photography by: Nicholette von Reiche
These cranberry and pecan studded bars make for the chewiest, richest, tastiest festive bars.
Makes: 30 bars, depending on size
Preparation: 20 minutes
Baking: 30-35 minutes
For the crust:
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ cup soft brown sugar
¼ tsp salt
1 stick (110g) unsalted butter, diced
For the filling:
2 large eggs, whisked
¾ cup honey or corn syrup
¼ cup soft brown sugar
2 Tbsp all purpose flour, sifted
pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
¾ cup pecans, chopped
½ cup cranberries, roughly chopped
zest of 1 lemon
½ cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)
Heat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 9-inch square pan (22 cm square pan).
Prepare the crust:
Pulse the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a food processor to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
Press firmly into the greased baking tin using your hands or place a sheet of plastic wrap over the dough and use it to press the dough into the pan (this will make it easier to work with and will prevent the dough from sticking to your fingers).
Bake for 10 -15 minutes or until the edges are golden.
Prepare the topping:
Combine all the ingredients and pour over the baked crust.
Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until set.
Allow to cool in the pan and then cut into bars or use a star cookie cutter for a festive twist.
Serving suggestions:
Enjoy as an any time pick-me-up or serve slightly warm with vanilla ice cream.
Gift guide:
Present your festive bars in a gift box or a cookie tin, layered with parchment or handmade paper between layers. Finish the tin with a festive bow.
Kid-friendly:
There is no reason why your little chefs can't get their hands dirty and help with this one mum!
Variations:
Create your own delicious pecan bar variations by playing around with the following ingredients: desiccated coconut, rolled oats, seeds, nuts, granola, semi-sweet chocolate chips and dried fruit
Here are some delicious combinations:
Pecan, oat and dried apricot bars
Pecan, coconut and sunflower seed bars
Pecan, granola and mixed dried fruit bars
Wheat-free variation:
You don't need to miss out on festive treats this Christmas if you are following a special diet. Simply replace the flour in this recipe with equal quantities of wheat free flours such at oat, rye, potato, corn, barley or rice flours. Use 2-3 wheat free flours to make up your quantity of regular flour.