dessert recipes – Stephanie Richey Art

I love pecan pie, but I have only attempted to make it one time. Pecans being as expensive as they are, that once was enough to convince me I didn’t want to try again. There was too much of the goo inside and not enough pecan. It didn’t really set up into a thick goo, and it didn’t taste right. I had given up on making pecan pie and decided that buying one if I ever wanted another, was the best way to go. But, if you know me, I don’t like to let things beat me.

Last year I found a recipe for pecan bars. I decided to try it. They were pretty good, but a little bit of baking knowledge, I decided to make up my own recipe. I made the recipe I found online for Thanksgiving. my husband, who is the pecan lover, loved the bars, but surprisingly, so did everyone else. Then I made the recipe I came up with for Christmas. He loved them, so they have become, as of this Thanksgiving, a tradition for our family. Today I thought I would share that recipe with you!

Pecan Pie Bars

2 cups Flour

1 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup butter

3 cups chopped pecans

1 – 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the flour and brown sugar. Cut in the butter until crumbly. The mixture will be very dry. Press in the bottom of a 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Top with the pecans and then pour the sweetened condensed milk evenly over the top. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Cool before cutting into bars.

At some point I will have to remember to add a picture, but they’re usually gone so fast I forget. If you try this recipe, I would love to hear what you think!

This week has been a big catchup. We have been busy at my husband’s job a lot during the day, consequently I have been filming videos in the evening and trying to get everything edited in the moments in between. But I finally got the two videos done that I was working on. The first was a garden tour and slug remedy. You can see that video on my YouTube channel – Stephanie Richey Art or see just that video here.

The other video was for a Rhubarb Crisp. You can see the tutorial here and I will include the printable recipe below, but if you watch the video, you’ll see that the recipe is just a guide. Also on the video is a guide to how to pick rhubarb. So, if you’ve ever wondered how to tell if rhubarb is “ripe,” go check out that tutorial.

Rhubarb Crisp

Rhubarb – I didn’t measure, but I used about 7 stalks. This will depend on your pan size and how much rhubarb you have and/or want to use.

Fruit – I used about half the amount of fruit as I did rhubarb, but the fruit will make it sweeter, so if you don’t like the tart as much, I would recommend a 50/50 split rhubarb/fruit

I filled the pan about 3/4 full of rhubarb and fruit.

Topping

1 stick butter

3/4 cup Flour

1 cup Brown Sugar

3/4 cup Rolled Oats

1 tsp Cinnamon

1/2 tsp Nutmeg

1/2 tsp Ginger

The spices can be changed up depending on your tastes, other options could be cloves or allspice. You could also add a little lemon zest as well.

Grease an 8×8 pan, or large pie plate. Place fruit in pan about 3/4 full. Cut the remaining ingredients together with a pastry cutter or fork. Spread on top of fruit. Place in a 375-degree oven for about 30 minutes. Check for doneness by inserting a knife in the center. If the fruit is soft, it’s done. Great served with ice cream or whipped cream, my husband likes it with just some heavy whipping cream poured over it.

This is one of my family’s favorite summer treats. If you love rhubarb, you should give it a try!