Thursday, October 30, 2008

Texas Pecan Pie


It's getting to be pecan season again. Yeah! I've already posted my personal favorite pecan pie recipe. Tuesday was Hubs birthday. He loves pecan pie so I planned on making him a pecan pie for his birthday. He also choose lasagna for his birthday dinner. He made the pasta sheets himself! So after getting caught up making lasagna( really awesome lasagna!)I ran out of time. I remembered reading a recipe in The Pastry Queen cookbook for some pecan pie bars. Because they have a shortbread crust and didn't need to cook as long as the pie I knew they'd be done in time.
Wow are these bars great. They are basically a pecan pie on a shortbread crust that you can pick up. No fork needed. Portable pecan pie, what could be better! These bars are crunchy/gooey in all the right places.
We also thought the coconut was a great addition. The next time I make these, (and there will be a next time!) I'm going to throw in a couple handfuls of chocolate chips.
So now I have two favorite pecan pie/dessert.


Texas Pecan Pie Bars
source: Rebecca Rather, The Pastry Queen

Yield: 1 dozen

Crust:

1 1/4 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup firmly packed golden brown sugar

4 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp salt

Filling:

8 large eggs

6 cups firmly packed golden brown sugar

1/4 cup Bourbon (recipe says optional but you'll be missing out if you leave it out!)

6 Tbl unsalted butter, melted

2 Tbl Vanilla Extract

1 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp salt

2 cups sweetened flaked coconut

2 cups pecan halves


Crust:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 12 by 17-inch baking pan with butter or cooking spray.

2. Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. beat the butter and brown sugar in a large bowl on medium speed about 1 minute. Add the flour and salt; mix on low speed until evenly incorporated but still crumbly.

3. Press the mixture evenly over the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until it has darkened to a deep golden brown. Leave the oven at 350°F.

Filling:

1. Whisk the eggs and sugar in a large bowl until blended. Stir in the bourbon, butter, vanilla, flour, and salt, then the coconut and pecans.

2. Pour the filling over the cooled crust, spreading evenly. Bake until set, 25 to 30 minutes.

Cool thoroughly, at least 30 minutes, before cutting into 3-inch squares or diamonds.

16 comments:

The Blonde Duck said...

I just made my daddy pecan pie for his birthday, but I think I'm making these for Christmas!

grace said...

mmm...pecan pie that requires no utensils. sign me up immediately. :)

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

These are similar to the Butter Tart Bars I sometimes make at Christmas.Quick and delicious I am in:D

How To Eat A Cupcake said...

MMMMM they look So gooey and sweet!

Sandi @the WhistleStop Cafe said...

These look great! I love pecan pie... this would go well with the cinnamon ice cream I made a few weeks ago.
Mmmm

Sandie said...

Portable Pecan Pie---I'm loving that idea!

Rosie said...

YUM pecan pie what pleasure this brings to my seet tooth.

Rosie x

Maggie said...

Wow these look great. And no corn syrup, which I hate buying...

Claudine said...

Do you think they would work without the coconut? I'm really looking for a true-to-the-taste-of-pecan-pie bars (does that even make sense?) and I've yet to experience a TX pecan pie with coconut in it.

Anonymous said...

These bars sound delicious! I have the same question. Can the coconut be eliminated? Maybe add more pecans?

Half Baked said...

Claudine and Darlene,
I think it would be fine to leave out the coconut. Maybe just and another 1/2 cup to cup of pecans or maybe some semi-sweet chocolate chips or both. (I'm going to make them with cocolate soon!)
I considered leaving the coconut out but was glad I used it. It added a really nice flavor but didn't change the texture too much.

Brenda Campbell said...

These look soooo good, I am going to print out this recipe and try them!

Mimi Cooks said...

your recipes are so great and your photos are so so so nice, i love them!! the photos should be in magazines...they are perfect, the lighting is great...i think you are an artist. thanks for sharing.

Anonymous said...

OMG! I just finished cutting the Pecan Pie bars and guess what? I had to throw it all away, as I suspected the brown sugar was way too much it ruined completely can't even salvage any of it.I used 6 cups of brown sugar as directed. wasted alot of ingredients too. quite an expensive pecan pie bar recipie.

Half Baked said...

Hi Mary,
I don't know why your bars didn't turn out well. I made this recipe exaclty as written in Rebecca Rather's Pastry Queen cookbook and my guests and I thought they were fabulous. Sorry for your bad result.

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