Happy Tuesday! With Thanksgiving quickly approaching, I’m thinking about all of the pies and treats I want to make. While I usually make a pumpkin pie and a cranberry pie, I’m excited to share a twist on another classic Thanksgiving pie with Mickey’s Chocolate Pecan Bars! These rich bars have a shortbread crust, caramel pecan filling, and a chocolate drizzle!
When it comes to Thanksgiving pies, there are lot of options: pumpkin, sweet potato, apple, pecan, the list goes on! I’m certainly partial to pumpkin pie, as it’s my favorite pie, but sometimes it’s fun to mix it up a bit. Pecan pie isn’t one I usually go for, but I do really like turtle candies, so I added a bit of a turtle-y twist to these pecan bars with a chocolate drizzle.
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To make these pecan bars, start by beating the butter and light brown sugar together until it’s light and fluffy. Add the flour and salt, beating until a soft, crumbly dough forms.
Transfer the dough to a 9 inch x 13 inch baking dish or pan. I used a baking slab from Made In, but any pan will work. Make sure to lightly grease and line the pan with a piece of parchment paper (leave an inch of overhang over the 13 inch sides to help remove the bars from the pan).
Use your hands to gently press it into the pan, spreading it across the pan to form an even layer. Use a fork to prick the crust all over. Bake the crust at 325 F for 15-18 minutes or until lightly golden. Remove the crust from the oven, but keep the oven on. While the crust is baking, make the filling.
For the filling, combine the butter, honey, heavy cream, sugars, and salt in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Stir the mixture until it is smooth and starts to boil. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the pecans, covering them evenly.
Pour the filling over the crust, using a rubber spatula to smooth it into an even layer. Bake the bars for 15-20 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling all over.
Remove the bars from the oven and let cool in the pan until they’re room temperature, about 1 hour.
Once the bars have cooled, use the parchment paper to remove them from the pan. Transfer the bars to a flat work surface. You can leave the parchment attached to the bottom. Use the Mickey Mouse cookie cutter to cut the bars into Mickey shapes. Place the cut out bars on a wire rack to make it easier to drizzle the chocolate over them.
Place the semisweet chocolate chips and milk chocolate chips in separate piping bags. Heat them into the microwave, checking every 30 seconds until the chocolate is melted.
Cut the tips off of the piping bags and pipe the chocolate over the pecan bars, alternating so that half have a milk chocolate drizzle and half have a semisweet chocolate drizzle. If you’d rather do all milk chocolate or all dark chocolate, that works too!
Enjoy Mickey’s Chocolate Pecan Bars!
If you’re looking for other Thanksgiving recipes be sure to check out these Mouseketeer Turkey Cakes, Mickey’s Cranberry Breakfast Pastries, Cranberry Mickey Hand Pies, and Pumpkin Mickey Pies!
Mickey’s Chocolate Pecan Bars
Ingredients
Crust
- 18 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
Caramel Pecan Filling
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 6 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 9 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 3/8 teaspoon salt
- 3 ½ cups chopped pecans
Decoration
- 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1/3 cup milk chocolate chips
Equipment
- 9 inch x 13 inch baking dish or pan
- 2 piping bags
- medium size Mickey Mouse cookie cutter
Instructions
Crust
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Preheat the oven to 325 F. Lightly grease a 9 inch x 13 inch baking dish or pan. Place a piece of parchment paper in the pan, pressing it to the bottom. Leave an inch of overhang over the 13 inch sides to help remove the bars from the pan.
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In a medium bowl, beat the butter and light brown sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the flour and salt, beating until a soft, crumbly dough forms.
-
Transfer the dough to the prepared pan. Use your hands to gently press it into the pan, spreading it across the pan to form an even layer. Use a fork to prick the crust all over.
-
Bake the crust until lightly golden, about 15-18 minutes. Remove from the oven, but keep the oven on.
Caramel Pecan Filling
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Combine the butter, honey, heavy cream, sugars, and salt in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Stir the mixture until it is smooth and starts to boil.
-
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the pecans, covering them evenly.
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Pour the filling over the crust, using a spatula to smooth it into an even layer.
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Bake the bars for 15-20 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling all over.
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Remove the bars from the oven and let cool in the pan until they’re room temperature, about 1 hour.
Assembly
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Use the parchment paper to remove the bars from the pan. Transfer them to a flat work surface.
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Use the Mickey Mouse cookie cutter to cut the bars into Mickey shapes. Place them on a wire rack.
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Place the semisweet chocolate chips and milk chocolate chips in separate piping bags. Heat them into the microwave, checking every 30 seconds until the chocolate is melted.
-
Cut the tips off of the piping bags and pipe the chocolate over the pecan bars, alternating so that half have a milk chocolate drizzle and half have a semisweet chocolate drizzle.
Recipe Notes
Adapted from King Arthur Baking