Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars

It was time for a delicious, chewy, decadent chocolate dessert with a buttery shortbread crust. El Paso has finally broken the heat wave and we’ve been getting some thunderstorms, resulting in slightly chilly weather, so I was ready for some baking.

I wanted to surprise Bob with a filling dinner and a yummy dessert when he got home from work. He loves Pecan Pie, but I usually only make it around the holidays, so I opted for these mouthwatering Pecan Pie Bars.

I’ve made them before with either a “dunk” into melted chocolate or just plain. Today I was inspired by a recipe I saw on the Brown Eyed Baker’s blog with her Chunky Pecan Pie Bars.

I sure hope you try these luscious bars. They’re not difficult to make and are rather tasty. Look at all those pecans and chocolate chunks!


Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars
(Inspired by The Brown-Eyed Baker)

For the Crust:

1½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
¼ cup packed brown sugar
¼ teaspoon cinnamon

Filling:

3 large eggs
¾ cup corn syrup
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1¾ cups coarsely chopped semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (or chocolate chunks in a bag!)
I used chopped Mexican chocolate
1½ cups chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan.
2. For the crust, mix together the flour, butter, brown sugar and cinnamon until crumbly. Press into the baking pan and bake for 12-15 minutes or until lightly brown.
3. For the filling, beat the eggs, corn syrup, sugar, butter and vanilla extract with a wire whisk. Stir in the chocolate chunks and pecans. Pour evenly over the baked crust and bake for 25-30 minutes or until set.
4. Cool in the pan on a wire rack. Cool completely and cut into bars. Store in an airtight container at room temperature (or in the refrigerator if you live in a warm/humid area with no air conditioning).

Enjoy your weekend everyone.