Pecan Pie Bars

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Have you been looking for a Pecan Pie Bar recipe? Try this one it is so good!

Pecan Pie Bars

This recipe can be made into 3 different baking sheet sizes 12″x 18″x 1″ (cut into 24-36 pecan bars/squares) 9″x 12″x 1″ and 8″x 8″X 1″ (cut into 9 pecan bars/squares). Adjust baking time for each baking sheet size.

I’m choosing to make the 9″x 12″ baking sheet recipe (cut into 18 pecan bars/squares). If you want to make the 12″x 18″ pan size double this recipe and for the 8″x 8″recipe, cut the recipe in half.

Crust Ingredients:

*1 and 1/4 cups Butter, cold and cubed
*6 tablespoons granulated Sugar
*2 Eggs
*2 teaspoons Vanilla
*2 and 1/4 cups All-purpose Flour
*1/4 teaspoon Baking Powder
*1/8 teaspoon Salt

Pecan Topping Ingredients:

*1 cup Butter, room temperature
*1/2 cup Light Corn Syrup
*1 and 1/2 cups Light Brown Sugar, packed
*2 tablespoons Whipping Cream
*1/4 cup Coconut
*1 pound Pecans, chopped or whole if preferred

Shortbread Cookie Crust Directions:

In a food processor pulse, 2 to 3 times together the flour, baking powder and salt.  Then add butter, sugar and pulse 2 to 3 times.  Then add the vanilla and eggs one at a time and pulse just until butter resembles small peas.  The dough will be crumbly.

Place dough onto plastic wrap and  form into a dough ball/disk and wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 20 minutes no longer.

Remove from fridge and roll out dough with a rolling-pin on wax paper/plastic wrap or on a floured flat surface into a rectangular shape. Then place rolled rectangular shaped dough onto prepared baking sheet.

Place a cut piece of parchment paper and place in the bottom only of the baking sheet, place the rolled out dough on baking sheet and form to the baking sheet like you would a pie crust and poke crust randomly with a fork. Then parbake dough crust in a pre-heated 350*F. oven for 10-13 minutes or just until crust is set, crust shouldn’t brown.

Remove crust from the oven and allow cooling.

Pecan Topping Directions:

In a heavy-duty saucepan, using a wood spoon, on low heat warm the corn syrup, sugar and butter, stir until you have a melted mixture. Then turn up the heat to medium heat, bring to a boil and boil for 3 minutes.

Remove from heat and add the cream, pecans and then stir in coconut or sprinkle coconut on top.

Pour pecan topping onto the half-baked crust and bake crust with pecan topping for another 20 minutes or until bubbling and almost set. Remove from oven and allow cooling. Cut into squares, it will cut the best if you cut after letting the bars set for a few hours. Cut off crust top edge if needed for nice looking cut pecan bars. Refrigerate pecan bars for a few hours or freeze for nice clean cuts.  Pecan bars won’t go runny after refrigerating or freezing like other pies can.

Recipe adapted from The Slow Roasted Italian

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Enjoy!

Jessica and Lindy

PS. I wanted to add pictures of the chopped pecan pie bars.

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Homemade Oreo Cookies

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Homemade Oreo Cookies

*2 and 1/2 cups All-purpose Flour
*1 cup Hershey’s Special Dark Chocolate Cocoa Powder
*2 teaspoons Baking Soda
*1/4 teaspoons Salt
*1 cup Butter, room temperature
*1 and 1/2 cups Granulated Sugar
*1/2 cup light Brown Sugar
*2 Eggs, room temperature
*2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

In a stand mixer cream together butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Then add eggs and vanilla and mix just until combined.

Whisk together or Sift: Flour, chocolate powder, soda, salt and slowly add to the above creamed mixture until it forms a soft dough ball, cover cookie dough ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

Remove from fridge and using a cookie scoop (size of your choice or about 1 tablespoon per dough ball ) scoop cookie dough out onto Silpat covered 1/2 baking sheet, 12 cookie balls per sheet, pressing each dough ball slightly flat. Keep cookie dough cold in the fridge while each batch bakes. (For best results use a cool baking sheet for each batch of cookies.)

In a pre-heated oven bake 350* F. for 6-8 minutes. Allow to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing cookies to cooling rack. (Careful not to over bake)

Makes about 25 sandwich cookies (1 tablespoon dough ball per cookie)

Chocolate cookie recipe adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction

Small Batch Cream Cheese Frosting  (for 15 Oreo cookie centers)

*1 and 3/4 cups Confectioners’ Sugar, add more as needed, until desired consistency

*2 teaspoon Meringue Powder, helps keep the frosting shape when piping

*2 and 1/2 tablespoons Salted Butter, softened

*1 and 1/4 teaspoons Vanilla, clear if desired

*4 ounce packages Cream Cheese, room temperature

(Whisk together in bowl Confectioners’ Sugar and meringue powder.)

Mix in a stand mixer with paddle attachment on medium speed, cream together butter, cream cheese and vanilla.

Slowly add confectioners’ sugar and meringue powder mixture to creamed mixture.

Mix on medium speed until well combined and desired texture, scraping sides every so often. Frost or pipe the frosting filling onto one cookie bottom and top with another cookie making a sandwich cookie, repeat and enjoy.

Large Batch Cream Cheese Frosting (for 30  Oreo cookie centers)

*3 and 1/2 cups Confectioners’ Sugar, add more as needed

*2 teaspoon Meringue Powder, helps keep the frosting shape when piping

*5 tablespoons Salted Butter, softened

*2 and 1/2 teaspoons Vanilla, clear if desired

*1 (8 ounce) package Cream Cheese, room temperature Whisk together in bowl Confectioners’ Sugar and meringue powder.

Mix in a stand mixer with paddle attachment on medium speed, cream together butter, cream cheese and vanilla.

Slowly add confectioners’ sugar and meringue powder mixture to creamed mixture.

Mix on medium speed until well combined and desired texture, scraping sides every so often. Frost or pipe the frosting filling onto one cookie bottom flat side and then top with another cookie making a sandwich cookie, repeat and enjoy.

Note: Refrigerate frosted cookies if not eaten right away or any unused frosting.

Makes about 15 sandwich cookies.

Also see Rose Sugar Cookie Frosting recipe

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Enjoy!

Jessica and Lindy