Caramel Pecan Bars

I am not much of a pecan eater. But mix them with brown sugar and butter and I am hooked.  It was all I could do to keep my spoon out of the batter for these Caramel pecan bars, “just to make sure it tasted right.”

And as an added bonus, I was able to try out my two new Christmas presents!

Printable Recipe:  Caramel Pecan Bars

This is my new Kitchen aid mixer that I found at TJ Maxx for $100 off the retail price and immediately bought and told my husband he was giving to me.

And these are the porcelain measuring cups that I also got for a bargain at TJ’s.  Now…on to this delicious recipe!

Assemble your ingredients.  Aren’t my new measuring cups neat?

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. In a large saucepan, combine the  butter and brown sugar over a medium heat until sugar is dissolved.  It won’t look as though it is combined (my brown sugar stayed on the bottom but it was still fine when I mixed it all together.)

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and vanilla extract.  My new mixer gets its first try at a recipe!

Place the flour and baking powder in a bowl, and whisk with a wire whisk to combine.

Gradually add the hot sugar mixture, stirring constantly.

Stir in the flour mixture gradually  and mix well.  At this point it tasted like brown sugar fudge and I died and went to heaven!

Stir in the chopped pecans.  Lord help me.  It was all I could do to not dive right into the bowl. This lovely concoction looks and tastes just like the inside of chocolate turtles.  I was beginning to wonder if it would ever make it to the oven.

Well, I actually did get it into the pan.  It was tempting but then I remembered I am on a diet!  Spread the mixture into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan.

Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with moist crumbs and edges are crisp. Cool on a wire rack.

Cut into bars and store in an airtight container.  They also freeze well.

Makes about 2 dozen bars  about 230 calories each if you can’t help yourself or 4 dozen small bars at 115 calories each if you have will power.

Yield: 24 bars

Caramel Pecan Bars

Print

These caramel pecan bars make a great snack or dessert. They are super easy to make, too.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 2-1/4 cups dark brown sugar, cubed fully cooked
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 cups chopped pecans
• Confectioners' sugar, optional for topping

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350º F. In a large saucepan, combine the butter and brown sugar over a medium heat until sugar is dissolved.
2. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and vanilla extract.
3. Gradually add the hot sugar mixture, stirring constantly.
4. Combine the flour and baking powder; add this gradually to the butter mixture and mix well.
5. Stir in the chopped pecans.
6. Spread the mixture into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with moist crumbs and edges are crisp. Cool on a wire rack.
7. Dust with confectioners' sugar if desired. Cut into bars.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

24

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 231Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 36mgSodium: 53mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 1gSugar: 17gProtein: 2g

Nutritional information is approximate due to natural variation in ingredients and the cook-at-home nature of our meals.

 

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