My favorite pie is pecan pie. I don’t need any ice cream with it or whipped cream on top; it’s perfect just the way it is. Caramelly, gooey and nutty. I would love to share my recipe for pecan pie here but I haven’t yet been able to create a perfect pecan pie that doesn’t require corn syrup. Corn syrup isn’t available here in Austria but I continue to make pecan pies for home, using my stash of imported corn syrup. Hopefully I’ll figure out how to substitute it and still have the gooey filling that I adore.
Great news: I found a recipe for Pecan Pie Bars that uses honey instead of corn syrup and these bars are fantastic! I found this recipe and altered it a bit to make these bars a bit softer and the topping caramelly and slightly chewy. You can taste the honey in them and combined with the brown sugar and pecans, the smell of them baking is incredible. Yum!
Everyone who tried these couldn’t stop themselves from eating more and more – they are pretty addictive!
Soft & Chewy Pecan Bars
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 cup (225 g) butter at room temperature
- 2/3 cup (140 g) brown sugar
- 2 2/3 cups (375 g) flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
Topping
- ½ cup (112 g) butter
- 1 cup (210 g) brown sugar
- 1/3 cup (115 g) honey
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cups (250 g) chopped pecans
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350°F (170°C). Grease a 9x13 inch (24x40 cm) baking pan.
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To make the crust: beat the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the flour and salt and blend on low speed until mixture is crumbly. Press into the bottom of prepared pan, building up the edges a bit. Bake the crust for 20 minutes. Remove from oven.
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To make the topping: while the crust is baking, combine butter, brown sugar, salt, honey and whipping cream in a medium saucepan and stir over medium heat until butter is melted and mixture is combined. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and pecans. Immediately pour topping over hot crust and spread evenly.
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Return pan to oven and bake for an additional 12 minutes, or until entire surface is bubbling. Allow bars to cool completely in the pan before slicing into squares. Store tightly covered at room temperature for up to one week.
Recipe Notes
Recipe adapted from Your Cup of Cake.
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