Buttery Bourbon Maple Pecan Bars

A buttery pecan crust that bakes up in a flash topped with classic pecan pie filling and a touch of bourbon infused maple syrup- yes my darlings- you have found the perfect desert bar.

My Masters Brunch Menu wouldn’t be complete without a sweet treat featuring fresh Georgia pecans. The two most popular things you can do with the nuts, of course, bake them in a pie or make cookies.

Let’s do one better and do both. Pecan Bars.

I searched for a pecan bar that had a suberb crust and found exactly what I was looking for in an America’s Test Kitchen recipe. But, their recipe spread they crust out over a large square pan so it wasn’t terribly thick. I instead bake my crust in a smaller 10.5 x 7 inch Le Cruset baking tray lined with a foil sling. Without the the foil swing- you are in for a heck of a mess trying to remove the bars from the pan.

I opted for a few more pecans than in the original recipe and a bit more butter. I also added in a bourbon infused syrup and lots of dark rum and a dark Karo syrup- not their light- blah.

Bake and then while still hot, pour in my bourbon maple syrup and rum filling. Yes, you read that correctly- bourbon and rum . Well, the maple syrup* is “infused and aged in bourbon barrels.” Close enough. But I do put in dark rum, dark karo syrup, light brown sugar, lots of vanilla and top with two heaping cups of toasted pecans. The alcohol does cook off in the baking process but it adds rich butterscotch notes to the bars that fruit juice like apple juice cannot. If you do not want to use alcohol, use extra Karo syrup, apple juice or extra vanilla.

Finally, I almost doubled the amount of salt. ATK doesn’t mind using table salt, but I always use Kosher which is much softer. This really cuts through the sweetness and brings up the deep rich maple taste. When that salt hits your taste buds- look out. So good!

These perfectly sweet and slightly salty bars are sure to be the star of your Sunday at the Masters brunch.

BTW- Hunky Hubbie said these are the best things I have ever baked. (He says that pretty much everytime I bake him a new dessert).

The crust is just flour, brown sugar, butter, baking powder and a pile of toasted pecans

Ingredients- makes 12 bars

For The Crust
1 cup (5 oz. ) flour
1/2 cup ( 2 .5 oz) light brown sugar
1/3 cup pecans, toasted and rough chopped
1 tsp Kosher salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
7 TBSP unsalted butter, cut into pieces and chilled
For The Filling
1/2 cup (3.5 oz) packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup dark Karo Syrup
2 TBSP Bourbon Maple syrup – see chef’s notes for source
4 TBSP unsalted butter, melted
1 TBSP dark rum or bourbon
2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1 large egg, beaten
2 heaping cups pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped

Toasting the pecans prevents them from becoming soggy and brings out the oils.

Method- Prep time- 20 minutes. Total baking time 50 minutes, cool for 2 hours

Pre heat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a 10.5 x 7 inch baking dish, with a foil sling allowing the foil to hang over each side. Spray generously with cooking spray. Set aside.
In a food processor, add in the flour, brown sugar, pecans, baking powder and salt. Pulse 5-6 times until combined and pecans are finely chopped like sand.
Add in the butter and pulse another five seconds until the mixture is like cornmeal.
Press the mixture in the foil lined baking dish using the back of a measuring cup to even out the mixture. Be sure to press the crust up the sides and evenly around the pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
While the crust is baking, in a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, Karo syrup, bourbon maple syrup, rum, butter, salt and vanilla with a whisk. Whisk in the egg until the mxture is smooth.
Pour the mixture into the warm crust.
Top the filling with the 2 cups of coarsely chopped pecans.
Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Rotate the pan and bake another 10 minutes.
Set dish on a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, remove the bars using the foil slings and let cool for another 1 1/2 hours until the crust is completely cooled and the filling is set.
Peel the foil off of the bars and using a serated knife, cut into 12 equal pieces. Cooled bars can be stored in an airtight container for five days… but they won’t last that long.

Let the bars cool for 30 minutes inteh pan, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. The buttery nutty crust is like a giant butter pecan cookie

It’s going to be hard, but let the bars cool at least two hours before slicng.

Chef’s Notes- The bourbon maple syrup I used is from Runamok Maple. It is an organic line of maple syrups from Vermont. I picked up my bottle in Whitefish at my favorite kitchen store- Trovare. Trovare has sumptuous charcuterie boards, fresh baked treats, a fantastic supply of kitchen essentials and luxury food stuffs. Check them out if you visit Whitefish. They also offer cooking classes.
Buy similar syrup HERE.