I especially love making these Pecan Pie Bars for a large family gathering. The recipe itself makes quite a lot, think like 36 bars or so, but you can definitely half the recipe, or just freeze half of the bars to eat later! I think this recipe is so wonderful because it’s literally just a tray bake! Put the crust in a pan, par bake it, then take it out and add the toppings! Put the entire thing back in the oven for 30 minutes or so, and voila! You’ve got yourself some delicious pecan pie bars that are good enough to serve in the fanciest of restaurants or the simplest of graduation parties.
Developing These Pecan Pie Bars
I love taking a classic recipe and putting a little spin on it, which is exactly what is so perfect about these bars. No longer do you need a fork or even a plate for that matter to enjoy the flavors of a pecan pie. All you have to do is grab a bar and go! They’re sweet and sticky, caramelly and crunchy. The richness of these bars is not to be overlooked, but to be loved and rejoiced at every gathering they’re brought to!
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Pecan Pie Bars
Description
Like your own little pie in a bar form.
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter (chilled)
For the filling:
- 1 1/2 cups light corn syrup
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar (packed)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter (melted)
- 10 oz chopped pecans
Instructions
For the crust:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Whisk together.
- Cut the butter into small cubes and work the butter into the flour mixture with your hands. This is called “cutting” the butter in. Keep squishing the butter between your fingers in the flour until no piece is larger than a pea. The resulting mixture will be able to be packed together and will look and feel sandy.
- In a large 15×10 inch jelly roll pan, pat the crust mixture into the bottom of it. Make sure the crust layer is even and that it is packed tightly. Bake in oven for 20 minutes.
For the filling:
- While the crust is baking, make your filling.
- In a large bowl, whisk together corn syrup, both sugars, eggs, vanilla and melted butter.
- With a spatula, fold in the chopped pecans.
- When the crust has baked for 20 minutes, take it out of the oven and pour the filling over top of it. It does not matter if the crust is still hot, and it is okay if the crust has cracked a little during its time baking, the filling will hold everything together. Make sure that the filling is evenly distributed over the crust.
- Place back in the oven and bake for 25-30 more minutes until the filling is still a little wobbly in the center. Allow to cool for an hour before cutting and enjoying.
Recipe and Photography by Emily Rapp
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