Nut Pie Bars

Why are there so many freakin' nuts in my pantry?  I don't know where they all came from, why there are two bags of each kind or why they're all open.

Luckily this little recipe relieved me of 2 cups of nuts - all the walnuts & pecans on hand - and most of the graham crackers which have been hiding in there since the S'More Bar or S'More Bars.  This did nothing to help the over-almond population.

The original recipe is for a pecan pie bar and it has a cookie crust.  I thought a graham cracker crust would go nicely with the topping which is just like the filling for a pecan pie.  My only worry was that it would fall apart when I cut it but, luckily, that did not happen.

I do think I overbaked these a little bit which is too bad.  They ended up begin pretty darn crunchy which was not my intention.  I was going for chewy.  So, if you're making them, watch them during the 2nd bake and try to avoid them looking like they're full of craters before you take them out of the oven.

Of course when the bars cooled and I tried to take pictures of them my camera decided to make everything look like it was photographed on the surface of the sun which is awesome.  CA says it's the lighting in the kitchen which could be the case because this only happens when it's dark outside and the lights are on.  I'd rather take pictures with natural light... not because I'm a purist but because you people won't want to eat anything I make if it all looks radioactive.


Nut Pie Bars
Adapted from Just a Taste

Ingredients
1 3/4 cup Graham Cracker Crumbs
1/2 cup Butter, melted
1/4 cup Sugar

1/2 cup Butter
1 cup Brown Sugar
1/3 cup Honey
2 T Heavy Cream
2 cups Chopped Nuts (pecans & walnut)

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9"x13" pan with non-stick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter and sugar.  Stir until the mixture if moist and crumbly.  Press into the prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, until light golden brown.

While the crust bakes, prepare the filling by combining the butter, brown sugar, honey and heavy cream in a saucepan and stirring it over medium heat. Simmer the mixture for 1 minute, then stir in the chopped pecans.

Remove the crust from the oven and immediately pour the filling over the hot crust spreading it to cover the entire surface.

Return the pan to the oven and bake an additional 20 minutes.  Remove the pan and allow the bars to fully cool in the pan.  Cut into bars and serve.

Enjoy!
Julie