These little butter bombs are adapted from the Just a Taste blog, they are less messy than the usual pecan bar and have a very nice caramel flavor. Very fast to make, and good for parties because they make a lot of cookies. I have made both the crust and filling a little butterier and thinner, to make it more of a shortbread cookie and less like a bar. I usually cut these into small squares, maybe 1-1 1/2 inches. They keep quite well in a cookie tin.
For crust:
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
- 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For topping:
- 1.5 stick (3/4 cup) unsalted butter
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 10 oz. (about 2 cups) chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line 2 9x13-inch pans with foil, leaving enough for a 2-inch overhang on all sides.
- First make the crust by creaming together the butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Add in the flour and salt and mix until crumbly.
- Divide the crust in halves and press into the foil-lined pans and bake for 20 minutes until golden brown.
- While the crust bakes, prepare the filling by combining the butter, sugars, honey and heavy cream in a saucepan and stirring it over medium heat. Simmer the mixture until the sugar dissolves, then stir in the chopped pecans.
- Remove the crust from the oven and immediately pour half of the pecan filling over each of the hot crusts, spreading it to cover the entire surface.
- Return the pan to the oven and bake an additional 15 minutes.
- Remove the pan and allow the bars to fully cool in the pan.
- Use the foil overhang to lift out the bars and transfer them to a cutting board. Peel off the foil, slice into bars and serve.
