Pecan Pie Bars

Tis the season....of baked goods, chocolate, and sugar.  The options as endless--traditional sugar cookies to decorate for Santa, eggnog snickerdoodles, chocolate mint creme yule log, fudge, peppermint bark, peanut brittle, toffee, and so much more!  Let's not forget about these pecan pie bars. 

They can't be beat; a whole pie in one bite!  Let's be serious, who wants a whole piece of pie after already consuming nearly one million calories of junk?  Although these little gems certainly aren't healthy, because they are so small, one can feel less guilty about consumption.  Also, they truly are the perfect bite--I wouldn't want more than one.  Any more, and it would be too sweet for anyone (aside from Buddy the Elf).  

The pecans are perfectly toasted; the filling is perfectly gooey, but not leaky or hard; and the crust ties the filling components together and provides a slightly salty balance to the otherwise sugar-laden treat.  I don't care much for pecan pie because it is oftentimes too messy/sticky/gooey and is far too sweet for me.  These delicious little squares, however, mitigate all of those concerns and are truly scrumptious.

Buddy the Elf would be proud.

Pecan Pie Bars:
Adopted from this recipe.

For the Crust...

• 2 cups of flour
• 1/3 cup of sugar
• 3/4 cup of butter, softened
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt

For the Filling....

• 4 eggs lightly beaten
• 1 cup of light corn syrup
• 1 1/4 cup of sugar
• 3 tablespoons of butter, melted
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
• 3 cups of chopped pecans (I leave some as pecan halves, and then chop the majority)

1. Line a 15 x 10 baking pan with nonstick tinfoil.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, blend together the flour, sugar, butter, and salt until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
3. Press the crumbs firmly and evenly into the prepared pan.
4. Bake for 20ish minutes until the crust just begins to golden.
5. In another bowl, combine the filling ingredients and mix well.
6. Spread evenly over the hot crust.
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the center of the filling is set.
8. Cool to room temperature on a wire rack, then move to the refrigerator before attempting to cut.  (I have found that they cut cleanly when they are refrigerated after having cooled to room temperature on the rack.)
9. ENJOY!