RECIPE | Perfect pecan bars

Perfect pecan bars | 14.11.2023

Pecan pie is the best Thanksgiving dessert and pecan bars might be the best year-round excuse for a Thanksgiving dessert. Still, it is always close to Thanksgiving that I start to make them. In anticipation.

This, I think, is a very good version. I started testing and refining the recipe a few years ago and after a couple more tries last week I love this result. They’re crumbly and gooey and not too sweet.

Here it is.

Perfect pecan bars recipe

For the SHORTBREAD (recipe slightly adapted from Alice Medrich’s Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy p.346) :

200g unsalted butter
75g sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
250g flour (I like to use white spelt but regular white is good too)

Preheat the oven to 175C (350F) and line a rectangular 23 x 20 cm (9 x 8 inch) pan with parchment paper. [Note: The pan I use is bigger so I block the unused part with aluminium foil (see photo below).]

Melt the butter in a small saucepan and mix with the sugar, vanilla, and salt while still warm. Add the flour and stir just enough to incorporate evenly. the dough may seem quite soft and oily which is fine. Press the dough into the prepared cake tin to make it as even as possible. Bake in the oven for about 14 minutes until set but barely coloured. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

Baked shortbread layer with an aluminium ‘parapet.’ It must be high enough to retain the pecan layer too.

Meanwhile prepare the PECAN LAYER :

200g + 100g pecans
100g lightb brown sugar
45ml maple syrup
35ml molasses (about 2 tablespoons)
100ml heavy cream
3 eggs
1 Tbsp bourbon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt

Chop by hand or in a mixer —> 200g of pecans. There should be bits of uneven size.

In a small saucepan, heat on low until dissolved —> the sugar with the maple syrup, molasses, and heavy cream. Let cool.

In a medium bowl beat —> the eggs with the bourbon, vanilla, and salt.

Mix the cooled sweet ingredients into the egg mixture. Add the chopped pecans and stir to combine well.

With a spatula, scrape the pecan/egg mix onto the baked shortbread layer.

Place the remaining unchopped pecans on top, creating a pattern as desired. Do this fairly quickly if possible so the batter doesn’t have time to make the shortbread soggy.

Place in the oven and bake to 25 to 30 minutes until set.

Take out of the oven and let cool completely before cutting into pieces.