Chewy Pecan Bars

  • Chewy Pecan Bars
    I have been cutting corners in the kitchen lately, what with the move and all.  I’ve been on the lookout for quick and easy recipes… things I don’t have to proof, rise, roll, or stick a candy thermometer into.  I’ve been returning to tried-and-true classics (like my brownies which I can make with my eyes closed, or my Quickie Toffee Graham Cracker Cookies) that require no brain power, complexity, or time.

    This recipe is dedicated to lazy, corner-cutting bakers everywhere.  Because sometimes you just need a recipe to fall back on when you need to inhale something buttery and sweet but don’t feel like doing anything other than preheating the oven.  (Yes, you do need to measure and stir some ingredients, but it can all be done in one bowl, and you get to melt the butter, which you all know is something very important to me because the whole getting the butter to “room temperature” thing can be incredibly annoying.)

    Nope- this recipe is foolproof, fast, and yummy.  And any dessert with ‘chewy’ in its name rocks, anyways.

    2 eggs, lightly beaten
    1 cup white sugar
    1 cup brown sugar
    1 teaspoon vanilla
    1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
    Pinch of salt
    1 cup pecans (toasted & chopped)
    3/4 cup butter, melted

    1. Preheat oven to 350° and grease a foil-lined 8 x 8″ baking pan.
    2. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together.
    3. Spread evenly into baking pan, and bake for 35 minutes (until cake tester pulls out mostly clean of crumbs in the center).  Allow to cool on a wire rack before slicing into bars.

    Tips:

    • Feel like adding a glaze to the bars?  That would be a great idea.  You could brush a simple mixture of confectioners’ sugar & water (or milk) over the bars while they are still wet… or make a simple caramel glaze to drizzle over top (like the one in the Guilt-Free Mandarin Orange Cake recipe), or make an actual frosting (like the one in the Browned Butter Pumpkin Cake with Salted Caramel Frosting recipe).
    • Sad that there’s no chocolate going on?  Nothing that can’t be solved with a simple 3/4 cup of chocolate chips thrown into the batter, my friend.
    • Don’t feel like beating the eggs in a separate bowl before stirring them into the mix?  Do what I do: lightly beat them in the large bowl first, then add the other ingredients.  I’m more than just a pretty face.  (Oh- as for the butter, I usually melt into the measuring cup I’ve used to scoop out the flour, sugar and pecans… then pour into the batter to stir.)
    • Can you make the time to toast the nuts?  Pretty please?  Put them on a pan in your oven as it preheats, and when you start to smell them a little bit and they look lightly toasted, they are done.  (Not like this.)
    • Coffee freak?  Add a tablespoon of instant espresso powder.  Done.
    • Enjoy!  (Store at room temperature, or freeze.  Your call.)

     

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    August 24th, 2013 | More Sweets Please | No Comments | Tags: ,

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