Pecan Pie Bars Cooled Before Slicing

Pecan Pie Bars Cooled Before Slicing keeps the shopping list focused on all-purpose flour, pecans finely chopped and toasted, and cornstarch. It serves 16 Bars.

Count on 45 minutes of prep, 30 minutes of cooking, about 1 hour from the first measurement to the plate.

Ingredients Method

What goes in the bowl

For the Pecan Shortbread Crust

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup pecans finely chopped and toasted
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• ¼ kosher salt
• ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature

For the Filling

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup dark brown sugar packed
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup maple syrup Grade A Dark Amber
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups pecans coarsely chopped, toasted

How the cooking goes

1. Warm the oven to 350° and generously butter an 8 inch square baking dish. Bring 1 inch of water to a simmer in a large sauce pot (or you can use an actual double boiler if you want).

Make the Filling

1. Set a medium bowl over the simmering water in the saucepot. Make sure that the bottom of the bowl isn’t touching the water. Melt butter in the medium bowl.
2. Take it off the heat and add sugar and salt, stirring until completely combined. Add eggs, maple syrup, corn syrup and vanilla; stirring until the texture looks smooth.
3. Set bowl back on sauce pot and let cook, stirring now and then, until your crust is ready. The filling will be shiny and look slightly thickened.

Make the Crust

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, pecans, cornstarch, and salt. Add the butter and work it into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or with your hands. You could also do this in the food processor, which also saves the time of chopping the pecans.
2. Press into lined baking dish then bake 10-15 minutes, or until it has browned slightly.

Assemble & Bake

1. Put pecans to your filling mixture, stir, and pour onto the hot shortbread crust.
2. Oven-bake 17 to 22 minutes or until the filling looks set but yields like Jell-O when gently pressed with the back of a spoon or your fingers.
3. Allow it to cool until it is no longer warm on a wire rack. Several times during the cooling process you cut around the edges to facilitate removal of the bars.
4. Cut into squares when cool.

After it comes off the heat

Let the pan settle before you slice, so the crumb stays together. Cover leftovers once they are cool.

If you want another plate from Brownies and bars, open Soft Chewy Smores Crumble Bars for the Dessert Plate and Blueberry Cheesecake Bars (No Bake) Baked Until the Center Springs Back.