Totally Baked: Salted Maple Pecan Bars
Is there anyone who doesn’t love a good slice of pie? I’m positive there is… but come on, what isn’t to love! Buttery, flaky crust that is gently nestling a sweet filling of spiced apples or creamy, custard-like pumpkin; no matter what your favorite flavor is, pie just feels like the holidays.
I suppose, if pressed, the only critique I would have for pie is that while delicious, it isn’t always baker friendly. Once you are comfortable making (and cutting them), they aren’t a much of a chore, but the road to get to that point could be paved with a lot of mishaps. Even when you are a pro, sometimes pie baking can still throw a curveball your way, so this got me thinking about how I could have have my pie and eat it too, so to speak.
I have always been a fan of a good bar cookie as well. Bars are pretty much just as versatile as pie, however I find them more user friendly to prepare and far easier to cut and travel with, which I think makes them a wonderful addition to your holiday gatherings. In the past, I have made pecan bars that are very reminiscent of a great slice of decedent pecan pie (which just so happens to be my favorite holiday treat!). That being said, this time around I wanted to take those classic, homey flavors and amplify them to create something a little more elegant and special. To do so, I am employing one of my personal favorite fall/winter flavors: Maple.
Hello Sweetie!
There is an ever growing group of sweeteners available to us in our local supermarkets these days and each one brings a different flavor, texture, and purpose to the party. One that I find is kind of overlooked sometimes is good old fashioned pure maple syrup. Perhaps overlooked is a bit harsh.. maybe more like maple is typecast as a breakfast food condiment when in reality it’s earthy and slightly bittersweet flavor is a wonderful addition to lots of cooking and baking applications.
Beyond benefiting from the unique flavor of maple, it also has a lot of value in kitchen witchcraft. Maple syrup comes from boiling the sap of the maple tree and is therefore the distilled essence of the grounding and healing earth energies these beautiful and powerful trees have flowing throughout them. I often use maple syrup to imbue my edible spellwork with these energies, especially when I am doing workings pertaining to drawing in good health or in times when I need to build up strength or perseverance.
Do be sure that when you are working with maple syrup that you opt for the pure, real thing to gain the best flavor and magickal benefits from the product. Also note that while cane sugar and maple syrup can be substituted at a 1:1 ratio when baking with it (meaning if a recipe calls for 1 cup of cane sugar, you can replace that with 1 cup of maple syrup.), you will want to reduce the liquid in the overall recipe by 3-4 tbsp per cup of maple you substituted.
Festive Flavors
While the maple is the star of this show intentionally, it wouldn’t be fair to not discuss the other key players in this dessert: the pecans and the salt.
Let’s start with the ever versatile pecans. I use these in all kinds of cooking and baking applications. Their slightly crisp crunch and rich, buttery flavor makes them a wonderful choice for making crusts on chicken or fish, chopped up into salads, or baked into cakes, cookies, or other desserts. Intentionally, pecans are a powerhouse ingredient in prosperity spellwork, especially in the areas of employment and career goals. They do however also hold energy for inspiring cheer during celebratory times, which makes them the perfect choice for this holiday treat.
As I said earlier, these bars are very similar in taste to pecan pie and as much as I love said pie, I do feel like sometimes the taste can be kind of flat due to just how much sugar goes into it. I personally adore adding a bit of salt as a counterpoint to exceptionally sweet desserts, which has been becoming increasingly trendy in the past few decades in baked goods and confections across the globe. Magickally, salt holds massive energy for cleansing and protection; an energy that is always welcome when doing any spellwork. ln this bar, that extra salt really helps every other ingredient shine, taking that one note sweetness and turning it into a full symphony of extraordinary flavors which we hope brings joy to you and your loved ones this holiday season!
What is your favorite dessert to see on the table during the holidays? We’d love to hear all about it in the comments below!
Salted Maple Pecan Bars
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened (abundance, soothes strong emotions)
- 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar (banishing negative energies, attract positivity)
- 6 Tbsp. granulated sugar (sweeten relations/bonds between family and friends)
- 1 1/2 Tbsp pure maple syrup (grounding, good health, positive support for changes, perseverance)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract (comfort and affection amongst friends and family)
- 2 1/2 tsp salt (protection from negative energies)
- 3 1/4 cup all purpose flour *see note (prosperity)
- 1 cup dark corn syrup (banishing negative energies)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (luck drawing and attraction)
- 1 cup pure maple syrup (grounding, good health, positive support for changes, perseverance)
- 4 whole eggs (fertility, prosperity)
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted (soothing of emotions, abundance in life and love)
- 2 Tbsp bourbon or whiskey (Blessings towards loved ones, working through old emotional wounds)
- 1 Tbsp salt (cleansing, protection from negative energies)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract (facilitates comforting and loving interactions)
- 1 lb. pecan halves (inspires cheerfulness and celebration)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. and
- Prepare a 9" by 13" sheet pan with cooking spray and set aside. You may also use a square cake pan or other large pan of your choosing, just be sure that whatever pan you are using has higher sides so both your crust and filling will fit.
- In a large bowl or upright mixer, cream your softened butter, brown and granulated sugars, maple syrup, and vanilla until lightened in color and fluffy.
- Scrape down the bowl and add in your flour and salt and mix until combined. The dough will be crumbly, but should stick together well when pressed between your fingers.
- Press your dough evenly into the prepared pan, being sure to press some of the dough up the sides of the pan.
- Bake in your preheated oven for 18 minutes or until the edges are beginning to become golden brown and the dough has firmed.
- While your crust is baking, in a large bowl thoroughly mix together all of your filling ingredients with the exception of the pecans and set aside.
- Once your crust is finished, remove from the oven and carefully spread your pecan halves over the crust in an even, single layer. Gently pour your filling over the pecans being sure to cover everything evenly.
- Carefully place your bars back into the oven and bake at 325 degrees F. for 28-30 minutes or until the filling has firmed and edges are dark brown and caramelized. The filling will have a slight wiggle to it, which is fine as it will continue to firm as it cools. I also recommend placing a clean sheet pan underneath your bar pan during the baking process to catch any possible spills.
- Onced your bars are finished baking, remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before cutting.
- Once cooled, you can cut these into any size square you desire, depending on the occasion you are serving them at, but I generally get anywhere between 16 and 24 pieces out of one bar. They are delicious served as is at room temperature, warmed, or even cooled and you can also serve them with fresh whipped cream or ice cream if you would like. Enjoy!
Notes
- If you would prefer to make this recipe gluten friendly, you may substitute gluten free flour for the all purpose the recipe calls for. I would recommend a brand that allows you to substitute the GF flour for the exact same amount, such as Cup4Cup or Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Baking Flour.
