This past weekend I hosted my first ever Friends-Giving. I was cooking the Turkey, gravy, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, rolls and a dessert. I made my to do list and I checked it twice. The night before I brined the Turkey, and made the cranberry sauce. For my dessert I decided to make a Pecan Pie Cobbler. This was a recipe I had been wanting to try out for the past year and what better time to try something new than when you have people coming over right?

I woke up early on Saturday morning, made my coffee (because I don’t function without coffee) and started on the Pecan Pie Cobbler. First I made the pie crust, the original recipe called for store-bought pie crust but I decided to make my own.  While the pie crust was resting in the freezer I mixed together the pecan pie cobbler filling. I followed the directions for the most part adding a little bit of this and a pinch of that along the way just to make it my own. Then I popped the cobbler in the oven and baked it. When it was done the cobbler looked perfect so I snapped a few pictures and that was that.

That night we all celebrated Friends-Giving by stuffing ourselves with sausage dressing, turkey, jalapeno creamed corn, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and so much more.

Finally it was time to cut into the desserts. One of my friends made a Chess Pie and a Cherry Pie (Which was hands down BEST cherry pie I have ever had!!).

When we cut into the Pecan Pie Cobbler I noticed it wasn’t ooey and gooey like I expected it to be. In fact it seemed to have solidified to the point it could be cut into perfect bars. I figured it was just because I used homemade pie crust instead on store-bought. Maybe I didn’t roll it out thin enough… At that point though I didn’t think too much about because they still tasted really good.

The next morning I sat down to write a blog post for the Pecan Pie Cobbler/ Pecan Pie Bars (honestly I was unsure of what to call them at this point). As I began to read over my recipe notes of what I did I realized where it all went wrong. There was a reason my Pecan Pie Cobbler wasn’t ooey and gooey. I had left out a crucial ingredient. I forgot to add the BROWN SUGAR in the Pecan Pie Cobbler filling!! Two cups of BROWN SUGAR!! How did I let his happen?!?! Maybe my coffee hadn’t fully kicked in or maybe my mind was too focused on Ol’ Tom the Turkey. I don’t know.

I sat there staring at the computer screen I thinking to myself…  I can’t write a post about Pecans Pie Cobbler when it wasn’t even a COBBLER!! These were Pecans Pie Bars.

While the Pecan Pie Cobbler didn’t turn out exactly as planned these Pecan Pie Bars were still delicious. These bars were buttery and still had that had that pecans pie flavor without being overly sweet like pecan pie can be. In Fact my husband, who doesn’t even like pecan pie, LOVED these Pecan Pie Bars and has had several of them over the last few days. But I was still craving a Ooey, Gooey Pecan Pie Cobbler.

Late last night I attempted to make the Pecan Pie Cobbler again. I was determined to get this right and this time I made sure to add ALL of the ingredients. After allowing the cobbler to cool I let it set up in the refrigerator over night.

This morning when I cut into the cobbler it was just as ooey gooey and wonderful as I had originally hoped for. Yes I ate pecan pie cobbler for breakfast….. But hey, that’s what the holidays are for right?

In the end was the cobbler better than the bars? I guess that depends on whom you asked. My husband who isn’t a big fan of sweets liked the Pecan Pie Bars better. Me, I loved the Pecan Pie Cobbler. I will always pick Cobbler over anything else.

 

Ooey, Gooey, Pecan Pie Cobbler

Ingredients: 

One batch Perfect Pie Crust (recipe follows)

2 cups Light Corn Syrup

½ Cup Pure Maple Syrup

2 cups Brown Sugar

½ Teaspoon Cinnamon

3 Teaspoons Vanilla

¼ Teaspoon Salt

4 Tablespoons Melted Butter + 2 Tablespoons Melted Butter

6 Eggs, slightly beaten

2 Cups coarsely chopped Pecans

2 Cups Whole Pecan Halves

Non-Stick Cooking Spray

 

Directions:

Pre-Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl combine the corn syrup, brown sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon, vanilla, salt, 4 tablespoons melted butter, and 6 slightly beaten eggs. Whisk until well combined then stir in the 2 cups chopped pecans.

Spray a 9x 13 baking dish with non-stick spray. On a well-floured surface roll out the pie dough into 2 9×13 rectangles. Place the first pie crust in the bottom of the baking dish. Pour on half of the pecan pie filling then carefully place the second crust on top and brush with the remaining 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Bake at 350 degrees for 14-16 minutes.

Remove the baking dish from the oven. Carefully pour on the remaining pecan pie filling and top with 2 cups whole pecan halves. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Allow the cobbler to cool completely for 1 hour then refrigerate over night.

**** To make the Pecan Pie Bars follow the exact same recipe leaving out the brown sugar.

 

Perfect Pie Crust

From: Ina Garten

12 Tablespoons Very Cold Unsalted Butter

1/3 Cup Shortening

3 Cups All Purpose Flour

1 Teaspoon Salt

1 Tablespoon Sugar

½ Cup Ice water

 

Directions:

Dice the butter and the shortening and return it to the refrigerator while you prepare the flour mixture. Place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse a few times to mix. Add the butter and shortening. Pulse 8 to 12 times, until the butter is the size of peas. With the machine running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse the machine until the dough begins to form a ball. Dump out on a floured board and roll into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Then roll out on a well-floured surface.