LAST DAY! Whoa, somehow I made it through this year’s 12 days of Christmas baking. Definitely a lot of baking these past couple of weeks, but all so worth it. I made a bunch of cookie boxes (see images below) to give to family and friends and had so much fun putting them together. Also, this year’s baking got me to pull out some old recipes from years past. It was great revisiting them again. To mark today’s sweet treat, this recipe is an oldie, but a goodie. These salted caramel chocolate pecan bars are insane! Some call it “crack bars” because they are so addicting. Almost like a pecan pie bar, but so much easier to make using graham crackers as the crust/bottom. And they are so easy to make too!
There are other recipes that are similar to these salted caramel chocolate pecan bars, but I find that they are more toffee-like (which is okay). I personally prefer adding in a couple of tablespoons of heavy whipping cream to bring this into more of a caramel sauce so that it gives you a creamy taste. The added sprinkle of salt and a couple of tablespoons of salted butter helps cut the overall sweetness of these bars. And of course, topping if off with some dark chocolate just brings this all together.
Below’s the recipe if you’re up for making some. These make for great gifts and work well in any cookie box for gift-giving or just pure eating. Of course, if you missed yesterday’s sweet treat, you’ve got to check it out. These are the best oatmeal cookies, ever.
Salted Caramel Chocolate Pecan Bars
This is a classic recipe for these pecan bars, but with added dark chocolate and topped with crushed pecans and sea salt. They are so good, you won’t want to stop eating them! Makes anywhere from 2-4 dozen pieces depending on the size you break them up.
Ingredients
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 12 whole graham crackers
- 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup butter
- 2 tablespoons whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- place the pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan and turn the oven on to 350° F. set the timer for 10 minutes. the pecans can get toasted while the oven is preheating. be sure to stir them halfway through and take them out once the timer goes off or when they’re toasted and fragrant.
- line a 15- x 10-inch jelly-roll pan with aluminum foil; lightly grease foil (or use parchment paper). arrange graham crackers in a single layer in prepared pan, making sure the edges touch.
- combine sugar, butter, and cream in a medium-size heavy saucepan; bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. remove from heat, and stir in vanilla and pecans (optional: reserve about a tablespoon for topping at the end). pour butter mixture over crackers, spreading to coat.
- bake at 350° for 10 to 11 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly.
- immediately top warm bars with the chocolate chips. let stand 3 minutes, and spread chocolate over bars. then sprinkle with salt, the reserved tablespoon of pecans if using and slide foil/parchment from pan onto a wire rack. cool completely (about 30 minutes). then chill for 20 minutes before breaking into bars and serving.
Notes
- You can omit the chocolate and pecan toppings if you prefer. They’d just be without chocolate and more toffee/caramel-like, which is also a tasty treat.
- These will stay good in an airtight container at room temperature or refrigerated for a few days (if they can last that long). Enjoy!
- You can make these in a 12×17 cookie sheet/pan as well, but just note that you’ll need to increase the number of graham crackers used to cover the entire cookie sheet.
Recipe adapted from Southern Living. This site contains affiliate links, if you make a purchase through them, we receive a small commission.