Pies and Plots

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Pecan Bars #SundaySupper

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  Pecan Bars

First of all thank you so much for voting for Pies and Plots in The Kitchn’s The Homies Best Sweets and Baking Blog Contest!  Your support means so much to me <3  I finished in fourth place.  While I didn’t technically win, I feel like a winner thanks to all of you.  I mean who would have thought this little blog could compete with all the others out there?!?  I can already tell this is going to be an awesome year!

Here in the Detroit area Fat Tuesday is also known as Paczki Day.  If you are unfamiliar with them, paczki are big, yeast doughnuts typically filled with jelly or custard and coated with glaze or sugar.  They are buttery, dense, soft, and pillowy.  The best jelly doughnut you’ll ever have.  At least that’s what people say and what I remember from being a kid.

Pecan Bars

Last year, Mom, Dad, and I went to Hamtramck, the paczki capital, to pick up some super authentic and sure to be delicious paczki from one of the best bakeries that make the time consuming treats.  It was a cold, snowy day, but it was gonna be so worth it to sink our teeth into these glorious goodies.

The bakery wasn’t that crowded since we went the weekend before Paczki Day, as wait times on the actual day routinely exceed an hour.  It smelled intoxicating and they looked great.  I could barely wait until after dinner for my treat.

Pecan Bars

But wait I did, and when I took that first bite . . . I was not impressed.  They were hard and chewy, almost like bread.  There wasn’t enough glaze.  Or was there any at all?  And the jam tasted like nothing.  I tore open almost all of the paczki, hoping one of them would be good, but they just weren’t.  How could this be possible?  Even the guys at Dad’s work were unimpressed when he took in the leftovers. 

This year, I figured I’d stick to my own treats (though Brown Eyed Baker’s Paczki are on my list for next year!), so I made Pecan Bars and I am so glad I did.  These are the best Fat Tuesday treat ever!  The crust is so buttery and crumbly, and then there’s that filling.  Gooey and caramel-y with tons of toasty pecans.  I kept taking little tastes of these bars just to make sure they were good 😉  Plus, I found these really easy to make.  I think Paczki Day just became Pecan Bar Day!

Pecan Bars

Pecan Bars

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Pecan Bars #SundaySupper

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  • Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
  • Yield: 18 bars 1x
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Ingredients

Scale

Crust

  • 1 ½ sticks cold unsalted butter, cubed
  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons cold water

Filling

  • 1 stick unsalted butter, very soft, almost melted
  • 1 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup light corn syrup
  • 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • 3 cups pecans

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9 by 13 inch pan and line with parchment. Butter the parchment.
  2. Make the crust. In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, and salt. Work in the butter with your fingers or a pastry cutter until it is in pea sized pieces. Add the water and continue working the dough until it comes together when pressed. Firmly press the dough in an even layer in the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake until lightly golden brown, about 20 minutes.
  3. While the crust bakes, make the filling. In a large bowl, mix together the butter, sugar, corn syrup, maple syrup, and vanilla until fully combined and all streaks of butter are gone. Stir in flour until just incorporated. Stir in the pecans until fully coated.
  4. Pour the pecan mixture over the baked crust and spread into an even layer. Return to the oven and bake for about 30 additional minutes. Cool bars completely in the pan. Once cool, cut bars and store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Bars may also be frozen, wrapped in parchment and foil and placed in a zipper bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature for about an hour or in a 350 degree F oven for about 10 minutes.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Claire Robinson

  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 50 minutes

Don’t forget to check out all the other Sunday Supper dishes!

Cocktails & Other Beverages:

Appetizers:

Main Dishes:

Side Dishes:

Desserts:

Sunday Supper MovementJoin the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. Check out our #SundaySupper Pinterest board for more fabulous recipes and food photos.Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

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Comments

    • Danny Jordan says

      You had me on these until I got to the maple syrup. No one in my family even likes the taste of Maple syrup. Is there something I could substitute for it? Thank you.

      Reply

  6. Liz says

    What terrific pecan pie bars…seriously, the perfect ratio of pecans to filling to crust!!! The hubby won’t eat nuts, but I’ll come up with an excuse to make these 🙂

    Reply

  9. Shaina says

    That is such a bummer when dessert is talked up so much, and then doesn’t live up to your expectations. I don’t think that could happen with these pecan bars though…they look amazing and I’m sure taste just as great!

    Reply

  18. Christina @ Sweet Pea's KItchen says

    Pecan pie is one of my favorite desserts…I’m loving these little bars! 🙂

    Reply

  22. Nancy @ gottagetbaked says

    Ugh, there’s nothing worse than eating something that’s supposed to be delicious and then it turns out to be the opposite. What a waste of calories, not to mention the disappointment. I wouldn’t be disappointed to eat a pan of your gorgeous pecan bars, Laura. This looks so buttery ‘n creamy ‘n crunchy ‘n caramelly! Yum!

    Reply

    • Laura says

      That is a great idea! I have another recipe that calls for a little curry powder. I think that sounds like an interesting addition too.

      Reply

  24. Abbe@This is How I Cook says

    This paciki thing is a new one to me. Or however it is spelled! But these pecan bars are delicious. I know because I make a version of these every year for Thanksgiving. Beats pecan pie any day!

    Reply

  26. Johlene says

    Oh yum!! One of my favourite desserts are caramel pecan pie and so I can promise you if you loved close to me I would invite myself over..lol Xx

    Reply

  27. Joanne says

    BOO to bad packzi and YES to these bars!! I love pecan pie and with these babies I can basically eat it year round. I mean, I can eat it year round anyway, I guess, but somehow these seem more socially acceptable than pecan pie after Thanksgiving.

    Reply

    • Laura says

      I’m so in love with pecan pie I eat it anytime, but I like your thinking and now have an excuse to make these bars again 🙂

      Reply

  28. Aurica says

    hhhmmmm, yummy, look’s so crunchy and delicious, one excellent pecan bars that i have to taste it 😀

    Reply

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