Let's Make: Pecan Pie Blondie Bars - A Delight To Be Alive

Ingredients:

Pecan Shortbread:

58 g Butter (cold)

40 g Sugar

2 g Vanilla

2 g Salt

2 g Cardamom

112 g All-purpose flour

45 g Toasted pecans

Blondies:

115 g Brown butter

190 g Brown sugar

50 g Egg (room temp)

5 g Vanilla extract

5 g Salt

130 g All-purpose flour

100 g Toasted Pecans

Filling:

395 g Dulce de Leche

Topping:

20 g Whole Pecans (untoasted)

Gum Arabic Syrup (optional)

50 g Water

50 g Raw sugar (turbinado)

20 g Glucose Syrup

14 g Gum Arabic Powder

Instructions:

Preheat oven 180ºC (350ºF). 

Chop pecans for blondies and cardamom shortbread. Spread on a lined baking tray and roast for 15 minutes. Remove, and allow to cool to room temperature.

Lower oven to oven 165ºC (325ºF). 

Line an 20 cm x 20 cm (8" x 8") baking dish with parchment paper.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment combine all purpose flour, sugar, cardamom, and salt. Mix for a few seconds. Add butter and beat until pieces are no bigger than a marble. Add toasted pecans.

Pour the dry looking mix into your baking dish and press flat. Bake for 30 - 40 minutes, or until just starting to color on the edges.

While the shortbread is baking make your brown butter.

In a small saucepan melt butter over a medium high heat, driving off the water and swirling from time to time until a gold brown color and the milk solids look toasty, but not burnt on the bottom of the pan. Remove from the heat and allow to come to room temperature.

Return to oven 180ºC (350ºF). 

In a large bowl combine brown butter, and brown sugar, whisk to combine. Add egg and whisk to come together. Add vanilla extract and whisk once more. Add all-purpose flour, and salt. Mix to form a dough with a spatula. Fold in toasted pecans. Set aside.

Pour (scoop) half of the dulce de leche over the cardamom shortbread layer, spread evenly with an offset spatula. 

Using your hands spread the blondie dough in an even layer over the dulce de leche, press flat.

Spread the remaining dulce de leche over the blondie dough layer. Decorate the top with whole pecans (untoasted). Bake for 30 minutes, remove and allow to cool to room temperature.

Now make the gum arabic syrup. In a small saucepan combine, water, raw sugar, glucose syrup, and gum arabic powder. Bring to a boil, kill the heat. And blend in a blender or with an immersion blender until smooth. Allow to cool before brushing on the glaze and really tucking into some great blondie bars!