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.
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 squaresFor 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.
