often recipes can be adapted and changed a bit based on pantry ingredients or even for personal taste. this recipe was written to include walnuts, but i have found that pecans work equally well in the baking process. these are very chewy squares that are super delicious. the chopped pecans give a very nice texture to the cookie bars. while some bars become crunchy or stiff, these will never become hard. i store them in a sealed container over a few days to maintain the perfect texture.
i found this recipe in my hometown garden club cookbook. i highly recommend them as a great cookie bar to accompany coffee or tea, for an addition to your Christmas cookie plate, or just as an afternoon snack.
to make the pecan bars: using an eight inch square baking pan, prepare with spray oil. stir together the following ingredients in a medium bowl: one egg, 1 cup brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Next add, 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add one cup chopped pecans. Spread in the baking pan. This dough is very sticky. I used a Pam covered stainless spatula to spread the dough evenly in the pan.
bake for 18 minutes. cookies should remain soft when taken from the oven. allow to cool in the pan. when cool, cut into squares and serve.
angel food garden 