In the Kitchen with Don: Chocolate- or "Not" Chocolate: Pecan Pie Bars

In our family we have two distinct camps- the chocolate lovers and the "Not" chocolate lovers- rather like the Republican Primary with it's candidate slate of Romney and then an assorted "Not" Romney. But trust me- in our family these two camps are firmly entrenched- and not likely to budge regardless of any pressure- or super "PACS" applying pressure. So when we have a family gathering we have to have both- chocolate and "not" chocolate- This recipe lets us do that all in one pan!

But before we get into the details of the recipe let me give you just a bit of a back story. This year at Thanksgiving I was feeling nostalgic so wanted to serve the "favorites"- both past and present. That meant adding in Grandma Lucas' FAMOUS PECAN PIE.

I started on the pies the day before.... First the pumpkin- success! Then the apple-cranberry- success! And then finally the pecan- popped that baby into the oven. Well by now the kitchen is a MAJOR WORK CENTER! And the chopping has begun. And I forget to set the timer- and totally forget the pecan pie in the oven. Well two hours later- you got it- I smell something that smells a bit like burned pecans! Burned pecan pie big time! Well, after much flurry of activity- and some tasting by Don and Gay, (our very best friend from high school -for me junior high!) as they tried to eat around the really burned parts- the pie of course was declared only worthy of the trash. By now it was getting late in the day and we (much pressure from Don and Gay) decided that this Thanksgiving Dinner didn't need a pecan pie. I admit I caved under the pressure! But on the following Thanksgiving morning I had new energy- and new resolve so I quickly made another pie crust and filled with pecan pie filling. Now here's the secret- don't tell Don- I was now out of Karo syrup and there was no time for a quick trip to any market- so I decided that I'd just substitute Lyle's Golden Syrup. BIG MISTAKE! COOKING LESSON from this cooking blog post: Do not- And I really mean this- DO NOT! make substitutions unless you really, really, really know what you're doing when you're baking! For soups, casseroles, roasts, barbecue- I could go on- be as creative as you'd like- but for baking... I didn't know what I was doing- so not only did this pie not taste like pecan pie- it was as runny as the original Lyle's Golden Syrup! Fortunately for me, we live next to wonderful neighbors who have teenagers quite willing to eat the failures as well as the successes! Gotta love the growing teenage boy!

So I'm over making pecan pie. You just have to own up to the failures- and only go forward with more trials if that really, really, really is your favorite, can't live without, dessert. Well pecan pie just can't meet that standard.

But wait a minute- what about the "Pecan Pie Bars" I made a couple of years ago for folks to snack on while Don and I were chained to the kitchen cooking for the "BIG MEAL"! Well since I might be adding these to our Thanksgiving menu next year I decided to try a "dry run". And since we were heading for Florida and a visit to our beautiful granddaughter...

(and her parents) this seemed a perfect time for the practice session.

Now to the chocolate versus "not" chocolate family camps. You see, Will (our son-in-law) is firmly in the CHOCOLATE CAMP, Don is just as firm in the "NOT" CHOCOLATE CAMP. Now that's what makes this dessert perfect! Just made half of the pan chocolate- and the other half "not" chocolate.

I found this recipe here so do check out the original source... I made some adaptation for personal preferences (this recipe is more forgiving than a pecan pie). Try it- you're going to love it!

Recipe for PECAN PIE BARS:

Ingredients:

Crust:
2 cups of flour
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of butter

Topping:
2/3 cup of butter
1/4 cup of honey
1/4 cup of light corn syrup
1/2 cup of light brown sugar
1/4 cup of heavy cream (also called whipping cream)
3 cups of pecans, chopped
1 cup of mini semisweet chocolate chips (for the CHOCOLATE CAMP!)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

For the crust- mix the ingredients- flour, sugar, softened butter- in a food processor, being careful not to over mix! Press the dough evenly in a lightly greased 13x9 in metal baking pan. I actually greased the bottom of the pan and then placed a piece of parchment paper over this and greased this surface to make sure nothing "stuck" to the bottom of the pan.

For the topping- combine butter, honey, corn syrup and brown sugar on top of the stove. Cook over low heat until the butter is melted, stirring frequently while the butter melts. Stir in the cream and bring to a boil for 2 minutes.

Add the pecans, mixing well.

Pour the pecan mixture evenly over the crust. Top with chocolate chips, if desired. This is where you can make half chocolate and half "not" chocolate! Next time I'm going to melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler (chocolate in a pan over a pan of boiling water) and then drizzle this over the pecan mixture because the chocolate chips just won't melt!

Bake for 25- 30 minutes- until filling is set. Cool thoroughly before cutting into squares. You can hurry this process along and facilitate the cutting if you refrigerate for 15 minutes after the pan has cooled enough that you can handle it without an oven mitt.