My favorite dessert through the holiday season is cookies. I start baking before Thanksgiving and don’t stop until we are a few days into the new y ear. This year’s favorite, at this point anyway, is pecan pie bars. The crust is a buttery shortbread that melts in your mouth and is topped with crunchy pecans in a gooey caramel filling. They are easy to make and freeze well. Mine never make it to the freezer because they are the first to go whenever I serve them. I’ve gotten many requests for the recipe and I’m happy to share it.
I bought myself a little unplanned Christmas present: a Singer Featherweight Sewing Machine. This little jewel weighs only 11 pounds, has its own carrying case, and works like a charm. I was talking to my friend who owns my favorite quilt shop, Center Diamond, in Cannon Beach, and she had a friend who was selling this 1938 Featherweight machine. I didn’t even have to think about it: I bought it! It sews beautifully and now I have a portable little machine to take with me when I travel. I’m planning to move to another suburb of Portland soon and decided to use up as much fabric as I could so I didn’t have to move it. Downsizing scares the heck out of me because I have too much stuff and its going to be painful to get rid of half of it. I made polar fleece bomber hats for the kids (and a few adults) and one of a kind things like this pillowcase for my 5 year old Chicago grandson who loves the Oregon coast. I hope he likes it. All of it didn’t make a dent in my stash, but at least I started to think about “the move.”
The big news is that I’m going to finally get a little puppy. I’ve waited a long time to be ready for this commitment. My little Bichon Frise is six weeks old now and will come to live with me after I get home from my Christmas vacation in Chicago. I’ve been driving myself a little nuts trying to decide on a name. I have one picked out and I want to see if it fits him. Maybe something else will be obvious once I have him.
Happy Holiday to all. Best wishes for a wonderful Christmas and a healthy, happy and prosperous New Year.
- FILLING:
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 5 large eggs
- 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 2 cups pecan halves
- CRUST:
- 2½ sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour sifted with ½ tsp salt
- • FOR THE FILLING:
- • Preheat the oven to 350°. In a medium saucepan, melt the unsalted butter over moderate heat. Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in the light corn syrup and dark brown sugar, then whisk in the eggs until thoroughly blended. Whisk in the vanilla extract and salt and stir in the pecans halves until combined.
- • Pour the pecan filling into the prebaked pie bar crust and bake for about 35 minutes, until the filling is set. Transfer the pan to a rack and let cool completely. Cut into bars and serve
- • FOR THE CRUST:
- • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, cream the butter with the sugars at medium speed for 2 minutes. With the mixer at low speed, beat in the sifted flour and salt mixture.
- • Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, allowing 2 inches of overhang on the 2 long sides. Transfer the dough to the pan and press it over the bottom and 1¼ inches up the side all around. (You can cover the dough with plastic wrap and press with the bottom of a measuring cup.) Be sure the corners are not too thick. Refrigerate until firm.
- • Bake the crust for 30 to 35 minutes, until golden brown; halfway through baking, use the back of a spoon to smooth the sides and corners of the crust. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the crust cool before filling.
This is so much like a recipe my mom made..!
Keeper..and bébé♥ So cute..Sewing machine=sew cute!
Doggie..adorb..
I had a little Poodle when we first got married..Chouchou was his name:)
If you were teacher’s pet..you were the chouchou of the class:) Means..favorite.
So many fun names now..more creative people..more Pinterest..Instagram..Facebook..Happy holidays!
Pecan recipes like this are always popular. Almost everybody likes them. So excited to see my little puppy. I have to pick the one I want from a small litter. I hope one of them likes me too. Have a wonderful Christmas, Monique. You are so lucky your girls live so close to you. Your grands are growing so fast. Mine too, for that matter. I’ll keep you informed about my puppy, and his new name. Thanks for coming by to visit.
I have made a pecan pie like this from the Silver Palate cookbook. Talk about a hit! And easy, too.
Oh I have been waiting for this recipe, they are my favorite. Your little puppy is adorable, what fun is in store for you. Happy Holidays!
Oh my goodness, you have a lot going on Cathy and still have time to bake and sew! If I had to downsize now it would be a monumental chore to go through the attic 🙂 Yikes, I should really start doing it now – or when it warms up a bit in early spring. Your little puppy is so adorable! Our neighbors have had two Bichons since we’ve lived next to each other the past 25 plus years. The first was named Beau and the second is Buster. Those pecan bars look addictive, and I’m definitely saving this recipe!
Your pecan pie bars look delicious. I have a large bag of pecan halves in my freezer and this recipe is calling my name. 🙂 We downsized when we moved to Florida last year so I know exactly what you are going through…wish you all the best with your move.
I hope you had a wonderful Christmas with your family.
In the Ingredients list for the filling, after the 2 cups pecan halves, it says “see Note”. What is that referring to?
Those pecan pie bars look absolute fantastic. I have a huge bag of pecans I need to use. I see some of these in the future.
Wow, a great little machine. Love it.
What a beautiful baby boy. Any name you choose for hims will be good. How sweet. I still cannot make the leap to another inside dog. After having Country for 18 years, my heart still belongs to her and I miss her just as much today as the day we lost her.
Oh Cathy, I would not even know how to start on a down sizing.
Have a really great Christmas and New Year.
I could eat a whole platter of those decadent cookies. Your grandson and your new puppy are adorable.
Your new puppy is absolutely ADORABLE! Wishing you many fun hours together! Yummy-I love pecan pie and know I would love this bar cookie recipe:) Love your “new” 1938 sewing machine!!! What a great gift to yourself! Wishing you and yours a blessed Christmas! Safe travels.
Blessings,
Aimee
PS: We are trying to downsize too. Good luck to you and us both.
Love me some pecan pie bars!!
I just moved the week of Thanksgiving, my input is to downsize like crazy!! Unless it’s something that absolutely can not be replaced or would be crazy expensive to replace let it go to someone who can use it right now. I moved from a two bedroom condo and I can’t believe the amount of stuff I have, and I have no idea where it all was. It’s not like I was surrounded on all sides with piles of things but I guess I got really good at using all the available storage.
Hope the move goes well for you! I used Priority Moving (Hillsboro) and they did a great job.
Just wanted to stop back by to wish you a Merry Christmas…I hope you had a wonderful day.
I can finally sit down and catch up on my favorite blogs, and read. Whoa! You’re moving? Wow! That’s a big change. Downsizing is hard, but it’s also nice to have a fresh start. I did that many years ago, and already it seems I’ve collected more stuff.
You are so talented, Cathy! You cook, bake and sew beautifully. Good luck with your move, and Happy New Year!