Pecan Brickle Bars

Total Time: 35 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon light cream, plus more if needed
• 3 cups chopped pecans
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 2 tablespoons light cream
• 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Recipe

• 1 generously grease a 13x9 baking pan or coat with nonstick spray.
• 2 in a medium bowl, thoroughly stir together the flour, sugar, and salt.
• 3 using fork, a pastry blender, or fingertips, cut in butter until the mixture is the onsidtency of fine meal.
• 4 sprinkle the cream over the flour mixture. lightly stir to mix. gently knead until the mixture hold together. if necessary, add up to 3 tsps more cream until the mixture holds together but it is not wet.
• 5 alternatively, in a food processor, process the dry ingredients and the butter in an off/on butter in pulses until mixture is similiar to coarse meals, do not over process.add 1 tbsp cream, a little at a time and process in off/on pulses until mixtue begins to hold together; add just enough more cream so the mixture hold together is not wet.
• 6 firmly press the dough in an even layer into the baking pan.
• 7 refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• 8 preheat oven to 350°.
• 9 bake in the middle of the oven for 10 minutes or just tinged with brown at the edges. transfer the pan to a wire rack and let stand until cooled to room temperature about 5 minutes.
• 10 topping:.
• 11 spread pecans in a medium baking pan.
• 12 combine the butter, brown sugar, salt, corn syrup and cream.
• 13 bring to a boil over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally for 4 minutes.
• 14 remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla and 2 1/4 cups of the pecans.
• 15 sspread topping evenly over the crust.
• 16 bake in the middle of the oven for 20-24 minutes or until the topping is bubbly, golden brown and just slightly darker at the edges.
• 17 transfer the pan to a wire rack and let stand until cooled to warm. sprinkle the chocolate morsels evenly over the top.
• 18 let stand until the morsels melt, then using a table knife, spread melted chocolate over the topping. it will not completely cover the topping, sprinkle the remaining 3/4 cup of pecans over the chocolate.
• 19 let stand until cooled to barely warm.
• 20 using a sharp knife, cut the slab into 32 bars, wipe knife clean between cuts.
• 21 let stand until completely cooled.
• 22 store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks or freeze for up to 2 months.
• 23 if freezing, leave the slab whole, then cut into bars when partially thawed.