These bars. Are. Amazing.
I’m really sorry about the photos though. They aren’t great. Frankly, they’re quite boring.
I was having a long day. I had baked quite a lot and needed to photograph a few things in succession. Any small fiber of creativeness I possess had been sucked out of me by this point, and I just wanted to get a few shots of these bars and pack up shop.
So I apologize. But don’t let my average photos get in the way of how great these bars are.
What’s important is that you can still see that thick layer of under-baked brown sugar shortbread. And the way in which the sticky maple topping has seeped into it, and is oozing out from under the pecans, which are roasted and have formed a crunchy, caramelized layer on top.
Yeah, that.
These bars are good.
So good that a friend who was gifted some, requested them to be made again for her birthday today. So good that even though I kept them out of sight in the fridge, I kept coming back for more. And ended up eating about 10.
That happened.
Point of the story? Make these please!
- FOR THE BASE
- 220g unsalted butter, softened (1 cup)
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 2 cups flour (+ 1 - 2 tbsp)
- FOR THE TOPPING
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup corn syrup (255g)
- ¾ cup brown sugar, packed
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 - 2 tsp sea salt, to taste
- 1 cup pecans, roasted
- Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F) and line a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with baking paper.
- To make the shortbread base, cream the butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the flour and mix on a low speed until a crumbly mixture forms. If it is too sticky, add a couple more tablespoons of flour. It should be crumbly but stick together when pressed.
- Press the shortbread into the base of the prepared baking pan. Bake for 12 - 15 minutes until the top is dry and slightly puffed.
- While the crust is baking, make the topping. Whisk the eggs, corn syrup, brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla and sea salt together in a large bowl. Stir in the pecans.
- When the shortbread crust is ready, take it out of the oven and pour the topping over it. Smooth it out with a spatula so the pecans form an even layer.
- Bake for a further 15 - 20 minutes, until the filling appears mostly set and is no longer sticky when you touch it.
- Cool completely and refrigerate overnight before cutting. Makes 24 bars. Keep refrigerated.
Adapted from Pinch of Yum.