This is another dreary post about orthodontia and how heartbroken I am that for many months to come I will not be chowing down on Thomas Keller’s pecan-walnut bars, which I found to be life-changing in a way that only the rarest dessert ever is. Ooey, gooey, crunchy, sticky and nutty, they basically check 5 out of 6 boxes on the checklist entitled “Foods to avoid while wearing braces” and as a result have begun haunting me in my dreams.
I have said it before, and I will say it again. Thomas Keller’s dessert recipes have never, ever let me down and consistently produce the highest-quality, most delicious sweets that come forth from my tiny oven and 12 inches of counter space. That said, he makes you work for it. To make these bars, I ordered a Nordicware ¼ sheet pan which the recipe insisted was the best way to ensure that the crust on the side of the bar doesn’t – God forbid – shrink down into the baking vessel. Having acquired the correct pan, I dutifully put together the crust, which I found to be a real pain to roll out thinly enough to get into the pan with overhang over the sides.
I mixed up the filling, having carefully chopped each nut into 2-3 pieces, depending on its original size, per the instructions. I dug out the light corn syrup and unsulphured molasses from the depths of the baking pantry, creating a huge mess of ingredients that I needed to move out of the way to get there. I let it “rest.” I chilled the crust just right, put a larger baking sheet at the bottom of the oven since I’ve learned a lesson or two the hard way here and there. I put the crust in the oven, and that’s when things really seemed to go sideways after an hour of exacting and meticulous kitchen work. The overhanging dough began to slowly detach and drop from the sides of the pan and sizzle onto the baking sheet below. In retrospect, it should have been fairly obvious to me that this would happen, but during baking I was convinced that these bars were ruined. The sheet came out of the oven, cooled, and went into the freezer where I promptly forgot about it for a full day.
When I revisited the bars 24 hours later, I discovered that they were not, in fact, ruined, but actually the definition of dessert perfection. Turns out, Keller was right. Again. The overhanging crust broke right off and created an even edge all around the pan. I cut the pan into twice as many pieces as the recipe called for (Keller’s portions are always enormous) and nearly cried as I tasted one. It was everything you love about pecan pie – texture, indulgence, nuttiness – minus everything you hate – cloying sweetness, one-note flavor. The shortbread crust is outstanding and the filling is sweet but so complex and rich. I think if I could choose only one dessert to eat forever, it would be this bar with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Do you need more of an endorsement than that?
Ingredients
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/3 cup almond flour
- 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 11 tablespoons (5 1/2 oz.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla paste or pure vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 2 cups pecans
- 1 cup walnuts
- 6 large eggs
- 1/4 cup unsulphured molasses
- 2 teaspoons vanilla paste or pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups lightly packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks; 6 oz.) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Instructions
- Put 1/3 cup of the powdered sugar and the almond flour in a food processor and pulse to combine. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the flour.
- Put the butter and the remaining 2/3 cup powdered sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle and mix on low speed to combine. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 3 minutes, until the mixture is light and creamy, scraping down the sides as necessary. Add the vanilla and ten the egg, beating on medium speed until incorporated. Turn the speed to low and slowly add the dry ingredients.
- Remove the bowl from the mixer and turn the dough a few times with a rubber spatula to be sure that everything is evenly incorporated. Transfer the dough to a large piece of parchment paper and pat it into a rectangle. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or for up to 2 days; let stand at room temperature to soften slightly before rolling.
- Coarsely chop the nuts into about 3 or 4 pieces per nut. If the nuts are chopped too fine, they will rise to the top of the filling.
- Lightly whisk the eggs in a large bowl. Add the molasses, vanilla, salt, brown sugar and corn syrup. Whisk in the melted butter. Stir in the nuts and let stand for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cover the dough with another piece of parchment paper and roll out to a 12-by-16-inch rectangle. If at any point the dough is too soft to work with, slide it onto a baking sheet and refrigerate briefly.
- Set out a quarter sheet pan. Remove the top piece of parchment and invert the dough into the pan. Fit it into the pan, pressing it evenly over the bottom and up the sides; lift the edges to ease the dough into the corners and let the excess dough hang over the sides of the pan. (The overhanging dough will help anchor the crust and keep it from shrinking as it bakes.) If you see any cracks in the dough, use small pieces from the overhang to patch them. Prick the bottom and sides of the crust with a fork and refrigerate for 5 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Bake the crust until golden, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking for even browning. Remove from the oven, immediately pour in the filling and return the pan to the oven. Bake for 15 minutes or until the top is evenly browned. To be sure that it is done, shake the pan gently; the center of the filling should not move. Transfer to a rack and let cool to room temperature.
- Wrap the pan in plastic wrap and freeze for at least several hours, until solid, or up to 2 days.
- Using a paring knife, scrape off the pastry overhang. Run a palette knife or narrow spatula between the pastry and the sides of the pan to loosen the bars. With a wide spatula, lift the sheet of bars and place on a cutting surface. While the original recipe calls for slicing off the crusts on all four sides, I love crust so kept mine on. Cut into 12 rectangles. Transfer to a serving platter. Serve the bars cold (I love them straight from the freezer.)
Notes
From Ad Hoc at Home
March 22, 2017 at 6:52 pm
Elizabeth you really nailed it with the photos of this recipe. Congratulations!