Pecan Pie Bars
Pecan pie is not an Italian dessert, and it is not even a dessert that comes from my region of the United States -- in fact it is a dessert from the South, especially common in Texas, a state I have never traveled to. I made my first pecan pie in high school at the request of my Nonno, who also loved this dessert. I have him to thank for introducing me to one of my favorite things to bake and eat -- it was love at first bite. Besides the fact that pecan pie is super quick to throw together, it is sweet, crunchy, and gooey all at the same time, even better with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of fresh whipped cream. If you really want to take this dessert over the top, you can add chocolate chips or coconut to it, or go all out and add both as I used to do for my Nonno (who was also a huge coconut fan). Pecan coconut chocolate pie anyone?
You'll have noticed that this recipe is for pecan pie bars, not regular old pecan pie -- I find it more convenient to have a portable version of this dessert for the holidays — this is a staple at Thanksgiving — as pecan pie isn't the easiest dessert to eat when making the rounds of the relatives. I made these recently as a birthday gift for my friend Costanza, a hugely talented pastry chef and owner of Dess'art in Testaccio. Making a dessert for a pastry chef is always a bit nerve wracking, but these got her stamp of approval (phew!) If that's not proof that you to make these bars asap, I don't know what is!
A couple of notes: Can’t find corn syrup where you are? Golden syrup works just as well here; note however that it contains a bit more salt than corn syrup, so reduce the amount of salt in the filling. Can’t find pecans where you are? Walnuts would also work well here.
Looking for more recipes for brownies and bars? Click here.
Looking for more pecan pie recipes? I’ve got this chocolate chip pecan pie and this pretzel chocolate pecan pie.
PECAN PIE BARS
Recipe adapted from Baking Illustrated. Makes 10 squares.
Ingredients for the crust:
1 cup (130 grams) all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon (1 gram) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon (3 grams) salt
1/3 cup (65 grams) packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup (63 grams) pecans, toasted and chopped coarse
6 tablespoons (84 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
For the filling:
4 tablespoons (56 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup (100 grams) packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup (120mL) light corn syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon (3 grams) salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 3/4 cups (220 grams) pecans, toasted
Directions:
For the crust: Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-inch square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Fold two large pieces of aluminum foil perpendicular to one another in the baking pan so that there is overhang around all the edges. Butter the aluminum foil.
Place the flour, baking powder, salt, brown sugar, and 1/4 cup pecans in a food processor. Process the mixture until it resembles coarse cornmeal. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles sand. Pat the mixture evenly into the prepared pan and bake until the crust is light brown, about 20 minutes.
For the filling: While the crust is in the oven, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, and salt in a medium bowl until just combined. Add in the egg and whisk until incorporated. Pour the filling on top of the hot crust and sprinkle the 1 and 3/4 cups pecans evenly over the top. Bake until the top is brown and cracks start to form across the surface, 22 to 25 minutes. Cool for 1 hours. Remove the bars from the pan using the foil or parchment paper “handles” and transfer to a cutting board; cut into desired sizes.
