Laugh at me all you like, but it has been nippy here in Southern California, with temperatures dipping below freezing at night and an almost constant wind coming cold all day. This sense of chill makes me want to bake. So here’s the latest invention. Very like little pecan pie squares, but no eggs and no karo syrup.
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Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit.
Mix 1/2 pound (two sticks) of butter at room temperature with
1 teaspoon grape seed oil
2/3 cup confectioner’s sugar
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 cups unbleached flour (I like to add a heaping tablespoon of psyllium husk, or use half whole wheat flour)
When well-mixed, press mixture evenly into the bottom of a 9″ x 14″ baking pan. Bake in the 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.
Mix 3 Tablespoons heavy cream with
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup melted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
and 3 1/2 cups shelled pecans toasted (without salt) (You can toast them for yourself at 250 -300 Fahrenheit for about 15 minutes in oven on an ungreased metal pan.)
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I melt the butter for the pecan filling in a pyrex cup in the microwave, and after emptying the butter into my mixing bowl I use the same cup unwashed to measure the honey. This ensures that the honey will slide right out of the cup.
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Spread the pecan mixture over the baked crust– this is easiest if the crust is still hot from the oven. Bake the whole for about 20 to 25 minutes more. Cuts most neatly if the cookies are cool when you try.
robinwinter 