Graham Cracker Bars

I think I'm finally done cleaning out my pantry and if I'm not it's either getting tossed or going to keep sitting in there 'cause there's other stuff I want to cook without being boxed in by my leftovers.  Did that sound grumpy?  Sorry, I'm not actually grumpy, it's been pretty fun finding ways to use up all this stuff but I'm ready to move on.

Despite my complaining these little bars were quite a hit.  I was actually totally surprised when I made them.  I thought they were going to be more like a graham cracker blondie but that was not the case at all.  They were more like pecan pies with a graham cracker crust.  I wouldn't have been so surprised if I had really read the recipe beforehand.  I was far too focused on finding a recipe that used as many graham cracker crumbs as possible to actually pay attention to what I was making.

The crust is a pretty typical graham cracker crust... butter, sugar and crumbs.  If I'm being 100% honest, I was a little short on crumbs so instead of using 1 1/2 cups crumbs, I used 1 cup crumbs and 1/2 cup oatmeal that I ground up in my food processor.  It worked just fine.

The topping is very similar to a standard pecan pie filling; lots of brown sugar, eggs and pecans with a few graham cracker crumbs mixed in for good measure.

Much to my surprise CA loved these bars.  He ate at least four of them and told me that these were the "crackiest" treats I'd ever made.  I thought they were pretty awesome too.  I also ate four of them but that's nothing unusual.  They really are like pecan pie bars with that graham cracker flavor.  I will definitely make these again... maybe around Thanksgiving.


Pecan Graham Cracker Bars
adapted from Key Ingredient
Ingredients

For the Crust
1 1/2 cups Graham Cracker Crumbs (or combo of crumbs and ground oats)
6 T Butter, at room temperature
2 T Sugar
1 T All Purpose Flour

For the Topping
1 1/4 cups Brown Sugar (I used dark, but light would be fine)
2 Eggs
1/3 cup Graham Cracker Crumbs (or combo of crumbs and ground oats)
1 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Baking Powder
1 cup Chopped Pecans

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

For the Crust: Spray a 8x8 inch baking pan with cooking spray.  Using an electric mixer, beat the graham cracker crumbs, butter, sugar and flour in a large bowl until moist and well blended. Press the mixture firmly the prepared pan. Bake until the crust is golden brown, about 10 minutes.

For the Topping: Whisk the brown sugar and eggs in a large bowl to blend. Add the graham cracker crumbs, vanilla, salt and baking powder and stir until well blended. Stir in the pecans. Pour the mixture over the baked crust and bake until the filling is dark golden and moves slightly when the pan is shaken – 18-20 minutes.

Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and cool completely.  Cut into squares and serve.

Enjoy!
Julie