Spring Salad
David Tanis
298 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
298
1 hour 30 minutes
Spiced Pecan Date Shortbread Bars
- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:18 bars
- 2cups/310 grams all-purpose flour
- 1cup/227 grams unsalted butter (2 sticks), chilled, cut in 1-inch chunks
- ½cup/50 grams confectioners' sugar
- ½teaspoon kosher salt
- 4tablespoons/56 grams unsalted butter, melted
- 2eggs, beaten
- ¼cup/60 milliliters molasses
- ¼cup/60 milliliters golden syrup or organic corn syrup
- ½teaspoon cardamom
- ¼teaspoon allspice
- ¼teaspoon clove
- ¼teaspoon nutmeg
- ½teaspoon kosher salt
- 1teaspoon orange zest
- 1tablespoon dark rum
- ½teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4ounces/113 grams chopped dates (about 1 cup)
- 8ounces/227 grams pecan halves or pieces (about 2 cups)
For the Shortbread Crust
For the Filling
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (18 servings)
334 calories; 21 grams fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 34 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 15 grams sugars; 4 grams protein; 119 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Step 2
Make the shortbread crust: Pulse flour, butter, confectioners' sugar and salt in a food processor until mixture looks like wet sand. (Alternatively, work the mixture with fingertips or a pastry cutter.)
- Step 3
Press shortbread mixture into the bottom of a 9-by-9-inch square cake pan in an even layer. Bake crust for 20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool.
- Step 4
Meanwhile, make the filling: In a medium saucepan, whisk together melted butter, eggs, molasses, golden syrup, cardamom, allspice, clove, nutmeg, salt, orange zest, rum and vanilla extract. Cook, stirring, over medium heat until mixture thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Stir in dates.
- Step 5
Pour filling over prebaked crust, then sprinkle pecans over filling. Bake for 30 minutes, or until filling is no longer jiggly and seems set.
- Step 6
Remove from oven and cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of pan to loosen cake, then invert pan over a cutting board to remove. Invert again and cool completely before cutting into bars approximately 1½ by 3 inches.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Lisa Z.
This is a delicious and flavorful alternative to pecan pie. Nice spice profile and not as sweet as traditional pecan pie. I used parchment paper in the pan bottom to ease in the flip onto a platter. Pecans got dark quickly, so I pushed them into the filling toward the end. I needed this dairy free-subbed margarine for crust, coconut oil in filling. Also subbed a bit of maple syrup & agave for half of syrup. Will definitely make for T-giving and cut into bite sized pieces.
L. Amenope
Did you use blackstrap molasses? If so, that's the problem. You need to use unsulphured molasses for a lighter taste.
bks
I am surprised by the five-star ratings people gave this recipe. First off, the cooked bars come out of the oven ugly because the molasses looks like tar. That I'd forgive if the bars were good; in my opinion they are not because the molasses overpowers the other ingredients. I scraped off the molasses goo and pecans and saved the short bread. Waste of pecans.
Linda
Made this this weekend for a dinner party dessert. Delicious and easy, although lots of inrgedients to assemble. Much less rich than pecan pie, and you can cut them into smaller pieces than wedges of pie. Not as sticky as pie, so easier to transport if you want to take them to someone else's house. The different spices and the orange peel made them seem sophisticated and a little Mid-Eastern. I will make these again.
Michele
2 cups of flour is 256 grams, not 310. Used maple syrup instead of golden syrup.
Michael
The suggestion of using parchment paper was excellent. Makes taking it out of the pan and inverting it easy.
There was no rum in the house, but I had Cointreau.
Therefore I used:
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
1/2 tablespoon Cointreau
Brought out the orange taste nicely.
Andrew
How o you get it to look like wet sand without adding water?
Mimi L
Try looking for Lyle's Golden Syrup. Might be in with the imported foods. You'll probably need to be going to a larger grocery store. I think you could sub in corn syrup or maybe half maple-half corn. The golden syrup has a really nice caramel flavor. Corn syrup is just sweet. It should act the same, but you'll probably lose a bit of depth of flavor. Good luck!
Donna
No. Not even close. Growing up, I was taught that blackstrap is only fit for animal consumption. Never ever use it for baking.
