Over on my Facebook page I had a poll going for what cookie to make next from the cookbook One Smart Cookie by Julie Van Rosendaal. The Pecan Pie Squares won and I was thrilled!
Julie writes, “I recently came across a recipe for pecan pie bars that contained about 40 grams of fat each! These contain only 7.8 grams, most of which comes from the pecans.” Sounds good to me.
For the base of the squares you cream together 1/4 cup unsalted butter (or margarine) and 1/3 cup packed brown sugar.
Add 1 cup of flour and a pinch of salt.
Stir until well combined and crumbly. Press into the bottom of an 8″ x 8″ pan that has been greased. I like to use a measuring cup.
Bake in a preheated 375F oven for 12-15 minutes, until the edges turn golden. Perfect!
To make the filling, you can use the same bowl. Love that! Combine 1 large egg, 2 egg whites, 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, 3/4 cup corn syrup and 1 tsp vanilla. Mix until smooth.
Add 1 tbsp flour and 1/4 tsp salt.
Arrange 1 cup of pecan halves on top of the crust and then pour the filling on top. Bake in the oven that is still at 375F for 30-35 minutes until puffed and golden. Cool in the pan on a wire rack.
They looked perfect! The problem? Getting the stupid things out of the FREAKIN’ pan!!! OMG!
I probably should have followed my instincts and loosened the sides right after they came out of the oven but the recipe did not say to do so. If you try this recipe, line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper to avoid the crust sticking to the bottom. Like glue!
OK, so did I ruin the pan? See those scratch marks? Darn it, I think I ruined the pan.
They ended up being delicious but they were so hard to get out that most of the time I ended up with lots of topping and very little crust which was just way too sweet. A lot of this ended up in the compost because it was just too darn difficult to deal with. What a waste of such an expensive ingredients, pecans are not cheap!
Flavour-wise they were great but the crust getting completely cemented in the pan which probably ruined it is, well, kind of heartbreaking. I give this recipe, due to technical difficulties, two out of five wooden spoons. If you take extra measures to ensure they come out of the pan, these will probably taste more like a four out of five.
Oh well, foodie disasters happen! Just a part of life in the kitchen.
Live and learn, eh?
They do look ooey gooey good and look at how much less fat these have especially if you can’t eat the crust lol….Sorry about your pan, that sucks! We’ve had a few mishaps in our day as well, now I always use either President’s Choice Cooking Spray (it’s a Blue Menu item) or parchment like you suggested, even if the recipe doesn’t mention it. Better to be safe than lose more bakeware.
Yup! Normally I always parchment-line pans but I am trying to be a good recipe reviewer and just follow the recipe.
Ava, it’s true, leaving the crust behind does cut the fat content! I find that cooking spray gets all clogged up. I have my own spray pump with canola oil that I usually use but this time I greased with butter.
Hi Suzie, I just made these this afternoon, and made sure I used parchment in the pan, and they came out looking amazing. The parchment looks like it will come off easily enough too. Can’t wait to taste them!
We made these, with a parchment-lined pan, and they are amazing! They’re easily a 4 out of 5, if not more.