Salted Maple Pecan Pie Bars

These are so good they neeeeded their own post. My official holiday "hit" recipe and are probably my favorite holiday recipe, ever. I just love love LOVE these pecan pie bars. The perfect combination of sweet brown sugar and maple syrup combined with the natural saltiness of pecans and the coarse sea salt, is just heaven in a pan. And while I've blogged about these before, I felt like they really deserved their own post. I've been making them a lot recently for Thanksgiving potlucks and for Thanksgiving themselves. They've already been special-requested again at work for the Christmas party and if you ever try them, you'll know why. These are drool-worthy, melt-in-your-mouthgood bars. They're good chilled, they're good at room temperature, they're good by themselves, and they're good with whipped cream. In summary, they're actually better than good...they're fantastic! I implore you to try this recipe and see for yourself. Don't be afraid because they're pecans and you maybe don't like that nut or pecan pie. These are a league all to themselves.

This was the recipe that got me hooked on Pinch of Yum and has had me trying her recipes ever since. Fairly easy to bake, these bars are wonderful even if they don't turn out correctly! I've burned them and undercooked them and everyone still enjoys them. Now that, my friends, is a sign of a good recipe if when it turns out wrong, it still tastes good! You can't say that about many things, can you? Please make these, for your own good!





Salted Maple Pecan Pie Bars (adapted from Pinch of Yum; makes 24 pieces)
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 cups flour (plus extra, if necessary)
2 large eggs
3/4 cup corn syrup
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
2+ cups pecans

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add the flour and beat until coarse crumbs form; if the mixture is too soft, add a little more flour. It should be crumbly but stick together when pressed into the pan. Once ready, press the crust into a 9x13 baking dish. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until top appears dry and slightly puffed. Underbaking it will help the crust stay softer, if you prefer that.

For the filling, whisk the eggs, corn syrup, brown sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla. Stir in the pecans and pour the mixture over the crust. The filling should not be more than just a light layer of sauce over the crust. Arrange any stray pecans and return to the oven for 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven when the filling appears mostly set. After a few minutes out of the oven, check by touching mixture and if it doesn't stick to your hand when you touch it, it's set correctly (and still might be runny and gooey underneath). Sprinkle coarse sea salt or kosher salt on top.

Cool completely and refrigerate overnight. Cut into 24 pieces and serve slightly chilled!

Recipe: Pinch of Yum: Salted Maple Pecan Pie Bars