Pistachio Gooey Butter Bars

They might even be better than the OG.

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The Dubai chocolate craze might be dying down, but the world is still crazy for pistachio— and once you taste these pistachio gooey butter bars, you will be too. Featuring a layer of rich, creamy pistachio “goo” on a soft cakey cookie base, these bars are the perfect blend of salty, sweet, soft, chewy . . . and utterly decadent.

Originally created in St. Louis, the gooey butter bar (or cake, depending on who you ask) is a two-layered bake consisting of a yellow cake base and a layer of super gooey buttery cheesecake on top. The typical recipe often uses a box of yellow cake mix in the base and a plain vanilla topping, but here I’ve opted to zhuzh up the top layer with pistachio cream and make the base from scratch . . . which in my opinion, makes these 10x more delicious than the OG version (which is insanely delicious already).

They might look complicated to make, but these gooey butter bars are a one-bowl bake that takes less than an hour from start to finish. You can use the same bowl for both layers (no need to clean it!), as well as the same spatula and the same offset spatula— if you’re using one. And (most importantly) the clean-up takes less than five minutes.

These bars will start to lose their gorgeous gooeyness once they’re cut, so if you’d like to make them in advance, I recommend leaving them as a whole slab in the pan and, once they’re completely cool, and plastic-wrapping the entire pan. From there you can store them at room temperature for up to 2 days. Once the bars are cut, any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Their texture will change, but they’ll still taste incredible.

Enjoy!

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Pistachio Gooey Butter Bars

(Serves 16)

Prep/Mixing Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Ingredients

⅔ cup (133 g.) granulated sugar

4 tablespoons (½ stick, 57 g.) unsalted butter, melted

¼ teaspoon almond extract

2 large eggs, divided

¾ teaspoon kosher salt, divided (I used Diamond Crystal)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1¼ cup (150 g.) all-purpose flour

4 oz. (½ block) cream cheese, softened

4 oz. smooth pistachio cream (about 6 tablespoons)

2 cups (240 g.) confectioners’ sugar, plus more for dusting

Equipment: 8”x8” metal cake pan, parchment paper, medium bowl, flexible rubber spatula, offset spatula (optional, but highly recommended!)

Instructions

1. Arrange a rack in the center of the oven; preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8”x8” metal cake pan and line with two criss-crossing strips of parchment paper, so the parchment paper covers and extends over all sides of the pan.

2. In a medium bowl, stir together granulated sugar, butter, almond extract, 1 egg, and ½ teaspoon salt until completely combined.

3. Add baking powder and stir vigorously until totally incorporated (at least 20 seconds), then fold in flour until no streaks remain.

4. Press mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan and smooth into an even layer (it will want to stick to your fingers and a spatula; an offset spatula is the best tool for this.) Set aside.

5. Brush any remaining stray particles of dough out of the now-empty bowl and add the cream cheese (no need to completely clean the bowl here). Using a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese on low just until smooth. Add the pistachio cream and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and beat until combined. Beat in the remaining egg.

6. Add 2 cups confectioners’ sugar and beat on low until completely smooth and silky.

7. Pour pistachio gooey layer over unbaked cake layer and carefully smooth to level. If desired, clip the parchment paper to the sides of the pan with binder clips.

8. Bake gooey butter bars until golden at the edges, 20-25 minutes. Carefully tent the top with foil (you don’t want the foil to touch the top of the bars!) and continue to bake until puffed and still jiggly in the center but set around the edges, 5-15 minutes more. (The bars should take between 30 and 35 minutes to bake in total).

9. Uncover and let cool completely before removing from the pan and cutting into squares with a sharp knife. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve.

Originally posted March 15, 2026.