Pecan Pie Shortbread Cookie Bars

Chewy pecan-studded and maple-infused caramel atop a sweet and salty brown sugar shortbread. The result is a chewy (but not gooey), sweet and nutty bar that is practical, portable, pecan perfection.

Pecan pie, transformed into a portable, easier to prepare package. Instead of finicky pie crust, the base is a simple brown sugar shortbread. And instead of a temperamental custard with eggs that may or may not set properly, a simple brown sugar and maple syrup caramel that bakes up to a perfectly chewy, nutty finish.

Is it a cookie? A pie bar? A bar cookie? Or a little bit of all three?

For a seemingly simple recipe, this took me more than a few tries to nail the right ratio of shortbread to pecan and the proper set to the pecan caramel layer. And by more than a few, I mean 6. Indeed, it took me 6 trial batches to perfect this recipe (I felt a little like goldilocks, but instead of bears and porridge it was pecans and caramel.)

The winning topping ended up being the eggless version (an added bonus as the shortbread is eggless as well). While the egg made for a more traditional custardy pecan pie consistency, I had a really hard time getting it to set properly, it was always just a little too gooey and drippy, which made for an overly messy eating experience.

The eggless topping, on the other hand, bakes up to a perfectly chewy-but-not-gooey caramel, giving the cookie bars the perfect texture and chew without the sticky mess. The stable caramel makes these bars perfectly portable for cookie swaps, holiday parties, edible gifts and more.

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from Love and Olive Oil https://ift.tt/YrFhtCS