Ultranutty pecan bars recipe

Most pecan bars consist of a single layer of nuts dominated by a thick, gooey, ultrasweet filling sitting atop the crust essentially, pecan pie in bar form. Our ideal pecan bar would feature a buttery crust piled high with the star ingredient. The pecans would be held in place by a not-too-sweet glaze that enhanced their flavor and glued them to the crust. We tried making glazes from a variety of sweeteners, but most were problematic: Corn syrup coated the nuts nicely but had a flat flavor; maple syrup dried out and crystallized; and honey had a flavor that overwhelmed the pecans. The best glaze was made with a combination of brown sugar and corn syrup, melted butter, vanilla, and salt. Into the glaze we stirred a whole pound of pecans; with that many pecans, the nuts were layered on top of one another, allowing for a variety of textures some nuts were slicked with glaze and chewy, while those sitting on top were crisp. Since the topping wasn’t wet, we didn’t need to parbake our crust. The edges will be slightly firmer than the center. If desired, trim ¼ inch from the edges before cutting into bars.