Pecan Squares 7.13 I'd Rather Be in Philadelphia

“Well can I send you anything? You know I made lemon bars and, ooh, pecan squares, I packed them up and I'm sending them over with Katie right now.”

Ingredients:

For the crust:

• 1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

• ¼ cup granulated sugar

• ½ tsp salt

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 2 ½ tbsp cold water

For the pecan topping:

• 1 cup unsalted butter

• 1 ⅓ cup brown sugar

• ¼ cup maple syrup

• ¼ cup bourbon

• 1 tsp salt

• ⅓ cup heavy cream

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• 4 cups pecans, roughly chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In a food processor, combine the butter, flour, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Pulse until the consistency is similar to breadcrumbs.

3. Add in the water a little at a time. You might not need the full amount. The dough should hold together when you press it with your fingertips, but it shouldn’t be too moist.

4. Line a 9 in x 13 in baking dish with parchment paper, then transfer the crust dough to the dish.

5. Use a spatula to evenly spread out the dough. Then bake at 350 F for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown.

6. Remove from the oven and prepare the topping.

7. Place a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the butter and allow to fully melt.

8. Stir in the sugar, maple syrup, bourbon, and salt and stir to combine.

9. Allow the mixture to reach a low boil then stir in the cream and vanilla extract.

10. Add the pecans and use a rubber spatula to fully combine into the mixture.

11. Remove the mixture from the stove and carefully pour over the crust, making sure not to splash. Use the spatula to evenly spread across the crust.

12. Return the baking dish to the oven and bake for an additional 25-30 minutes at 350 F or until the topping has set.

13. Allow the dish to fully cool before transferring to the fridge to chill for 30 minutes to an hour to firm up.

14. Use the parchment paper to guide out of the baking dish then use a greased knife to cut into even bars.

If you’ve been looking at my other dishes from Season 7, you might notice there are some deep cuts that I’ve chosen to make for my episode dishes. While fish might have been the obvious choice to make for this episode with Emily stocking up on it for when Richard comes home, I decided to make Sookie’s pecan squares. I’m so tired of Texas summers, and it’s already fall in my heart. So when she mentioned she made pecan squares and can have them delivered to the hospital, I knew that’s exactly what I wanted to make. I thought adding maple syrup and bourbon would really bring out the fall flavors in this dish.

Happy Cooking from the Hollow!

If you missed what I made last episode, catch up here!