Ingredients
- Cookie base:
- 6 ounces (3/4 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4" pieces
- 9 ounces (2 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 2 ounces finely grated bittersweet cocolate (1/2 cup)
- Pecan Topping:
- 10 ounces (3 cups) pecans, toasted
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1/3 cup honey
- 2 tbsp. heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp. salt
Preparation
Step 1
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Position rack in center of oven.
Cookie base:
Put the 6 ounces of butter in a food processor, along with the flour, light brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Pulse until mixture is well combined (about 20 pulses). Scatter the dough into a 9-inch square baking pan and press it evenly over the bottom. (Wipe out the processor bowl but don't bother washing it). Bake the base until firm and lightly browned, about 25 minutes.
When the cookie base comes out of the oven, sprinkle the grated chocolate evenly over the top. Don't turn off oven. Set pan aside.
Pecan topping:
As the cookie base bakes, pulse the pecans in food processor until coarsely chopped. In a medium-size heavy saucepan, melt the 1/4 pound butter. Stir in the dark brown sugar, honey, cream, and salt. Simmer for about 1 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the pecans.
Pour the pecan mixture over the chocolate-sprinkled cookie base, spreading evenly. Bake until much of the filling is bubbling, 16-18 minutes. Cool completely in pan.
When ready to serve, cut into 16 squares; a bench scraper is best tool for cutting chewy bars.