Chocolate Pecan Bars

Crust:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup of granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 cup of unsalted butter (diced & cold)
• 2 egg yolks
• 3-4 tablespoons of ice water

Filling:

• 1 cup of light corn syrup
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup butter (melted)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 whole eggs
• 1 cup of chocolate disks (65% cocoa)
• 1 ½ cups pecans (chopped)
• ½ teaspoon salt

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‍Note: Yields one 12 inch x 10 inch pan / 90 bars.

Making The Crust:

1. Cut your butter into small pieces and put it in the freezer for about 5-10 minutes to chill.
2. Using your food processor, add the flour, salt, sugar, and ground cinnamon with the traditional blade attachment.
3. Add the diced butter from the freezer to the flour mixture in the food processor and pulse so that the butter is broken into even smaller pieces. (About 5-10 pulses)
4. Add the vanilla extract and the egg yolks and pulse again until everything is incorporated and the mixture slightly resembles coarse cornmeal.
5. With the food processor running, add the ice water and continue to process until the dough comes together and forms a ball-like shape. Immediately turn off the food processor and transfer the dough to the counter.
6. Gently knead the dough to fully incorporate everything into a smooth ball of dough.
7. Roll the dough into a flat sheet, wrap it with plastic wrap, and place in the fridge for at least 15 minutes to chill.

To Bake The Crust:

1. Take a 12 inch x 10 inch pan and spray it with pan spray and then line it with parchment paper so that the parchment goes up every side of the pan. Spray the parchment with pan spray as well.
2. After at least 15 minutes, remove the dough from the fridge and unwrap the plastic wrap. Lightly flour your counter and place the dough down on the counter.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
4. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out so that it is roughly ½ inch thick. Transfer the dough into the pan you lined with parchment and press the remaining dough into the pan to line the entire bottom of the pan with dough. (Do not line the sides of the pan with dough.)
5. Using a dough docker or fork, gently poke holes in the dough throughout the bottom so it roughly resembles the top of a graham cracker. (The holes don’t need to be perfect, they won’t be seen and are simply there to help prevent the dough from rising.)
6. Place the pan in the oven and bake at 350 F for about 15-20 minutes, or until the dough starts to turn a light brown color.
7. Once the dough turns a light brown color, remove the pan from the oven and allow it to cool at room temperature for about 20 minutes.

Making The Filling:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. In your stand mixer with the whip attachment, add the eggs, along with the vanilla and cinnamon. Mix for about 30 seconds on a low speed to break up the eggs.
3. Slowly stream in the corn syrup while mixing.
4. After incorporating all the corn syrup, add the brown sugar and continue to mix on a medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy (about 2 minutes).
5. Add the melted butter and continue mixing until it is evenly incorporated.
6. Once incorporated, Remove the bowl from the mixer, add the salt, chopped pecans, and chocolate and mix using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until all of the pecans and chocolate are evenly coated with the batter.

Baking The Filling:

1. Spread the filling evenly into your pan with the dough already half-baked in the bottom. Gently shake the pan to distribute evenly and to allow the filling to settle.
2. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake at 350 F for about 1 hour, or until the center no longer giggles and starts to gently rise.
3. Once removed from the oven, Allow the filling to cool for about 2 hours in the fridge before cutting.

Cutting The Bars:

1. Once the filling has completely cooled, remove the pan from the fridge and set it down close to a cutting board.
2. To remove the bars from the pan, gently invert one side of the pan about 45 degrees and grab the parchment on one side. Gently tug on the parchment and loosen the bars from the pan. From here, you should be able to pull the entire block of bars up out of the pan and transfer it to your cutting board.
3. Once the block is on your board, gently tilt the block to remove the parchment on all sides.
4. When all the parchment is removed, cut the large block into strips that are about 1 inch thick. (If you are cutting the strips lengthwise you will have roughly 9 strips. If you are cutting them widthwise you should have roughly 11 strips.)
5. After all the strips are cut, rotate the strips 90 degrees and cut each strip about 1 inch thick again, similar to if you were dicing a vegetable.
6. You should be left with roughly 90-100 small 1 inch by 1 inch bars
7. Serve chilled, warm, or room temperature depending on your preference