Ingredients

for the crust:

• 2 cups ground pecans
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup melted butter

for the filling:

• 14 oz. Kraft caramels
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 pkg. (8 squares) Baker’s Bittersweet chocolate
• 1/3 cup milk [it may need a lot more]
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Preparation

Combine the crust ingredients and bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Melt caramels in milk. Pour over crust, sprinkle with pecans. Heat chocolate, 1/3 cup milk, powdered sugar and vanilla, stirring, just until melted. Pour over pecans and refrigerate. Serves 10-12.

Ingredients

Crust:

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 6 tbsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 8 tbsp. melted butter

Topping:

• 3/4 c. packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 c. light corn syrup
• 7 tbsp. melted hot butter
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 4 c. (1 lb.) pecan halves, toasted
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt (optional)

Preparation

Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Make foil sling for 13 by 9-inch baking pan by folding 2 long sheets of aluminum foil; first sheet should be 13 inches wide and second sheet should be 9 inches wide. Lay sheets of foil in pan perpendicular to each other, with extra foil hanging over edges of pan. Push foil into corners and up sides of pan, smoothing foil flush to pan. Lightly spray foil with vegetable oil spray.

Whisk flour, sugar, and salt together in medium bowl. Add melted butter and stir with wooden spoon until dough begins to form. Using your hands, continue to combine until no dry flour remains and small portion of dough holds together when squeezed in palm of your hand. Evenly scatter tablespoon-size pieces of dough over surface of pan. Using your fingertips and palm of your hand, press and smooth dough into even thickness in bottom of pan.

Whisk sugar, corn syrup, melted butter, vanilla, and salt together in medium bowl until smooth (mixture will look separated at first but will become homogeneous), about 20 seconds. Fold pecans into sugar mixture until nuts are evenly coated.

Pour topping over crust. Using spatula, spread topping over crust, pushing to edges and into corners (there will be bare patches). Bake until topping is evenly distributed and rapidly bubbling across entire surface, 23 to 25 minutes.

Transfer pan to wire rack and lightly sprinkle with flake sea salt, if using. Let bars cool completely in pan on rack, about 1 1/2 hours. Using foil overhang, lift bars out of pan and transfer to cutting board. Cut into 24 bars. (Bars can be stored at room temperature for up to 5 days.)

Ingredients

• 2 cups pecan halves
• 1 cup (about 24) caramel candies, such as Kraft, unwrapped
• 1 tablespoon rum, bourbon, or whisky
• 1 1/2 teaspoons heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 pound high-quality semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread pecans on large shallow baking sheet and toast until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Transfer to plate and let cool. Line baking sheet with parchment or wax paper.

In small bowl, combine caramels, liquor, cream, and salt. Microwave uncovered at medium power for 2 minutes. Stir with fork. Microwave at medium power for 1 additional minute. Stir until smooth and set aside.

In medium bowl set over saucepan of simmering water, melt half chocolate, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, add remaining chocolate, and stir until smooth. Pour half melted chocolate into small bowl and reserve.

Stir 1 cup nuts into remaining chocolate. Transfer mixture to baking sheet, spreading to 1/4- to 1/2-inch thickness. Spoon caramel over and pat on remaining pecans. Drizzle with reserved chocolate. Let cool at room temperature until set, about 2 hours. Do not chill.

Epicurious

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 c sugar
• 3/4 c butter
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 c water
• 1/2 c unblanched almonds (optional)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 c semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 c nuts

Preparation

Bring to a boil the first 5 ingredients. Heat to 290 F (or until the mixture turns golden brown), stirring constantly. Take off heat and stir in baking soda. Pour into a greased 9 x 15 jelly roll pan and spread out. Melt chocolate, then pour over the candy and put the nuts on top. Allow to cool overnight (in the refrigerator or outside if desired). Break into pieces. Make about 1 1/2 pounds.

Ingredients

• 8 oz. cream cheese
• 1 1/2 c. sugar
• 1 c. butter, softened
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 4 eggs
• 2 1/4 c. flour, divided
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 2 1/2 c. fresh or thawed frozen cranberries
• 1/2 c. pecans, coarsely chopped
• 1/4-1/2 c. powdered sugar

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a 10-inch tube or large fluted tube pan and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, butter, and vanilla until well mixed. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. In a small bowl, sift together 2 cups of the flour, the baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add the dry ingredients to the batter, one third at a time, mixing well after each addition. In another small bowl, toss the cranberries and pecans with the remaining flour until well coated. Stir gently into the batter. Pour into the pan and bake at 350 for 55-65 minutes, until the cake is lightly browned. Do not over-bake. Let stand about 15 minutes before removing from the pan. Sift powdered sugar lightly over the warm cake.

Penzey’s Spices

Ingredients

• 1 9 inch unbaked pie shell
• 1 15 oz. Can solid pack pumpkin
• 1/3 Cup brown sugar
• 1/3 Cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp. powdered ginger
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 eggs, well beaten
• 1/2 Cup milk

Topping:

• 1/4 Cup butter
• 1/2 Cup brown sugar
• 3/4 Cup coarsely chopped pecans

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°. In a mixing bowl combine the pumpkin, brown sugar, granulated sugar, CINNAMON, GINGER, salt, VANILLA, eggs, and milk. Mix until well blended. Pour into the unbaked pie shell. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes. Meanwhile mix the topping ingredients until crumbly. Sprinkle the topping on the pie and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool and refrigerate at least a few hours for easiest slicing.

Penzey’s Spices

Ingredients

• 12 whole graham crackers
• 1 c butter
• 1 c brown sugar
• 1 c nuts

Preparation

Arrange the graham crackers on an ungreased cookie sheet. Combine the butter and sugar in a sauce pan; heat to boiling point, stirring constantly. Boil 3 min. Stir in nuts and pour over crackers. Bake at 350 for 10 min. While they are warm, cut the crackers in half.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 1/8 tsp mace
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans, lightly toasted
• 1/4 cup dried apricots, diced
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1 1/2 cup old-fashioned oatmeal

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350º. Cream together the sugars and butter. Add the egg and vanilla and mix well. In a small bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture a bit at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix together the pecans, apricots and cranberries in the bowl that used to hold the flour. Alternate adding the oatmeal and the fruit/nut mix to the batter, mixing well after each addition. Form walnut-sized balls of dough and place on ungreased cookie sheets. Flatten the cookies slightly with your hands. Bake for 6 minutes and the flip the cookie sheets from front to back and top to bottom if baking with two sheets at once. Bake and additional 6 minutes. Let cool on a tray. Keep the dough in the refrigerator between batches.

Penzeys

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup sugar
• ¼ cup butter or margarine
• ¼ cup orange juice
• 1 ¼ teaspoons salt
• 1 ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ to ½ tsp ground red pepper
• ¼ teaspoon mace
• 1 lb pecans

Preparation

Stir together first 7 ingredients in a heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Remove skillet from heat; add nuts and toss to coat.

Place pecans mixture in a single layer in an aluminum foil-lined 15 x 10 –inch jellyroll pan.

Bake at 250 for 1 hour, stiring every 15 minutes. Cool in pan on a wire rack, separating pecans with a fork. Store in air tight container.