Featured Recipe
Altered Pecan Pie Bars
By Kate
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Flaky crust made from half whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour, with cold coconut oil replacing butter. Filling uses maple syrup instead of corn syrup, and light brown sugar swapped for muscovado sugar. Cinnamon and ground cardamom for warmth, plus an extra egg for firmness. Baking times shifted slightly with chilling emphasized to keep things tight and buttery. Tactile signals throughout to avoid soggy crusts or curdled eggs. Mix of textures from toasted pecans under custard dripping with woody spices and sweet earthiness. Classic technique with tweaks to handle busy kitchens and ingredient swaps.
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Prep:
25 min
Cook:
50 min
Total:
Serves:
9 servings
pecan
desserts
baking
pie bars
maple syrup
Introduction
Flaky crust with nutty whole wheat, coconut oil swapping in for butter adds a faint tropical note and holds better when chilled right. Use whole wheat carefully ; boosts flavor and structure but makes dough a little less forgiving. Filling leans on maple syrup for clean sweetness ; muscovado sugar lends deep caramel with molasses-hit. Cardamom alongside cinnamon adds a subtle exotic warmth that pairs well with pecans’ toasted nuttiness. Tempering eggs easy to mess up — hot sugar liquid can scramble if poured too fast. Watch textures not times. Crust handling needs patience — cold fats and chilled dough stop toughness and shrinking nightmares. Practical approach for busy cooks who prefer tweaks over strict classics.
Ingredients
Pecan Pie Crust
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup chilled coconut oil, grated or cut into chunks
- 1/4 cup chilled vegetable shortening, grated or cut into chunks
- 5-6 tbsp ice cold water
- 3/4 cup muscovado sugar
- 2/3 cup pure maple syrup
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups halves or chopped pecans
Pecan Pie Filling
About the ingredients
Whole wheat flour allows richer flavor and denser crumb ; mix it half and half with all-purpose to avoid dough that’s brittle or chalky. Coconut oil must be firm and cold ; softer coconut oil or melted will ruin crumb. Vegetable shortening helps retain flakiness alongside coconut oil. Substitute butter if preferred but remember to chill thoroughly and work quickly. Muscovado sugar provides complexity over plain brown sugar but you can swap light brown if unavailable, expect slightly less richness. Maple syrup replaces corn syrup for more natural sweetness — thick enough to bind well but monitor baking closely since it darkens faster. Cardamom optional but recommended for depth. Pecans chopped or halves depends on texture preference — crushed pecans can settle unevenly.
Method
Pecan Pie Crust
- Start by whisking the all-purpose and whole wheat flours with salt ; must be evenly distributed. Grate or cut chilled coconut oil and shortening into flour mix. Goal : coarse crumbs visible, some pea-sized bits for flaky layers. Use pastry cutter or finger tips, avoid warming fats.
- Sprinkle ice water a tablespoon at a time while folding dough gently ; stop as soon as it holds together without being sticky. Overwork and you lose flakiness ; underwork and it falls apart.
- Pat dough into thick disk ; wrap in plastic and chill minimum 45 minutes. Crucial to rest fats to prevent shrinking and toughness.
- Prepare 8x8 pan by lining with parchment paper, stabilize edges by dabbing water underneath — stops slipping when rolling crust.
- On lightly floured surface, roll dough evenly to about 3mm thick ; dust rolling pin too so no sticking. Transfer carefully by draping over rolling pin or folding over twice if needed ; aim for even thickness.
- Patch surface with fork tines all over crust ; lets steam escape and stops bubbling in oven.
- Return crust to fridge for 15 minutes to firm back up before baking.
- Oven at 435°F now ; bake crust 12-17 minutes till edges just start to brown and surface looks matte, slightly crisp to touch but not hard. You want raw dough cooked through but not overbaked. Remove and decrease oven temp to 345°F
- In small pan, combine muscovado sugar, maple syrup, butter, 1 tbsp flour, vanilla, cinnamon and cardamom. Heat gently, stir constantly until sugar dissolves and mixture thickens slightly ; watch for bubbling edges but no boiling over. Aroma should bloom with spices and butter richness.
- Whisk eggs separately while tempering ; add a spoonful of hot mixture to eggs while whisking briskly to raise egg temp gradually. Pour eggs back into pot ; whisk over low heat till fully combined and slightly glossy. Don’t let egg scramble — remove from heat at first hint of clumps.
- Scatter pecans evenly over baked crust, press down lightly to embed. Pour filling evenly over pecans, spread gently with spatula if needed to fill corners. Pecans float up slightly, creating uneven but attractive texture.
- Bake bars 43-48 minutes ; edges should caramelize darkly without burning, center set but with slight jiggle — a toothpick pulled should come out with moist crumbs but no raw batter. If edges brown too fast, loosely tent foil.
- Cool fully on rack before cutting ; bars firm up and slice cleaner. Warm bars tend to sag and spill.
- Store leftovers covered in fridge ; coconut oil may harden so bring to room temp before serving for softer bite.
Pecan Pie Filling
Technique Tips
Flour and salt sifted before adding fats ensure even rise and saltiness. Cold fats grated into flour mimic lamination better than chunks if pressed neat. Water added slowly until dough barely sticks ; too wet and dough turns sticky and hard to roll. Resting dough twice crucial for flaky, non-shrinking crust. Pricking with fork stops bubbles — don’t skip. Baking crust at high heat first sets structure and prevents sogginess when filling is added. Fillings with eggs need tempering to avoid scrambled flavor and texture — variable heat and whisking essential. Pour filling over pecans spreads flavors evenly and gives texture layers ; if pecans float too much, press lightly before filling. Baking at lower temp after crust pre-bake prevents burning while cooking filling through. Rely on visual cues - color of crust edges, jiggle of filling not strict time. Cooling bars completely makes slicing easier — cutting warm invites crumbling or oozing filling. Cover and refrigerate leftovers; hardness of coconut oil at cold temps means serving warm or room temperature brings texture back.
Chef's Notes
- 💡 Use chilled coconut oil only. Firm, grated is the way. Melted or soft messes dough texture. Shortening too helps keep that flakiness. Cold, cold, cold.
- 💡 Watch the crust rolling. 3mm thick, even all around. Dusting flour prevents sticking, no pressure. Patch with fork tines to prevent bubbles or explosions.
- 💡 Resting dough is key. Chill after mixing, again before baking. Avoid shrinking. If it cracks, that’s a sign — too warm. Dough better firm.
- 💡 Filling needs tempering. Hot mixture slowly into eggs, then mix back. No scrambling. Quick whisking, watch for clumps. Texture is essential — creamy not curdled.
- 💡 Bake initially at high temp for crust. Sets shape, stops sogginess. Lower temp later keeps filling from burning. Observe the edges — color matters more than clock.
Kitchen Wisdom
What to do if crust shrinks?
Cold all ingredients. Chill twice. If too warm, crust pulls back in oven. Reroll with care.
How to tell if bars are done?
Edges caramel color, center jiggles slightly. Toothpick test — moist crumbs, no raw batter.
Can I use other sweeteners?
Brown sugar works, less rich than muscovado. Honey might alter texture; adjust flour.
Storage advice?
Cover and refrigerate leftover bars. Coconut oil hardens when cold. Room temp or warm helps soften up for serving.
