Think of these Maple Pecan Bars as a portable version of pecan pie, with a crumbly shortbread crust, a gooey sweet maple filling, and toasted pecans.
Ingredients
For the Crust
1cupall-purpose flour(5 ounces by weight)
1/2cupwhole wheat flour(2.5 ounces by weight)
3/4cuplight brown sugar
14tbspbuttersoftened
For the Filling
3/4cupbrown sugar
3/4cupmaple syrup*
3eggs
1/4tspsalt
1tspvanilla extract
3tbspbuttermelted
1.5cupschopped pecans
Instructions
For the Crust:Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Line a 9 x 13 inch pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
Combine all the crust ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Use your fingers or a pastry cutter to blend the butter in with the dry ingredients, until there are no butter chunks left and the consistency is moist and crumbly.
Press the crust into the pan with your fingers until it forms an even layer. Bake for 10 minutes, until it turns faintly brown, then remove from the oven.
For the Filling:Whisk to combine the brown sugar, maple syrups, and eggs in a bowl.
Add the salt, vanilla, melted butter, pecans, and stir to incorporate.
Pour the filling over the partially baked crust, making sure the nuts are evenly distributed.
Bake for 23 minutes**. You know the bars are done when you jiggle the pan and the filling moves slightly, but does not slide all over the place.
Let the bars cool completely, then cut into squares. Enjoy!
Notes
*I used 1/4 cup of Runamok Maple’s Pecan Wood Smoked Maple Syrup plus 1/2 cup Bourbon Barrel-Aged Maple Syrup**Laura bakes the bars for 18 minutes. For a more gooey texture, 18 minutes is perfect. I preferred a slightly more chewy texture (it’s still soft), and 23 minutes is perfect for that version.Recipe from Runamok Maple’s Maple Nut Bars by Laura