I had grand plans this past Thanksgiving of making pie, which is definitely one of my favorite desserts. For me, it ranks up there with cheesecake, bread pudding and really good wedding cake. However as the time drew near, I quickly realized how challenging it would be to make two or three pies with a seven month old demanding my attention. Yeah, not happenin’. Soooo, Plan B was these German Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars. And I must say, I am NOT sad that I had to make these instead! Imagine pecan pie, loaded with coconut and bittersweet chocolate chunks, on top of a chocolatey crust, in bar form. To. Die. For. I can honestly say I’m glad I had to change things up because these were out of this world delicious!
Enjoy!
Original Recipe: Southern Living Magazine
- 1¾ c. All-Purpose Flour
- ¾ c. Powdered Sugar
- ¼ t. Salt
- ¼ c. Unsweetened Cocoa
- ¾ c. (1½ sticks) Unsalted Butter, cubed
- 1 c. Dark Brown Sugar, firmly packed
- 1 c. Light Corn Syrup
- ½ c. (1 stick) Unsalted Butter, melted
- 3 Large Eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 T. Pure Vanilla Extract
- 3½ c. Pecans, toasted and roughly chopped
- 2 c. Bittersweet Chocolate Chips (I like Ghirardelli 60% Bittersweet but you could also use semi-sweet, etc)
- 2 c. Sweetened, Flaked Coconut
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line bottom and sides of a 9x13 pan with heavy duty aluminum foil, allowing 2 to 3 inches to extend over the sides to use as "handles". Lightly grease foil.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt and cocoa powder. Add butter and crumble it with your fingers or a fork until it resembles a coarse meal. Press into the bottom of the 9x13 pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, corn syrup, butter and eggs. Stir in 1 cup of coconut and pecans and pour over the crust. Top with remaining cup of coconut.
- Bake for 45 minutes or until golden and set (mine was still the slightest bit jiggly in the very middle and I was ok with that). Cool completely on a wire rack. Lift baked bars from pan using foil "handles" and cut into squares. Store in an airtight container.