Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars

Do you ever dream of making your favorite pie, but don’t want to make a pie crust? I do all the time. Pie Crust is just not my thing. I even seem to mess up the ready made pie crust that you simply roll out and place into the pan. My daughter on the other hand, makes a perfect pie crust so we’ll let her handle the pies. I’ll make the bars and the cookies. These Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars are simply the best. They taste just like my favorite chocolate pecan pie, without all the fuss.

My Baking Fantasy

Too bad we don’t haved smellablog, because we just finished making these pie bars (pie bars – that just sounds so funny to me) and the whole house smells AMAZING. I wish you could get a whiff of these bars right now.

Do you remember the baking fantasy that I shared last month? It was the classic Greek dessert, Baklava, and it was loaded up with walnuts. That was another dessert that once intimidated me, but I figured out it wasn’t so hard to make. These chocolate pecan pie bars showcase another of my favorite nuts, pecans – along with chocolate, of course.

Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars

ingredients:

1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 cups pecans, coarsely chopped (I recommend the Diamond of California Pecan Halves, and give them a rough chop.)

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line bottom and sides of a 9×13 inch baking pan with aluminum foil.

Tip: If you turn the baking pan over and fold the aluminum foil over the outside of the pan first, it will nicely go right into place without a lot of creases.

2. In a medium bowl, use an electric mier to beat 1 stick of room temperature butter, brown sugar, flour, and salt until coars crumbs form. Pour mixture into prepared pan; press firmly into the bottom.

3. Bake until lightly browned, 25-30 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix eggs, corn syrup, granulated sugar, and 2 tablespoons melted butter until well combined. Stir in chocolate chips and pecans. Spread over the crust.

How to Make a Delicious Galette

5. Bake until set, 25 – 30 minutes. Cool completely in pan before lifting out (use foil to lift). Cut into 16 bars.

Source: Adapted from recipe found at Food.com.

So, what’s your baking fantasy?

Diamond Nuts. Bake and you shall receive. http://www.youtube.com/user/DiamondOfCalifornia/diamondnutfantasies

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Diamond Foods via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Diamond Foods.