Bride of Magazine Challenge: Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars

So.

When I was growing up, my favourite type of square was the Hello Dolly, also known as the Magic Bar.  I don't really know why.  My mother made dozens and dozens of squares every Christmas, and she never made Hello Dollies.  Perhaps it was just the novelty of those that my mother never made.  But chocolate chips, nuts, coconut and sweetened condensed milk on a cookie base?  Count me in.

As an adult where I could make Hello Dollies, I never do.  J and I like to have sweet treats in the house, but we seem to eat them very quickly.  So when I saw this recipe in the March 2006 Everyday Food, I was intrigued.  It used lots of pecans and chocolate chips, but that would make them yummy.  When they were finally done, I was just as happy that we had Home Church that night and I could take the squares with me so that J and I wouldn't eat them all.

They're not Hello Dollies, but J doesn't like coconut.  They're just as good...or even better.

I present to you now from the March 2006 issue of Everyday Food Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars:

Ingredients:
1/2 c butter, softened
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1/4 c brown sugar, packed
1-1/4 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs
1/2 c sugar
3/4 c corn syrup
2 c pecans, chopped
2 c chocolate chips
Method:
1.  Preheat oven to 350F.  Line a 9x13" pan with foil.
2.  In a bowl, beat softened butter, brown sugar, salt  and flour until coarse crumbs form.  Pour into prepared pan and press into pan for crust.  Bake crust at 350F for 25 minutes until golden.

 Let cool 10 minutes.
3.  In the same bowl as you made the crust, beat eggs, sugar, melted butter and corn syrup.  Fold in pecans and chocolate chips.  Pour onto warm crust and bake at 350F for 30 minutes.
4.  Cool completely in pan before lifting out the foil and cutting into 32 bars (4 by 8)

From Everyday Food, March 2006 (Martha doesn't have this on her website, but I found the recipe on food.com here.

This went together quickly.  The crust is simple, and there's enough butter to get it to hold together in the pan.  It didn't shift when I poured in the filling.

It was really all chocolate chips and nuts.  So rich.  So good.  I've never made a pecan pie, but if it's this easy, I don't know why not.

And here they are baked.  This smelled delicious, and tasted even better.  But they were very rich, and a glass of milk was welcome with one.