Pecan Bars
Pecan Bars
These short and sweet bars are perfect if you are craving a sweet pecan flavor. This recipe is by Leah Eskin and was originally published in the Chicago Tribune.
Prep Time
30
minutes
Cook Time
20
minutes
Servings
32
servings
Total time: 50 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cup pecan halves
- 1 stick of unsalted butter, softened
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 10 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoon heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup dark chocolate disks, chips or chunks
Directions
- Toast: Heat oven to 350 degrees.Spread out pecans on a rimmed baking sheet; slide into oven and toast until nuts darken slightly and give off a sweet, nutty fragrance, about 6 minutes.Pull out pan; leave oven on.Pour nuts onto a work surface to cool.
- Grind: Measure 1/2 cup toasted pecans into the food processor.
- Pile in all pastry ingredients, in order.
- Process to a soft dough, about 30 seconds.
- Par-bake: Line a 9-by-9-by-2-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving some overhang.
- Pat in pastry. (Cover pastry with waxed paper while patting if dough is sticky).
- Bake until dry to the touch, but still soft, 10 minutes.
- Pull out pan; leave oven on.
- Caramelize: To make the top, scatter sugar into a heavy skillet.
- Heat over medium-high until sugar melts and turns caramel brown, about 4 minutes.
- Stir in remaining toasted pecans and turn down heat to low.
- Stir in the butter, cream, salt and vanilla.
- Pull pan off heat.
- Scatter in chocolate and stir once, just enough to mix in, not completely melt, the chocolate.
- Bake: Scrape nut mixture over par-baked pastry.
- Bake, 10 minutes.
- Cool completely.
- Grasp parchment overhang and lift out.
- Slice into 2-by-1-inch bars; you should have 32.
- Enjoy.