Baked Goods: Pecan Tart Squares
Laid-Back Pecan Pie Bars Recipe
Spend your holidays tucking into these yummy pecan pie bars! This easy, transportable dessert comes from none other than Claire Robinson of Food Network's 5 Ingredient Fix.
Feeling extra pecan-y? Give our Choco-Nutty Pie a shot!
- Yield: 24 delightful (2-inch) squares
- Difficulty: A breeze
- Total: 1 hr 25 minutes
- Active: 25 minutes
Ingredients (11)
Crust preparations:
- 1 1/2 sticks of your cold, unsalted butter, cut into chunks plus additional for greasing the pan
- 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons cold water
Filling delight:
- 1 stick of softened, unsalted butter
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- A pinch of kosher salt
- 1/3 cup light corn syrup
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cups of chopped pecans
Let's Get Cooking
- Pre-heat the oven to 350°F and center a rack within. Line a 13x9-inch baking dish with foil, giving you a 2-inch overhang on the long sides. Grease the foil.
- Whirl the flour, brown sugar, measured butter, and salt in a food processor until you have a sand-like consistency. Mix in the cold water until the dough clumps together. Hands, meet the pan and press the dough into the base of your buttered, foil-wrapped baking dish. Bake until golden brown, around 20-25 minutes.
- While your crust is toasting, let's top it with gooey goodness. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, brown sugar, and salt and beat until fluffy, around 3 minutes. The stage is set for corn syrup, flour, and pecans to enter. Mix them in until well-combined. Slather this mixture on your golden crust and bake for another 30-35 minutes until the top is golden. Take a chill pill and let the bars completely cool in the pan.
- Time to make a scene, er, a slice! Yank the foil overhang and transfer the bars to a cutting board. Sharp knife, meet bars. Slice into squares and save the excess for later! Store these bars in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Pro-tip
While I couldn't trace Claire Robinson's exact recipe for her pecan pie bars, I've conjured up an alternate for your taste buds:
Alternate Tuned-Down Pecan Pie Bars Recipe
Ingredients:
- Pecan Filling: 1 cup of pecans, 1 cup of light Karo syrup (or maple syrup for a slight twist), 1 cup packed brown sugar, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons melted butter (unsalted), 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Shortbread Crust: 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small bits, 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions:
- Prepare the Shortbread Crust:
- Preheat your oven to 350°F
- Mix together flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Incorporate the cold butter until it resembles crumbs.
- Press into the base of a 9x9-inch lined baking dish and bake for about 15-20 minutes until golden.
- Make the Pecan Filling:
- Mix together Karo syrup, brown sugar, granulated sugar, melted butter, and vanilla extract until well-combined.
- Stir in the pecans.
- Assemble the Bars:
- Spread the filling onto the baked shortbread crust and bake for 25-30 minutes or until set and golden.
- Cool and Slice:
- Permit cooling before slicing into bars.
- This alternative recipe for the laid-back pecan pie bars uses a simplified filling that includes 1 cup of pecans, 1 cup of light Karo syrup, 1 cup packed brown sugar, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
- The nutrient facts for this simplified pecan pie bars recipe might vary slightly, but keeping the same ingredient ratios, they should still be a indulgent source of healthy fats from the pecans and fiber from the crust.
- If you're looking to cut down on the sugar in your pecan pie bars, consider swapping the light Karo syrup with maple syrup, which could offer a slightly more complex flavor and has a lower glycemic index compared to corn syrup.
