Julienne's Graham Cracker Chewy Bars

Total Time: 40 mins Preparation Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• 3 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 3/4 cup butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 4 extra-large eggs
• 2/3 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup pecans, chopped
• powdered sugar, if desired

Recipe

• 1 crust:.
• 2 heat the oven to 350 degrees. in a large bowl with an electric mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the graham cracker crumbs, butter, sugar and flour until moist and well-blended. press the mixture firmly and evenly over the bottom of a 13-inch by 9-inch baking pan. bake until the crust is golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes.
• 3 topping and assembly:.
• 4 while the crust is baking, in a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar and eggs to blend. whisk in the graham cracker crumbs, vanilla, salt and baking powder until well-blended. stir in the pecans.
• 5 spread the mixture over the baked crust and return to the 350-degree oven until the filling is dark-golden on top and jiggles slightly when tapped, 20 to 25 minutes. transfer the pan to a cooling rack and cool completely.
• 6 sprinkle a light coating of sifted powdered sugar over the pan if desired, and cut into 24 bars. the bars can be made 1 day in advance. wrap in plastic and keep at room temperature.