Holiday Baking

Like many others, I absolutely love this time of year.  The advent festivities, the time spent with loved ones, the lights and decorations, the cold nights spent inside snuggled up with blankets and hot chocolate.  All of it is so heart warming.  While I often don't have much time to bake, I do love to around the holidays.  This year, I wanted to contribute to my family's thanksgiving dinner, so I made maple salted caramel pecan pie bars (yes, I know it's a mouthful, but its a tasty one!).  Here is how I did it:

I used a great recipe from averiecooks.com.

To begin, you need

(For the crust)
1 cup of all-purpose flour
1/3 cup of packed brown sugar (light or dark works)
1/2 cup of soft, unsalted butter


(For the filling)
1 large egg
1/3 cup of brown sugar (light or dark)
1/3 cup of maple syrup
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
(Optional) A pinch of salt to taste
1 cup of raw, unsalted pecans
1/4 cup of salted caramel sauce (you can make it easily at home or use a store-bought version)

Preheat your oven to 350 F.  I used an 8x8 inch baking pan and covered it with aluminum foil.  I also sprayed the foil with cooking spray because the bars are very sticky.

In a large bowl, you'll combine the flour, brown sugar, and butter and using forks or a pastry cutter, mix until you get pea sized clumps. (You don't want your butter to be melted, but if it is softer than this part is much easier for you.)

After this, you will place this mixture into your pan and pack it in so that you get an even crust.

Bake it for 17-18 minutes.  Remember that it will bake again once the filling is ready, so you don't want it to stay in the oven too long. 

While the crust is in the oven, you can start on your filling.  In the same large bowl (you can just wipe it out with a paper towel-- that easy!), add the egg, brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, and salt, and whisk until combined. 

You can chop up your pecans if you'd like, or you can leave them whole and stir those into the mixture too.  You can also wait and arrange them neatly on top of your filling once it is poured into the crust.  (I opted for the first choice.) Once your crust is out of the oven, carefully pour your filling on top, using a spatula to make sure it is evenly distributed.

Place your pan back in the oven for 16 minutes, then check to see if it is set by jiggling the pan-- if the center is very jiggly, allow them to bake for a couple more minutes.  (Be aware that they will also set more as they cool.) 

Allow the bars to cool for at least an hour before drizzling them with salted caramel sauce.  You can also serve the sauce on the side and allow your friends/ family add it as they desire because the bars are very sweet on their own. 

All that's left to do is enjoy!

The bars will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days, but will keep in the freezer for up to 6 months (according to Averie). 

I hope you enjoy this holiday season and that it is filled with good people, food, times, and much love!