133 square recipes

Quick oatmeal bars with apple butter, coconut, and brown sugar baked into chewy squares ready in 30 minutes for easy lunch box treats or snacks.

Chinese sizzling sweet and sour seafood with shrimp, scallops, and vegetables in a tangy sauce poured over deep-fried rice cakes for a dramatic tableside sizzle.

French-style almond macaroons piped from almond paste, filled with rum-spiked chocolate ganache, and dipped in a semisweet chocolate glaze. An elegant three-part cookie.

Crunchy cornflake squares bound with peanut butter and corn syrup need zero baking for a quick retro treat kids can help make in under 20 minutes.

Thick, fudgy peppermint pattie brownies with a whole layer of York-style mint candies sandwiched between cocoa batter. Makes 36 squares for parties and bake sales.

Apricot almond bars with a buttery shortbread crust, spiced almond meringue topping, apricot glaze, and chocolate drizzle. Four layers of European-style pastry in every square.

Homemade chocolate caramels with unsweetened chocolate, cream, and brown sugar cooked to firm ball stage. Rich, chewy candy poured over chopped nuts and cut into squares.

Two-layer brownies with fudgy chocolate base topped with cream cheese-almond swirl studded with mini chocolate chips: baked together, chilled until firm, sliced into rich squares.

Little fruit cake squares packed with chopped dates, candied cherries, and pecans, baked in a 9-inch pan and rolled in powdered sugar. Bite-sized holiday treats.

British-style date flapjacks with jumbo oats, chopped dates, molasses, brown sugar, and mixed spice. Chewy, sticky oat bars baked in one pan and cut into squares.

A no-bake chocolate-coated date log filled with walnuts, candied cherries, and crystallized ginger. Ground dates kneaded into a roll, coated in melted semisweet chocolate, and finished in chopped walnuts. Old-fashioned confection, no oven needed.

Poke is a Pacific Islands banana and arrowroot pudding baked in squares and soaked in fresh coconut milk. Naturally gluten-free, lightly sweet, with a chewy-silky texture.

Homemade whole wheat crackers: a nutty, crisp copycat-style cracker with wheat germ, brown sugar, and butter. Rolled thin on the sheet pan, scored into squares, and baked in 8 minutes flat.

Flaky puff pastry layered with a creamy spinach, green chili, and cream cheese filling. Just 5 ingredients, cut into squares or diamonds for an easy appetizer or snack.

Guizhou lianai doufu: golden-fried tofu squares stuffed with a garlicky cilantro-chili filling, simmered in a gingered soy sauce. A spicy Southwest Chinese classic worth the effort.

Cocoa-spice snackin' cake mixes cocoa, applesauce, and warm cinnamon-nutmeg into a tender square pan cake. Easy weekday baking with a moist crumb and chocolate-spice depth.