Foodie Fridays: Pecan Pie Bars
It’s no secret that adding whole grains to our diets is important. But did you know that you can also work them into your baked goods? Oh yes… and no one will even notice. The secret to putting a healthy spin on even your most guilty pleasures is simple: white whole wheat flour (my personal favorite is King Arthur White Whole Wheat).
White whole wheat is an albino variety of wheat that is not only lighter in color but has a lighter texture and a milder flavor. Although it’s different in both taste and texture than standard red wheat (what we would recognize as standard whole wheat), it still carries the fiber and nutrients of a whole grain.
I typically substitute up to 50% of the flour used in a recipe with white whole wheat flour and, I promise, no one has ever discovered my secret. This is also a great way to get your pecan pie fix (it’s another favorite fall food, after all) in smaller, more manageable portions over the holidays. Not overly sweet, wonderfully crunchy, perfect for sharing, and packing whole grains… who can argue with that?
Pecan Pie Bars
(adapted from Magnolia Mom)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups chopped, plus 1/2 cup whole pecans
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk (NOT evaporated milk — lowfat works fine)
3 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons lemon juice (from concentrate is fine)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, combine flours and brown sugar; cut in butter until crumbly.
Press mixture into the bottom of an ungreased 13×9-inch baking pan. Bake for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine chopped pecans, condensed milk, eggs and lemon juice. Pour over baked crust and place whole pecans on top in a decorative pattern. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until filling is set.
Remove pan from the oven and allow to cool completely. Cut into bars and store covered at room temperature.
Yield: 36 squares
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Wow… these look delicious!
this is a lazy pecan-pie-lover’s dream. three cheers for you!
Found some cool health benefits of pecans, too:
“A recent study was done of of Americans eating a self selected diet, but adding ¾ cup of pecan meat every day as a compulsory part of the food intake, increasing the fat content over matched controls. But those eating pecan experienced no weight gain, in spite of the fat content of the pecans, and their LDL or ‘bad’ choleserol levels dipped by 6%.
Pecans have quite a high vitamin E content – about 0.45%. They have a very high oil content, with 67 grams of fats per 100 grams. Of that, about two thirds is monounsaturated, most of the rest polyunsaturated. Pecans have a very small amount (about 0.7 grams) of linolenic acid, an omega – 3 fatty acid. Their protein content is relatively low, at around 7 grams/100 gram serving.”
http://www.naturalhub.com/natural_food_guide_nuts_common.htm