Brownie-Pecan Shortbread Bars

If you have been following along with my blog so far, I'm sure you've seen a bit of a pattern.  Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter BANANA Bread, APPLE Whoopie Pies.  It's a lot of fruit.  Which is fine.  I like fruit in my desserts.  But this week, it think it's time we focus on chocolate.

Which is why I chose to make Brownie-Pecan Shortbread Bars.  These treats are the best of both worlds, with a rich chocolaty brownie on top and a flaky, sweet shortbread cookie as a crust.  So, if you like Ben and Jerry's Half Baked ice cream (I certainly do!), then you'll love this dessert.  The pecans, both finely chopped in the crust and more coarsely chopped in the brownie, give the bars added texture and crunch.

The original recipe called for 1/4 cup of white sugar for the crust.  I changed this to 1/8 cup of white sugar and 1/8 cup of brown sugar.  Personally, I enjoy the flavor of brown sugar in my cookies and crusts, and I believe mixing the two types of sugars for this crust pairs well with the brownie on top.  If you don't like to use brown sugar, then the 1/4 cup of white sugar will work for you.

The original recipe also called for unsweetened chocolate in the brownie portion of this dish.  I incorporated the unsweetened chocolate into my bars this week, but I have re-written the recipe below to include semi-sweet chocolate.  For me, the brownie just wasn't sweet enough with the unsweetened chocolate.  If you serve your bars with a dollop of Cool Whip or a scoop of vanilla ice cream, it may bring that needed sweetness to the dish.  However, if you plan on serving your bars plain, I would recommend using the semi-sweet chocolate.

Lastly, I could not find a 9x9x2 inch pan ANYWHERE.  Well, maybe I only looked at my local grocery store, but I really didn't feel like trekking all over Boston for an aluminum pan.  So instead, I used an 11x9x2.5 inch pan.  Because it was a bit larger than the original recipe called for, I increased the recipe by one and a half.  This ensured that I had enough crust to cover the bottom of the pan, and enough brownie batter for a thick brownie on top.

Enjoy!

Crust Ingredients

Brownie Ingredients

Crust Dough

Cooked Crust

Final Product

Final Product Before Jumping Into My Mouth...

Brownie-Pecan Shortbread Bars
Crust:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/8 cup white sugar
1/8 cup brown sugar
1 large egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
1/4 teaspoon salt

Topping
3oz semi-sweet chocolate
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
3/4 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans

1.) Crust: Heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line the bottom and sides of a 9x9x2 inch baking pan with non-stick foil, extending over the edges of the pan

2.) In a medium bowl, with an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until creamy.  Beat in egg yolk, then vanilla.  On low speed, beat in flour, pecans and salt until just combined.

3.) With floured fingertips, pat the dough over the bottom of the prepared pan.  Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until crust is lightly golden.  Place the pan on a rack in the refrigerator to cool completely.

4.) Topping: In a microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate and butter 30 seconds to one minute, stir to blend.  Let cool slightly, then stir in vanilla

5.) In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, flour and baking powder.  Whisk in chocolate mixture, then stir in pecans.  Spread mixture over cooled crust.

6.) Bake 26 to 28 minutes, until top looks slightly puffed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes.  Use foil to lift bars out to cool completely on a wire rack.  cut into 9 to 12 bars, depending on size preference.