ADVERTISEMENT
My husband practically begged me to make another pan of this for his work party. Takes only 4 ingredients.
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, letting some foil hang over the edges for easy lifting later. Lightly grease the foil.
Press the chilled sugar cookie dough evenly into the bottom of the foil-lined pan to form a crust. Use your fingers or the bottom of a measuring cup to press it into an even layer, making sure there are no gaps.
Bake the crust for 12–15 minutes, just until it looks set and lightly puffed but not fully browned. While the crust bakes, prepare the pecan topping.
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Once melted, stir in the brown sugar. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is smooth, glossy, and just beginning to bubble around the edges, 2–3 minutes. Do not let it vigorously boil, or it can scorch.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the pecans until they are well coated in the warm brown sugar-butter mixture.
Carefully remove the partially baked crust from the oven. Gently spoon and spread the pecan mixture evenly over the hot crust, making sure the nuts are distributed from corner to corner.
Return the pan to the oven and bake for another 18–22 minutes, or until the topping is bubbly and the edges look caramelized. The center will still look a little soft but should not be watery.
Place the pan on a cooling rack and let the bars cool completely in the pan. The filling will firm up as it cools, going from very gooey to nicely sliceable.
Once fully cooled, use the foil overhang to lift the whole slab of bars out of the pan onto a cutting board. Peel back the foil and cut into 16–20 squares or rectangles, depending on how big you like them.
Store leftover bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or refrigerate if your kitchen is very warm. They can also be wrapped well and frozen for longer storage.
