Pecan Bars

From the Cook's Illustrated Baking Book, for which I did a whole bunch of recipes.

This recipe is my favorite.

Pecan Bars (fills one 9-inch square pan)

For the crust:

1 cup (5 oz) all-purpose flour

1/3 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup toasted pecans, chopped coarsely

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

For the filling:

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/3 cup light corn syrup

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 tablespoon bourbon or dark rum (optional)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 large egg, lightly beaten

2 cups toasted pecans, chopped coarsely

For the crust: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with foil and coat lightly with nonstick cooking spray.

Place flour, brown sugar, pecans, salt, and baking powder in food processor. Process mixture until it resembles coarse cornmeal, about five 1-second pulses. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles sand, about eight 1-second pulses. Pat mixture evenly into prepared pan and bake until crust is light brown and springs back when touched, about 20 minutes.

For the filling: While crust bakes, whisk together brown sugar, melted butter, corn syrup, bourbon, vanilla, salt, and egg in medium bowl until combined. Add pecans and stir to combine.

Bake until top is brown and cracks start to form across surface, 22 to 25 minutes. Cool on wire rack for 1 hour. Remove bars from pan, transfer to cutting board, and cut into bars.