German Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars

German chocolate cake is one of my childhood loves. My mother used to make it from a cake mix with store-bought frosting. And that was just fine with me. Having an anti-coconut husband has limited my baking with coconuts over the last several years. In the spirit of “absence makes the heart grow fonder,” I think I enjoy all that German chocolate-y goodness even more because I don’t have it very often. In this case, those nostalgic flavors are baked into pecan pie bars. If you’ve never made pecan pie bars, imagine those gooey filling and toasty pecans of pie fame filling a simple crust and baked in a big pan instead of a pie plate. 

Add to that a little cocoa in the crust, some melty chocolate on top of the crust, and stir in some coconut with the pecans. Now, we’re talking!

GERMAN CHOCOLATE PECAN PIE BARS

Yield: 24 2-inch bars

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 59 minutes

German Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars are a wonderfully delicious combination of chocolate crust, more chocolate, coconut, and pecans. A great crowd pleaser!

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups pecan halves

1 & 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

3/4 cup cold butter, cubed

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 & 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

3 large eggs

3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

3/4 cup light corn syrup

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 cup sweetened flaked coconut

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Arrange pecans in a single layer of a shallow baking pan. Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly toasted. Stir halfway through baking.
3. Line the bottom and sides of a 9″x 13″x 2″ baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving an overhang on two short sides. Grease foil.
4. Whisk together the flour, confectioners’ sugar, and cocoa. Add the cold butter, and combine with a pastry blender* until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Press the mixture into the bottom and about 3/4-inch up sides of prepared pan.**
5. Read Full Recipes >> bakeorbreak.com

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