This is the perfect no-fuss Thanksgiving dessert that will have your guests coming back for more! The crust is buttery with the perfect amount of saltiness and the ooey-gooey caramelized pecans on top are irresistible. Feel free to play around with the amount of pecans and add in some chocolate chips before baking for some chocolaty goodness.
For the Crust:
9X9 square baking dish
non-stick cooking spray
3/4 cup of all-purpose-flour
1/4 cup of cornstarch
1/2 cup of powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon of table salt
1/2 cup of unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 1" pieces
1. Prepare the baking dish (I like to use the aluminum cake pan) by lining it with foil. Press in all of the edges and spray it with non-stick cooking spray. Set it aside.
2. In the bowl of a food processor, add the flour, cornstarch, powdered sugar, salt, and butter. Pulse the mixture until you get a crumbly mixture with pea-sized bits of crumbs. Be careful not to over-mix or it will turn into a paste.
3. Pour the mixture into the prepared dish(it will look loose and powdery) and quickly press the dough to compact it. You want a nice even layer at the bottom of the dish. Place the dish into the freezer to chill for 15 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the crust for 17-20 minutes until it starts to lightly brown around the edges. Remove from oven and set aside to prepare the filling.
For the Filling:
1 and 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter
3/4 cup of light or dark brown sugar
3 tablespoon of honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
generous pinch of salt
2 tablespoon of heavy cream
2 cups of chopped pecans
1. In a medium sized pot over medium heat, combine butter, brown sugar, honey, vanilla extract, and salt.
2. Turn up heat and let it boil gently for 2-3 minutes. Turn off heat to add heavy cream and chopped pecans.
3. Pour mixture into the baked crust (this is the time to add in any extra mix-ins like chocolate chips if you like). Spread everything out into a nice even layer and pop it back into the oven to bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it completely cool.
4. Lift the pecan bar with the foil out of the baking dish and carefully pull the foil back from the edges. Slice the bars into even slices and store it in an airtight container.