I made these tasty treats for the recent 4th of July bash I hosted as an alternative to a standard pecan pie.  I was already serving lemon tartlets as well as my traditional 4th of July Chocolate Pie, and didn’t want one more pie in the mix.  But, I did want something pecan to continue the Cajun theme into the dessert course.

Here was the dessert spread for the party.  Oops!  The Chocolate Pie didn’t make it into the photo op!  Oh well, it’s there in spirit.

I feel a bit of additional explanation is required here.  Instead of the traditional burgers or steak BBQ, it’s an all you can eat Cajun infused Crawfish Boil 4th of July hoopla at my house!  Live jumbo crawfish are flown in from Louisiana (thank you Louisiana Crawfish Company for your amazing mudbugs year after year!) cooked in a Cajun boil with sweet corn on the cob, potatoes, carrots, onions and garlic.  Super spicy Jambalaya, cornbread, green salad, and watermelon complete the buffet.  It’s quite the event, and the crawfish are not only delicious but provide a major source of entertainment for kids and adults alike.  Here…have a peek for yourself!

So delicious!

The Jambalaya always goes so quickly!  I barely managed to snag any!

And we can’t forget about the community firework collection!

Everyone had fun that day!

Anyway, back to the Pecan Pie Bars.  These bars were an excellent addition to the dessert assortment.  Lightly sweet, cakey shortbread with a caramely, crispy, nutty topping…oh my.  Even better than pecan pie, in my opinion!

Shortbread Base:

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Pecan Topping:

• 2 cups Pecan pieces, toasted and cooled
• 1/2 cup butter, unsalted
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons whole milk

For the Shortbread:

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Cut butter into 1/2-inch pieces. In a food processor process all ingredients until mixture begins to form small lumps. Sprinkle mixture into a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan and with a metal spatula press evenly onto bottom. Bake shortbread in the middle of oven until golden, about 20 minutes. While shortbread is baking, prepare topping.

For the Pecan Topping:

In a heavy saucepan melt butter and stir in brown sugar, honey, and milk.

Simmer mixture, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute.

Stir in pecans.

Pour pecan mixture over hot shortbread and spread evenly.

Bake in middle of oven until bubbling, about 20 minutes. Cool completely in pan and cut into 24 bars. Bar cookies keep, covered, 5 days at room temperature.

Recipe adapted from Epicurious.com