Mimi
I really like the flavor profile of these bars. I substituted a tablespoon of espresso for the rum since I took them to a dinner that included Muslims. I had a few problems tho . . . the shortbread got really soggy for some reason, and 2 cups was way too many pecans - about half of them fell off because they didn't get glued together by the filling. Suggestions to fix the soggy shortbread would be welcomed, because I really want to try this recipe again!
Judy
Try Lyle's golden syrup and a mild honey, 1:1. Molasses seems to be a problem here.
Allyson
Very good. So many different flavors dancing around in this recipe. My filling was set after 20 minutes of baking.
Sonoma Guys
So good. Just follow the recipe. A rich and satisfying eat. Also they present well with some fresh fruit sliced on the side.
Highlander Rob
I am looking for baking/making Gluten Free Christmas gifts. I type in Gluten Free and this recipe pops up. So my Question: Will this recipe using Bob's Red Mill One-to-One Gluten-Free flour succeed or will it flop? EDITORS, please respond, thank you!
Marlette
Trouble finding Lyle’s? I bought mine on Amazon. Saves gas when you know somethings likely going to be difficult to find.
Diane
I followed this exactly, and it was a breeze, a most delicious breeze. This is the kind of dessert that is best given to others—very rich. A real keeper.
Lillian
my company loved these, and ate them up - even though I was not so keen. Used Trader JoesOrganic Light corn syrup and molasses. didn't have the dark rum, so I used light. It is pretty to use the large nuts on top, it makes from a mouthful, so maybe chop the nuts if you plan to cut the pieces into smaller bite-size squares. I also brushed the surface of the nuts with a little melted apricot jam, so they would hold together and were nice and glossy.
Janet
I was not wowed by these cookies. The crust was crisp and held up well. The date mixture looked like tar and was not particularly flavorful, nor was it sweet. The pecans seemed like an afterthought and might have been better incorporated into the molasses/golden syrup mixture. The cookies did not remind me of pecan pie
Allyson
Very good. So many different flavors dancing around in this recipe. My filling was set after 20 minutes of baking.
syrouny
Lyle syrup is a British import. You should be able to find it where English items are sold.
Margaret Davenport, Healdsburg
Is blackstrap molasses the same as dark corn syrup?
Donna
No. Not even close. Growing up, I was taught that blackstrap is only fit for animal consumption. Never ever use it for baking.
Mark
This recipe is flawed. 310 grams of flour is 2 1/2 cups. The amount of pecans, 2 cups is way too many. I made the recipe exactly as written (except I used Grade B Maple syrup instead of Lyle's) I weighed everything. I used organic unsulfered molasses. I thought it was odd that the filling was cooked stove top before baking - mine thickened within a minute into a dark paste. Was never jiggly, taste is OK, but looks like tar, pecans don't adhere. Wouldn't serve them. Real disappointment.
Marlette
Measuring flour by the cup isn't accurate which is why weights are so often written or asked for. Depending on the dryness of your flour it a cup can weigh more or less than stated....so weigh it. Sorry your cookies didn't work out. Isn't it odd that one person can follow the recipe and have it turn out wonderfully well and another think it's awful? The beauty and mystery of baking!
Donna
I'm betting you used blackstrap molasses. Next time, just use molasses instead of blackstrap.
Amahl
Can you use black strap / unsulfered molasses?
Emma, Townsville, Australia
I made this repeatedly to take on camping trips. A real treat and keeps well even without refrigeration ( in tropical North Queensland, Australia) nuts and dates- what’s not to love.
Michele
2 cups of flour is 256 grams, not 310. Used maple syrup instead of golden syrup.
Michael
The suggestion of using parchment paper was excellent. Makes taking it out of the pan and inverting it easy.
There was no rum in the house, but I had Cointreau.
Therefore I used:
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
1/2 tablespoon Cointreau
Brought out the orange taste nicely.
Linda
Made this this weekend for a dinner party dessert. Delicious and easy, although lots of inrgedients to assemble. Much less rich than pecan pie, and you can cut them into smaller pieces than wedges of pie. Not as sticky as pie, so easier to transport if you want to take them to someone else's house. The different spices and the orange peel made them seem sophisticated and a little Mid-Eastern. I will make these again.
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