was also a type 1 diabetic for most of her life. She would bake all the things she wished she could, "legally eat," in her words.

These bars were something she started making within the last 8 years of her life, and they are, without a doubt, a little piece of heaven.

I am a little embarrassed to share this recipe though, because it uses an imitation form of a speciality product that is produced right here in my home state and neighboring state, Vermont.....maple syrup.

This recipe actually calls for "imitation maple flavoring", and I will admit that I have not experimented enough to have the alternate "real maple syrup" recipe for all of you, but I hope to someday accomplish this because these bars are amazing. Frankly though, what's more amazing is living in an area where REAL maple syrup is abundant and required :)


Maple Nut Squares
(a recipe from my mom)
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2/3 cup oil (I use vegetable)
2 tsp imitation maple flavoring
1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in small bowl. Beat sugar, eggs, oil and maple flavor in large bowl. Add flour mixture to egg/sugar/oil and mix well. Stir in walnuts. Spray a 9x9 baking pan with cooking spray with flour added. Pour batter into pan and make level. Bake for 20-30 minutes until light golden brown and/or when a tooth pick is inserted in middle of bars comes out clean. Enjoy!!

(Note: I could not find my 9x9 pan so I used an 8x8 in the pictures. I do recommend using a 9x9 if you have one because the bars won't come out so thick and will serve more)