Hello! + Pecan Crumble Fudge Bars

Hey there! My name is Hannah and I generally don't use exclamation points. I'm not one to exclaim in excitement unless puppies are involved but I think exclamation points ease my blunt and sarcastic tone in text. Therefore you may see the odd one thrown in here and there to trick you into thinking that I am not serious (even though I am.) 

I decided to start a food blog for several reasons and they are as follows. I bake, like a lot. My current job is to bake in a restaurant downtown all day and then I come home at midnight and bake. Fortunately my father loves to eat as much as I love to bake so everything gets consumed by people other than just me at two in the morning rewatching The Office. 

Recently I made a recipe I thought I loved but it didn't pan out the way I remembered. The bars were over cooked because I didn't want to undercook them and then way over did it. Being the calm cool person that I am, I threatened to throw them out but thankfully said father mentioned above loves burnt/overcooked anything. I knew I had to recreate them so I made a different crumble mixture and adapted the fudge filling to make these bad boys. They turned out just how I hoped they would. Didn't have to bin them one bit.

PECAN CRUMBLE FUDGE BARS

pecan crust and crumble

2 cups pecans

2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

pinch of salt

1 1/4 cup butter, softened

fudge filling

1 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 1/4 cup milk chocolate chips

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup sweetened condensed milk

pinch of salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract (I honestly always free pour)

how to do it

Preheat your oven to 350ºF/176ºC. Line a 9 by 13 inch pan with parchment paper.

crust and crumble

Place the two cups of pecans into a food processor. Process until they are pretty finely ground, like course cornmeal and quinoa. Add the flour, sugar and pinch of salt to the pecans and process to combine. Add the butter in chunks and process until it clumps together. You may have to scrape the bottom to mix all the dry bits in. Put about 3 cups aside for the crumble topping. Press the remainder evenly into the bottom of the parchment lined pan using the bottom of a measuring cup or your fingers. Bake for about 13 minutes or until golden. 

fudge filling

While that’s baking, prepare the filling. Place both types of chocolate chips, butter, sweetened condensed milk and pinch of salt in a pan. Now you can be responsible and cook it over a water bath or you can be like me and cook directly on the stove on the lowest heat possible while constantly stirring so it doesn’t burn. Dealer’s choice. Cook until the chocolate and butter are fully melted. It may seem to be separating. Once it is fully melted, add the vanilla. Continue to stir over low heat until it comes together and has a glossy look to it. Pour the filling over the partially cooked crust. Crumble the remaining pecan crumble over top to cover the filling.

Increase the oven temperature to 375ºF/190ºC. Return the pan to the oven for about 20-25 minutes or until the top starts to get a little brown. You do not want to over cook it as the fudge filling then won’t be so fudgy. Allow to cool before cutting into bars. Or don’t, I respect that too. Makes about 24 bars.