I’m a fan of desserts that you don’t have to dirty dishes to eat. Ones you can grab with a napkin and nibble on as your favorite Charlie Brown special is on the T.V.
Yes, Charlie Brown. He’s the man.
I’m also a fan of buttery pecans in a caramel base with just a hint of bourbon. Because, when you bake.. booze makes it better -in certain things: Rum in Banana Bread, Bourbon in Pecan bars. The alcohol bakes out, and all that’s left is a hint of a rich buttery unexplainable flavor. It’s divine. You may wonder if I had a bit of booze while preparing the dish… (in homage to Julia Child) but, nope. I do most of my baking in the wee hours of the morning, usually between 5 and 7am. If I were to bake on a Friday night… that would be another post. I’d probably burn something, drinking and baking.
The bourbon I used was Four Roses bourbon… and in case you’re wondering if it really matters what kind you use when you bake… it does. Cheap liquor lacks the depth and flavor, and that’s what you want in the recipe. So.. don’t skimp. 😉
In addition, most boozy recipes only call for a small amount, so you can splurge on a little bottle without spending a fortune… I have a big bottle, because I am going to make a lot of recipes in the coming weeks.
As most of my American readers know: Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Heck, it’s not even around the corner- because “around the corner” to me is more like “the next page on the calendar” Thanksgiving is really close. Make these now and freeze them, that way you can still claim “homemade”.
(Wink, wink)
Even better than that woman’s pies. You know, the lady that married Mr. Smith….
I had a bit of a dilemma in getting a good rectangular pie crust. My solution: Roll it out on the base of the dish. Like this:
That was in process, you want to roll it about 2″larger than the base.
Taaaa-daaaa!
pecan pie bars
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup
- 1/2 cup dark corn syrup
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar packed
- 4 tablespoons butter melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons good quality bourbon I used Four Roses
- 1 1/4 cups pecans halves and pieces mixed
- Pastry for single crust pie 9"
Instructions
- Line pie tin with crust, flute edges and set aside.For BARS: Use a 8x8 square or 10x6 rectangular pan
- Preheat oven to 425
- In a bowl, mix the eggs and corn syrups until smooth
- Add the melted butter, sugar, vanilla and bourbon
- Stir in the pecans and pour into the pie shell.
- Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 and bake for 20 minutes additional, or until the edges are set but the center still "quivers" a bit.
- Do not over bake.
- Note: the pecans rise to the surface as the pie bakes.
Note: I was supplied Four Roses Bourbon to assist in making this post, however opinions are my own and no monetary compensation was exchanged.
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