Chocolate Pecan Bars

I just made these for my dad's birthday (Happy Birthday, Dad!) and as a back-up Thanksgiving dessert. They are simple, pretty darn good and go well with morning coffee. Next time, I think I might incorporate some caramel squares to try to make them more turtle-ish in nature.

Chocolate Pecan Bars
Makes 15-24 bars, depending on how generous you're feeling. Adapted from epicurious.com. One of the reviews on the site noted a too-soft crust - I accidentally omitted the egg the original called for and my crust was fine, so I'd recommend doing that.


Ingredients:

Crust

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1/2 tsp salt

Filling

• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups chopped pecans, plus a few halves for decorating
  
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Mix crust ingredients in food processor or with a pastry blender. Press into buttered 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Bake until golden, about 20 minutes.
  
• For the filling, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Beat in the flour, the vanilla, and the salt and then stir in the pecans and the chocolate chips.
• Pour into crust and smooth out. It helps if the crust is still warm so that the chocolate melts a bit as you smooth it. Decorate top with pecan halves, if desired. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown and firm.
  
• Allow to cool and cut into squares.