Maple Pecan Squares

Sometimes I am not the sharpest knife in the drawer.  I started this blog to share some of the fun, interesting and mostly easy recipes that make their way from my kitchen.  Often, I will find a new recipe, make it quickly and then not photograph it so that I can put it on my blog.  DUH!  Occasionally, I will then loose the recipe and find myself in a panic because they turned out great and cannot remember where I found it, let along how to make it again ( I will come back to this)! DUH! DUH! What is happening now is that I am using the blog as my own resource to find recipes and now I am kicking myself in the butt when I don’t blog.  New Year and renewed commitment to get some of these recipes documented.

Cup of Bengal Spice Tea and a couple of Maple Pecan Squares!

This is one of those recipes that I love to make as I normally have all the ingredients on hand so that it can be pulled together quickly if company finds their way to my kitchen table.  I had not planned to make many cookies before the holidays but I made these and they turned out great.  Then a few days later, I made the mistake of tidying my kitchen and the paper was lost! OH MY! I had not plan B for a desert for my guests and I had no memory of where I had even found this tasty sweets.  So the quest began – binders, piles of paper, recycling, bookshelf!  Finally to great relief the notes were found and the squares were produced just in time for my friends.  Never let them see you sweat!

For future reference these came from the Food and Drink (Holiday 2008) magazine that I get some the LCBO and you can search the website.  I have made them both with pecans and walnuts but really any nut will work. And I love maple syrup so I don’t use the “reasonable facsimile” this is a time when I really think that you need to use the good stuff.

Maple Pecan Squares

Shortbread base

1 cup	Flour
1/3 cup	Lightly brown sugar, packed
¼ cup	Coarsely chopped pecans (or walnuts, pine nuts, almonds)
¼ tsp	Baking powder
¼ tsp	Cinnamon
1/3 cup	Unsalted butter, at room temperature

Shortbread base - hot from the oven

Pecan Layer

¼ cup	Unsalted butter, melted
¼ cup	Light brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup	Maple syrup
2 tsp	Vanilla
¼ tsp	Salt
1	Egg
1 ¾ cup	Coarsely chopped pecans (or walnuts, pine nuts, almonds)

Pecan Layer assembled and waiting for the base to cool before layering

Preheat oven to 350F

Grease and line a 9 inch square pan with parchment paper so that it hangs over the sides

This is how you cool them quickly so you can have them
with a cup of tea - PUT THEM IN THE SNOW!

For base, pulse flour, brown sugar, pecans, salt, baking powder and cinnamon in a food processor (there is too much for a little food processor so use a big one or just crush the nuts finely and mix all of this in a bowl) to combine. Add butter and pulse until mixture is crumbly. Press mixture into the pan and bake for 20 minutes, until it just browns around the edges, and cool.

For pecan layer, whisk melted butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, salt and egg (carfeul adding the egg to a hot liquid - it will start to cook) until smooth.  Stir in chopped pecans and pour over shortbread base. Bake for 22-25 minutes, until bubbling around the edges. Allow to cool completely before slicing. 

Apparently this is supposed to make 36 squares but those are pretty tiny squares and I have never cut them that small – judge yourself accordingly.  

ENJOY!