Chewy Maple Nut Bars
The combination of sweet brown sugar, crunchy pecans, and pure maple syrup in these chewy maple nut bars is tough to beat.
By Yankee Magazine|Sep 26 2022|
Chewy Maple Nut Bars Recipe
Photo Credit: Adam Detour • Food Styling by Monica Mariano / Ennis inc. • Prop Styling by Vincent Russo / Ennis Inc.The combination of sweet brown sugar, crunchy pecans, and pure maple syrup in these chewy maple nut bars is tough to beat. Pecan pie lovers in particular will go nuts for these maple nut bars — the handheld variation of the popular dessert.
From “Good As Gold,” March/April 2020
Yield
9 squares
For the Crust
Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup ground pecans
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease or line an 8-inch square baking pan with foil and set aside.
Put the crust ingredients into a bowl and use a handheld or standing mixer to combine. Press evenly into the prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Set aside to cool while you prepare the topping.
For the Filling
Ingredients
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) salted butter
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole pecans
Instructions
For the topping, combine the maple syrup, brown sugar, butter, and heavy cream in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, stirring constantly, until thickened and the mixture coats the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in the chopped pecans and vanilla. Pour over crust, then scatter the top with whole pecans, lightly pressing to set.
Bake for an additional 20 minutes, then transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool for 1 hour before cutting into squares.
For those with nut allergies, we substitute pretzels for the pecans. It doesn’t taste the same but is very good.
Thanks for sharing
This recipe sounds like it would be right up my alley except for the need for 2 tablespoons of heavy cream. I don’t use heavy cream, at all. Do you have any recommendations as a substitute? thank you!
Making mine with evaporated milk
Can I substitute almonds for the pecans? I really don’t like pecans, at all, but LOVE almonds.
Good stuff
Unless one has an allergy to dairy, heavy cream is among the good fats along, with real butter, coconut and avocado oil, all of which has been recommended by good nutritionists and dietary information, they will not put on wt but help the body to burn fat rather than protein for fuel, they have nothing to do with cholesterol and long agound found that cholesterol numbers do not matter, it is the particle size, the average liped panel doctors do is not accurate, I use at least 1/4 c. pure organic whipping cream daily , lots of real butter, and trim, 88 and look like 50, so I am told. ddumbra R.N. Clinical Nutritionist, Specialized Advanced Kinesiologist, for over 40 years.
That’s great!
Made them today with Half and Half instead of Heavy Cream. Came out fine but I don’t taste any maple and barely any pecans. They are more like Toffee Nut Bars to me. Definitely not like Pecan Pie.
When completed the base was somewhat crumbling It did not stay together- any thought on how to improve this?
How to store chewy maple nut bars. Can they be frozen?
Do you think substituting peanuts for the pecans would be an alternative?