Pecan Bars

I love Pecan Bars.  I have tried several recipes from cookbooks, magazines and the Internet.  This recipe is one of my favorites.  

I have been a loyal subscriber to Cooks Illustrated Magazine since 1981 when I stumbled upon it at City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco.  I was a junior at Cal Berkeley and my brother was attending Law School in S.F.  We would meet on the weekends and go to dinner and explore one of the most fabulous cities in the world!

One night, after a delicious dinner at the U.S. Restaurant we took a long walk.  It was there that we found the ultimate bookstore.  As I have always been into cooking I immediately perused the cookbook isles and the magazine section.  In the early days, the cover of the Cooks Magazine were all hand illustrated.  They were beautiful and immediately caught my eye.  Not only were the recipes inviting, but it was a magazine without advertisements.  

I have been subscribing to the magazine since 1982 and have a lot of the original magazines.  Most of my best meals have been created by my inspiration from Cooks.

I usually double this recipe (when I bake, I almost always double the recipe) and use a larger pan.  I like the pans from Surfas.  Surfas is a local restaurant supply store that is paradise in an industrial space.

Here is the recipe:

Crust

1      C. unbleached flour

1/3  C. packed light brown sugar

1/4  C. toasted pecans, chopped

1       t. table salt

1/4   t. baking powder

6      T. cold unsalted butter

Pecan Filling

1/2  C. packed light brown sugar

1/3  C. light corn syrup

4      T. unsalted butter, melted

1       T. Bourbon or dark rum

2       t. vanilla extract

1/2    t. table salt

1        large egg, beaten

2       C. toasted pecans, chopped

For the crust

•adjust oven rack to middle position, heat to 350*.

•spray 9" square baking pan.  Line with parchment or foil.  Then spray sheets with non stick spray

Place flour, brown sugar, pecans, salt & baking powder in food processor.  Process mixture until it resembles course cornmeal.  Add butter and pulse until it resembles sand.  Pat mixture into prepared pan and bake until crust is light brown and springs back when touched, about 20 mins.

For the filling

Whisk brown sugar, melted butter, corn syrup, bourbon, vanilla and salt in medium bowl.   Add egg and whisk.

Pour filling on top of the crust and sprinkle with pecans.  Bake until top is brown and cracks start to form across the surface, 22-25 mins.  

Cool on wire rack for 1 hour.  Remove bars from pan using foil or parchment and cut into desired size squares. 

Serve with vanilla bean ice cream for an extra added treat.  Sometimes I make some homemade caramel sauce and serve the pecan bars topped with ice cream and then a dab of caramel sauce.  Oh so good!