Over twenty years ago my friend and neighbor, MJ Dodds, shared this recipe and I have been making it for Thanksgiving ever since. The bars are a great alternative to pecan pie. If you have chocoholics at your Thanksgiving table, melt a bag of semisweet chocolate chips and dip half the bar in the chocolate.
CRUST:
- 1 cup cold butter
- 3 cups flour
- 1/2 cup ice water
FILLING:
- 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
- 1 cup butter
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 pound toasted pecans chopped (should be close to 4 cups)
- 1/4 cup whipping cream
Preheat oven to 375. Butter and flour a 9×13 pan. To make the crust, put butter and flour into food processor and pulse a few times to incorporate. With motor running, add the water and blend until dough forms a ball.
Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. After dough has chilled, roll it out to make a 11×15 rectangle. Fit dough into pan, making sure dough comes up the sides at least 1 inch. Pierce dough with fork and chill while you make the filling.
For the filling, combine brown sugar, butter, honey, and sugar in a heavy sauce pan. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil 3-4 minutes and keep stirring. Remove from heat and add the pecans and the whipping cream. Pour over dough and bake 25-30 minutes. Check after 15 minutes. If the filling is browning too much, reduce heat to 350. Cool completely before cutting.