White Chocolate Pecan Bars

I'm discovering more and more that pecans are quite the little crowd pleasers. Walnuts certainly never get that type of reaction. These white chocolate pecan bars are easy to make and very tasty. Plus, you can tell people the recipe for these bars comes from the world-famous Magnolia Bakery in New York City. Fans of the show Sex and the City will know what you're talking about and be instantly impressed.

WHITE CHOCOLATE PECAN BARS

• 2 c all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 c unsalted butter, softened
• 1 c light brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 c pecans, coarsely chopped
• 8 oz white chocolate, coarsely chopped (I recommend Ghirardelli)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In small bowl, combine flour and salt. Set aside. In larger bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Add egg and vanilla, beating well.

3. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture. Beat until well combined. Stir in 1/2 c of the chopped pecans. Transfer batter to a greased 9 x 13 pan.

4. Bake for 25 minutes, or until edges lightly brown. Remove pan from oven and place on a cooling rack.

5. Immediately after pan is out of oven, sprinkle chopped white chocolate on top. Wait 5 minutes, and then spread chocolate around with a spatula. Sprinkle chocolate with remaining chopped pecans. Allow to cool and then cut into bars.

Source: The Complete Magnolia Bakery Cookbook