Honey Pecan Squares

Name: Honey Pecan Squares
Total time: 2400 s
Yield: Makes 54 small squares
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 cup unsalted butter, softened and at room temperature; 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 3 cups flour; 1/2 cup unsalted butter; 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1/3 cup honey; 2 Tablespoons white sugar; 2 Tablespoons heavy cream; 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (OR maple extract); 2 cups chopped pecans, toasted

Chris Gan @ChrissyAlpha

If you’re looking for a bar cookie that’s easy to make as well as rich and decadent, then this is the recipe for you! It’s the perfect treat for Holiday cookie exchanges or potlucks. Just be prepared to share the recipe because you’re sure to be asked for it! 😋
This recipe originally appeared in Taste of Home.
#Holiday #Christmas #Potluck

Chris Gan @ChrissyAlpha

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Ingredients

~40 minutes across all steps

Makes 54 small squares

Crust
1 cupunsalted butter, softened and at room temperature
3/4 cupbrown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoonsalt
3 cupsflour
Filling
1/2 cupunsalted butter
1/2 cupbrown sugar, packed
1/4 teaspoonsalt
1/3 cuphoney
2 Tablespoonswhite sugar
2 Tablespoonsheavy cream
1/2 teaspoonvanilla extract (OR maple extract)
2 cupschopped pecans, toasted

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Steps

~40 minutes across all steps

1

Toast the pecans:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
🔹Spread pecan halves in a single layer onto a foil-lined cookie sheet.
🔹Bake for 7 to 10 minutes, shaking the sheet every 3 minutes to ensure even toasting.
🔹Allow the pecans to cool, then coarsely chop them.
2

For the crust:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until well incorporated (3 to 4 minutes).
If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can use a hand mixer.
3

Stir in the flour on low speed (or by hand) until the mixture is crumbly. Do not overmix.
4

Line a 9x13” baking pan with aluminum foil.
Press the crust into the pan until a smooth, even layer forms.
5

Bake for about 16 to 18 minutes at 350°F or until crust is very lightly browned.
Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.
6

While the crust bakes, start making the filling:
In a saucepan, combine all the filling ingredients EXCEPT the nuts and flavor extract.
7

Bring the filling ingredients to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 1 minute.
8

Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the nuts and flavor extract (vanilla or maple extract).
9

Pour the filling onto the crust. It’s okay if the crust is still a little warm. Spread the filling and tilt the pan as needed until the filling is an even depth over the entire crust.
Bake at 350°F for 10 to 15 minutes. The filling will be bubbly.
10

Cool for 20 minutes or until you can safely handle the bar cookies. Pull up on the sides of the foil to remove the cookies from pan.
11

Use a sharp knife to cut the cookies into 9 columns, then cut each column into six cookies, for a total of 54 cookies.
You can cut them as big as you like, of course. But, because these are quite rich and sweet, a little goes a long way!
12

Store the cookies at room temperature in an airtight container. They’ll keep up to about 5 days, but they’ll probably disappear before that. 😁