[Cookie 014] Pecan Bars

STOP.

I can't let you read the rest of this entry until you make sure that you have 2 cups of pecans, some heavy cream, and a ton of butter in your fridge. Because you have. to. make. these. ASAP.

Seriously. I think I have a new favorite cookie. No wait- I know I have a new favorite. These Pecan Bars are divine, sublime, and just fantastically fantastic. Imagine your favorite pecan pie, but in bar form, thus increasing their ease of snackability and transportability. And cuteness, too.

Okay, let me get to the nitty-gritty of it. The recipe itself, although time consuming, really isn't very difficult at all. The bars are essentially just a shortbread bottom and a thick, sweet, pecan-studded filling on top, all baked in a simple 9 x 13 baking pan. The only thing that held me back from making these was the fact that we didn't have enough pecans, honey, and vanilla extract. Strange, because I'm home for summer in California, and generally that means a well stocked pantry, but I think I depleted a lot of the baking resources from over spring break. But once we had all we needed, things really got going.

Making the shortbread bottom is a breeze: you just whip up a simple dough, and then press it into the baking pan so it's roughly 1/4" thick. It's kind hard to gauge the thickness of it, but it doesn't matter that much. Then you stab it with a fork a few times and set the whole thing in the fridge to cool for about 20 minutes. Bake it, then you're ready to make the filling (which is really what this cookie is all about, right?).

Okay, so I'm not gonna lie, this recipe isn't for your health. At all. I mean, seriously, we've got heavy cream, butter, sugars, pecans--all your star ingredients. Oh and honey too. It's a sticky mess, but tastes something cosmic. Yeah, cosmic. I think that's the best word to describe it.

So, you make the filling, pour in on top of the shortbread, and bake it for a few more minutes until it starts to bubble. Then you take it out of the oven and let it cool, completely. Now this is when I began to get a little nervous, because the recipe has you run a knife along the edge of the pan, then invert the whole mess onto a cooling rack, and then invert it again onto a cutting board, so it's right-side-up. In my mind's eye, I saw the whole sticky mess getting stuck all over the cooling rack and getting all mussed up in general, and basically resulting in a pecan bar that looked nothing like the photo in the book (it wouldn't be the first time!). So to take extra precautions to make sure the filling would be completely set before the flipping ordeal, I put the baking pan in the fridge after it had already cooled for about 30 minutes.

Well, all worked out spectacularly, and the great flip worked fine. But then comes the cutting part, and this also scared me. I thought there would be no way I could cut these pecans neatly, and that they wouldn't want to break and would instead just mess up the overall look of the bar. Well, just make sure you use a super sharp knife, and you'll do just fine. I was actually quite surprised in the results, because they did look like the photo in the book! The only thing I did wrong along the way was slightly underbake the shortbread, but really, no one (no one) is going to care, let alone notice, that.

Okay, that's it. Then you eat one. Or three, whatever. And then you feel something like this:

Isabelle, ma cherie!

Yeah, I don't mind feeling like that. But these Pecan Bars definitely make you want to eat only raw vegetables for the next few days. Raw vegetables, alternated with Pecan Bars, and you'll be set. To health!

Pecan Bars
Makes about 3 dozen

Ingredients

• 18 tablespoons (2 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup light-brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup light-brown sugar, firmly packed
• 6 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups (8 ounces) pecan halves
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Place rack in center of oven. Heat oven to 375 degrees. To make the crust: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix butter and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add salt, and mix to combine. Add flour 1 cup at a time, on medium speed, mixing until fully incorporated after each addition. Continue mixing until the dough begins to come together in large clumps.
2. Press dough about 1/4-inch thick into a 9-by-13-by-1-inch baking pan. Prick the pastry with the tines of a fork. Chill until firm, about 20 minutes. Bake until golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
3. Reduce oven to 325 degrees. To make the filling: Place butter, brown sugar, honey, granulated sugar, heavy cream, and salt in a medium saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly until mixture coats the back of a spoon, about 1 minute. Remove pan from heat; stir in nuts and vanilla.
4. Pour filling onto the cooled crust. Bake until filling bubbles, 15 to 20 minutes. Carefully transfer pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Run a paring knife around edges of the pan, and invert onto cooling rack, leaving the pastry on the rack. Invert rack with pastry onto a cutting board, leaving the pastry on the board, filling side up. Use a sharp knife to cut into 1-by-3-inch bars. Store in an airtight container up to 1 week.

****

{End Results}
Baking Difficultly: 3/5
Ingredient Accessibility: 3.5/5
Tastiness: 5/5 (Yeah)
Attractiveness: 4.5/5
Is it worth it?: Uh, did you read this entry? (if not, the answer is YES.)

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