Pecan Diamonds

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Treat yourself to mouth-watering bar cookies of crunchy pecans covered with creamy, honey-flavored brown sugar caramel on a butter crust.

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  • 4

Ingredients

  • DOUGH
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into 1/2-inch slices
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • TOPPING
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 8 ounces whole pecans
  • 8 ounces whole pecans, coarsely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest

Preparation

Step 1

1. Adjust the rack to the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F.

2. Dough: Pu the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Process just to blend the ingredients. Add the butter pieces all at once and process with on/off pulses until the mixture has the consistency of cornmeal.

3. Whisk the egg and vanilla together in a small bowl. With the motor running, pour the egg mixture down the feed tube. Process just until the ingredients form a ball.

4. Divide the dough into 8 pieces and scatter them over an ungreased 10"x15"x1-inch baking pan. With floured fingertips, pat the dough to cover the bottom of the pan as evenly as possible.

5. Bake for 10 minutes. Don't allow the dough to color. Remove from the oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.

6. Topping: Combine the butter, honey and sugars in a heavy-bottomed 1 1/2-quart saucepan. Heat over medium-low heat until the butter melts; then raise the heat to medium and bring the mixture to a boil. Without stirring, allow the mixture to boil only 1 minute. Turn off the heat, stir in the cream, nuts and zest. Pour over the bottom crust; return the crust to the oven. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the topping is an amber color. The topping will bubble toward the end of baking.

7. Place on a wire rack to cool to allow the topping to firm before cutting. Using a ruler as a guide and a small paring knife, make marks at 2-inch intervals on the long sides and 1 1/2-inch intervals on the short sides. Cut along the diagonals to form diamond-shaped bars.

8. After cutting, cover the baking pan with aluminum foil and store for up to 4 days at room temperature. Seal the foil around the edge of the pan without letting the foil touch and disrupt the topping's glossy surface.

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