If your house is anything like mine, by the time dessert rolls around on Thanksgiving, everyone has loosened their belts and is in a major food coma. Then, someone {who usually just wants to go home} announces it’s time for dessert. Everyone moans, waddles over to the kitchen, and grabs a plate. Because it’s not Thanksgiving without a little pie, right?
Well instead of stuffing your face with slices of pecan pie this year, how about making pecan bars instead. The procedure is pretty much the same, and you can politely polish off dessert in just two bites.
Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes – Pecan Bars
Ingredients
Pie Ingredients {slightly adapted from all recipes}
1 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs + 1 egg for egg wash
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup chopped pecans
Crust Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup vegetable shorting
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Combine pie crust ingredients together, divide in half, roll into a ball, use the palm of your hand to flatten crust to about 1 inch.
- Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
- In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs until foamy, and then stir in the melted butter, vanilla, flour, brown sugar, white sugar and mix well.
- Fold in the chopped pecans.
- Line a 9×13 inch pan with parchment paper {for easy removal} then add your rolled out crust and push the dough up against the sides of the pan. B
- rush and egg wash over the top portion of the crust {see above}.
- Pour pecan mixture in the pan and bake at 350 for 3o minutes or until done.
- Let cool, slice into 2 inch bars.
What is YOUR favorite dessert to eat on Thanksgiving?
I’d have to say mine is {and probably always be, pumpkin pie}.
~Mavis
Tina says
I am with you Mavis-I have always loved pumpkin pie-as a child it was the only kind of pie I ate!(Yes, I was a picky eater).
Wendy Phelps says
Could you use less sugar in this and still get the same result, we are cutting back on sugar although we still love all things sweet. Just saw pecans in the supermarket this morning but bought walnuts to make choc-mocha and nut slice, this has some coffee in it as well and is great with a mug of coffee.
Jessica says
Made these last night! Well.. almost.. My pie crust was a total fail! It was hard to tell from the directions of you were supposed to only use 1 round of the dough.. I assumed you were.. I ended up using a boxed dough roll and then I tried to put it into a 9×13 and realized it was not going to be big enough.. when my daughter(7y) finished mixing up the filling I decided that the directions were not correct and moved over to my 9×9 square pan.. Shell fit much easier and the filling was the perfect amount!
In the end they are DELICIOUS.. I had to try before I served today!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Jen J says
I’m making this for tonight’s dinner as we speak! It looks fabulous, I can’t wait to taste it. Thanks for sharing all the fabulous recipes you try out. It certainly inspired me in my own kitchen. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!