Most pecan bars consist of a single layer of nuts dominated by a thick, gooey, ultrasweet filling sitting atop the crust essentially, pecan pie in bar form. Our ideal pecan bar would feature a buttery crust piled high with the star ingredient. The pecans would be held in place by a not-too-sweet glaze that enhanced their flavor and glued them to the crust. We tried making glazes from a variety of sweeteners, but most were problematic: Corn syrup coated the nuts nicely but had a flat flavor; maple syrup dried out and crystallized; and honey had a flavor that overwhelmed the pecans. The best glaze was made with a combination of brown sugar and corn syrup, melted butter, vanilla, and salt. Into the glaze we stirred a whole pound of pecans; with that many pecans, the nuts were layered on top of one another, allowing for a variety of textures some nuts were slicked with glaze and chewy, while those sitting on top were crisp. Since the topping wasn’t wet, we didn’t need to parbake our crust. The edges will be slightly firmer than the center. If desired, trim ¼ inch from the edges before cutting into bars.
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups (8¾ ounces) all-purpose flour
- 6 tablespoons (2⅔ ounces) granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- ¾ cup packed (5¼ ounces) light brown sugar
- ½ cup light corn syrup
- 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and hot
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 cups (1 pound) pecan halves, toasted
- ½ teaspoon flake sea salt (optional)
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For the Crust
- Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Make foil sling for 13 by 9-inch baking pan by folding 2 long sheets of aluminum foil; first sheet should be 13 inches wide, and second sheet should be 9 inches wide. Lay sheets of foil in pan perpendicular to each other, with extra foil hanging over edges of pan. Push foil into corners and up sides of pan, smoothing foil flush to pan. Grease foil.
- Whisk flour, sugar, and salt together in bowl. Stir in melted butter with wooden spoon until dough begins to form. Using your hands, continue to combine until no dry flour remains and small portion of dough holds together when squeezed in palm of your hand. Evenly scatter 1-tablespoon pieces of dough over surface of pan. Using your fingertips and palm of your hand, press and smooth dough into even thickness in bottom of pan. For the Topping
- Whisk sugar, corn syrup, melted butter, vanilla, and salt in bowl until smooth (mixture will look separated at first but will become homogeneous), about 20 seconds. Fold pecans into sugar mixture until nuts are evenly coated.
- Pour topping over crust and spread into even layer with spatula, pushing to edges and into corners (there will be bare patches). Bake until topping is evenly distributed and rapidly bubbling across entire surface, 23 to 25 minutes.
- Transfer pan to wire rack and sprinkle bars with sea salt, if using. Let bars cool completely in pan, about 1½ hours. Using foil overhang, remove bars from pan. Cut into 24 pieces before serving. (Bars can be stored at room temperature for up to 5 days.)