Tell Me A Story: June 2017

Thursday, June 1, 2017

RECIPE: GERMAN CHOCOLATE PECAN PIE BARS

Mary Marcia
America's STORYTELLER
Telling Untold Stories in Photographs, Prose and Public Speaking

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RECIPE:
GERMAN CHOCOLATE PECAN PIE BARS

German Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars are absolutely delicious.

They are not difficult to make, but you have to pay attention to the instructions.

Focus.

I almost lost an entire batch when I made these, because I got distracted, so I edited the recipe to make it easier to follow.

Good luck!

RECIPE

German Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars

Ingredients

3 CUPS Pecan Halves
1 and 3/4 CUPS All-Purpose Flour
3/4 CUP Confectioner's (Powdered) Sugar
3/4 CUP COLD Butter, CUBED
1/4 CUP Unsweetened Cocoa
1 and 1/2 CUPS Semisweet Chocolate Chips
3 (Three) Large Eggs
3/4 CUP Firmly Packed Brown Sugar
3/4 CUP Corn Syrup
1/4 CUP Butter, MELTED
1 CUP Sweetened Flaked Coconut

Baking Supplies

Shallow Baking Pan
9 x 13 Inch Baking Pan
Aluminum Foil
Wire Rack
Large Mixing Bowl
Mixer
Cutting Board
Pastry Blender or Food Processor (Optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees.

Bake Pecan Halves
Arrange 3 CUPS Pecan Halves in a single layer of a shallow baking pan. Bake 8 - 10 minutes or until lightly toasted. Stir halfway through baking. Set aside to use later as a topping.

Prepare Crust

Prepare 9 x 13 inch Baking Pan: Line bottom and sides of a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with aluminum foil...leaving an overhang on two short sides. Grease foil.

Whisk together:

1 and 3/4 CUPS All-Purpose Flour
3/4 CUP Confectioner's (Powdered) Sugar
1/4 CUP Unsweetened Cocoa

Add 3/4 CUP Cold Butter (CUBED) - and combine with a pastry blender or cut in until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Press mixture into bottom of pan, and about 3/4-inch up sides of prepared pan.

Bake crust for 15 minutes. (This is a partial baking of the crust.)

Remove from oven and...
Immediately Sprinkle   1 and 1/2 CUPS Semisweet Chocolate Chips evenly over crust.

COOL on a wire rack at least 30 minutes.

Prepare Filling

Place   3 Large Eggs in a large mixing bowl, and beat lightly.

Add
3/4 CUP Firmly Packed Brown Sugar
3/4 CUP Corn Syrup
1/4 CUP MELTED Butter
Whisk together until smooth.

Stir in 1 CUP Sweetened Flaked Coconut and lightly toasted pecan halves in to Filling Mixture.

Pour filling evenly over partially baked crust.

Bake 28 - 34 minutes, or until edges are golden, and filling has set.

COOL completely on a wire rack.

Refrigerate for one hour.

Using foil overhang, Lift bars from pan, and Place on a cutting board.

Use a sharp knife to CUT into bars.

Makes about 24 two-inch bars. (I cut them in all sizes.)

Recipe adapted from Southern Living, September 2012.

I wrapped each bar individually - in or in pairs to give as gifts.

I baked one batch in a 13 x 9-inch pan, just as the recipe suggested, and then experimented by baking another batch on a longer and thinner cookie sheet. I also threw in some walnuts in one batch.

Both batches took longer than expected to bake. The thicker bars (baked on the 9 x 13-inch pan) were softer than the ones baked on the cookie sheet.

Thick or Thin - both were delicious.