~from Savoring Time in the Kitchen
I halved this recipe which filled 6 mini tart pans.
Crust:
2 cups flour
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
½ teaspoon salt
Toppings:
2 ¼ cups pecan halves, very coarsely chopped
1 ¼ cups (2 ½ sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 cups dark or bittersweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
Coarse sparkly sugar (optional) for sprinkling over bars
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 17-by-11-inch baking pan with foil for easy removal and cutting of bars.
Combine crust ingredients in a mixing bowl. Beat at medium speed until blended. Mixture will be dry and crumbly. Pat mixture firmly into the ungreased, foil-lined pan.
For second layer, arrange pecans evenly over crust in a single layer.
For third layer, combine the 1¼ cups butter and 1 cup brown sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring. Cook 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour mixture over pecans. Bake in preheated oven 15 to 18 minutes, until golden and bubbly.
Remove from oven. Sprinkle evenly with chocolate morsels. Let stand 3 to 4 minutes, or until slightly melted. With a light touch, gently swirl chocolate with a knife, leaving some of the morsels whole (do not spread).
Sprinkle evenly with coarse sea salt.
Sprinkle with decorative coarse sugar, if desired.
Let cool completely on wire rack. Chill about 30 minutes in the refrigerator to set chocolate. This makes the bars easier to cut. Cut into small bars, as these cookies are quite rich.
My Notes: I made 1/2 recipe and filled 6 4-1/2 inch mini tart pans with crust and filling. Chilled in the refrigerator and cut into each pieces per tart pan.
Adapted From Sue Shannon and the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel Cookie Contest