The Garlic Press

As a kid, I never really liked pecan pie. When I became a teenage and started working as a dietary aide in a nursing home we had pecan pie too. But I still hated it because it always seemed to stick to the pie plates. They were so awful to clean. Once you have to clean 10-12 stuck on pecan pie plates, it makes you not want to eat pecan pie.

It wasn’t until later in life that I decided to give pecan pie another try. Now, I love it (as long as it isn’t too sweet). So, I decided to combine my new-found love for pecan pie with my old love of chocolate. I have had chocolate-pecan pie bars before and sometimes they can be too sweet for my tastes. So, I decided to take The New Best Recipe’s pecan pie bar recipe and tweak it a little bit. It turned out great. These bars are not too sweet and even have a slight salty-caramel-y kick. When I took them into work the next day, I put them in the lounge and they were gone within the hour. Of course, as I have said before, teachers will eat anything, but these were really good! I used bittersweet chocolate in these bars but I think semisweet would work well in them too. Enjoy!

Chocolate-Pecan Pie Bars

 

Adapted from a recipe from The New Best Recipe

Crust Ingredients

1 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup pecans, toasted and chopped

6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Filling

4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup light corn syrup

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 tablespoon bourbon (they also suggest trying dark rum)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 3/4 cups pecans, toasted, chopped coarse

4-6 oz. coarsely chopped bittersweet chocolate (or you could use semisweet)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9×9 square baking pan with foil making sure there is some overhang (so you can lift out the bars to cut them). Spray the foil with cooking spray.

Put the flour, baking powder, salt, brown sugar, and pecans in a blender or food processor. Process the mixture until it resembles coarse cornmeal, then add the butter and pulse until combined. Pat the mixture into the pan and bake the crust for 20 minutes, until golden.

While the crust is baking, mix up the filling. Whisk together everything but the eggs, pecans and chocolate. Add the egg and whisk until combined.

When the crust is done, pour the filling over the hot crust. Sprinkle the pecans and chocolate evenly over the top. Gently push the topping down into the filling. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Cool the bars in the pan on a wire rack or trivet for 1 hour. Lift the bars out of the pan and cut into bars.