Make Ahead

Pecan SurpriseĀ Bars

November 11, 2010
4.3
3 Ratings
  • Makes 24
Author Notes

This is my version of a family recipe that used a boxed cake mix as it's foundation. It's a dessert that I always enjoy more than I even remember, but never liked needing to buy a mix and pour box to make it. It's not quite cake, not quite shortbread on the bottom, and has a gooey center that melds nicely with the crust, all topped with pecans. —northlookcook

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups dark corn syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
Directions
  1. Heat oven to 350. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Set aside 2/3 cup of mixture.
  2. Mix dry ingredients with butter and 1 egg. Press into greased 9x13 pan and bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown.
  3. While baking, mix remaining ingredients and and pour over crust when you remove it from the oven.
  4. Continue to cook for 25-30 minutes until set in the middle. Cool and cut into squares.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

1 Review

jenniemf November 24, 2014
Dear Northlookcook,
Thanks for this recipe. I remember making this decades ago with the boxed cake mix. I am going to use your recipe for this Thanksgiving.