Why I chose this recipe:
No matter the holiday you are celebrating this time of year, the holidays bring friends and family together for some laughter, love and holiday cheer. While you are enjoying your favorite people and toasting the season, set out these pecan bars, which are the perfect treat to serve your guests.
This recipe uses one of my favorite things, Chocolate Ganache, to make something good…GREAT! Pecan bars on their own are pretty delicious. However, in my eyes, these bars just begged for chocolate. I hope you agree. So give these bars a try, treat your family and friends during the holidays and see how easy it is to .
Crust Ingredients
2 ¼ cups flour
½ cup sugar
¾ tsp kosher salt
1 ½ sticks butter, chilled & cubed
¼ cup ice water
1 Tbsp distilled white vinegar
Pecan Filling Ingredients
1 ½ sticks butter
1 ¼ cups brown sugar
½ cup honey
½ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp curry powder
1 cup heavy cream
3 cups pecans
Chocolate Ganache Ingredients
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
2 Tbsp butter
1 ½ cups chocolate chips
2 tsp vanilla
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Spray with cooking spray a metal 9×13 pan. Set aside.
Combine flour, sugar and salt in food processor for crust. Add cubed butter and process for 30 seconds until mixture is crumbly. With food processor on, slowly add water and then vinegar until crumb mixture is moist.
Transfer crust dough to plastic wrap, knead into a disk, wrap completely in plastic wrap and chill for 20 mins.
Remove dough from refrigerator, unwrap and place on parchment paper. Using flour on the rolling pin, roll dough into a rectangle measuring 11×15. Cut dough into 9×13 rectangle. Using spatula, carefully remove excess and set aside for use as crust edges.
Transfer large dough on parchment paper into prepared pan. If dough scraps are proper size, add dough pieces along the edges of crust bottom. Pinch sides and bottom together then chill for 30 mins.
Remove from refrigerator and bake for 20-22 minutes until dough is set and lightly browned. (You may want to bake with pie weights on the crust. If you do not have pie weights, do not worry. Just check the crust every few minutes and if there is a bubble, just gently push down with a spatula and resume cooking.) Remove from oven and set aside.
Melt butter in a large saucepan on medium heat, then add brown sugar, honey and salt stirring consistently until mixture thickens slightly.
Add curry and cream, then stir intermittently until the mixture heats to 240 degrees using a candy thermometer. Add the pecans and stir until fully combined, approximately 2 minutes.
Pour pecan mixture over crust and distribute evenly. Bake for 12 minutes or until pecan mixture is bubbling. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
Prepare chocolate ganache while bars are cooling. In a medium saucepan combine butter, chocolate chips, and sweetened condensed milk over low heat.
Stir frequently as chocolate will melt quickly. When mixture is melted, take off heat and stir in vanilla. When fully combined, pour chocolate mixture over pecan bars.
Spread ganache evenly over pecan bars and chill in refrigerator for 2 hours. When ready to serve, remove from refrigerator and cut into desired serving size. Enjoy!