Butter Together: Cheater’s pecan pie

Well, friends, we have reached the part of December that feels like Threat Level Midnight. You know the time: Concerts are plentiful, parties are abundant, and, of course, there’s still plenty of shopping left to do.

And for those of us who teach, there are exams to grade and those last-minute assignments students always seem to “forget” about until the end of the semester.

At this point in the school year, I no longer really care what I am eating for supper – or any other meal.

On Friday, I had a sausage ball, a quarter of a cucumber sandwich and a baggie full of Chex Mix for lunch, followed by a toffee cracker and a Rice Krispies treat. Honestly? It felt like a pretty balanced meal, all things considered.

What I’m saying is this: I’m not trying out a lot of new recipes lately.

I just want something warm (but I’ll settle for cold) and hearty (but I’ll settle for plentiful) that will fill my belly and require very little effort on my end. You know what I mean?

I’d love to try a few new dishes, but I do not have the bandwidth to cook them myself.

In fact, the only reason my family got a hot meal on the table tonight was because Morning Amelia loaded up the electric roaster with a Boston butt and some smoked salt at 7 a.m.

Afternoon Amelia was busy learning how to use jumper cables and remove battery corrosion. If supper had been left up to Afternoon Amelia, we would have eaten McDonald’s.

Thank goodness for Past Amelia. She does come through sometimes.

And Past Amelia is coming through with a recipe for you, too.

I love these pecan pie squares but have not made them myself in many, many years.

We have a nut-free kitchen due to allergies, but if you can cook with pecans, you really must make these.

I think pecan pie is delicious, but these squares have a slight edge because their texture is chewy and delightful. Plus, they’re much easier to cut into small pieces for those who want to try several desserts from the options.

Not that I would ever do that myself.

PECAN PIE SQUARES

Ingredients:
Crust:
1 box yellow cake mix (Duncan Hines is my favorite), minus 2/3 cup reserved for filling
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 egg

Filling:
2/3 cup yellow cake mix
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups corn syrup (light)
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs

Directions:
■ 1 to 2 cups chopped pecans (the original recipe called for 1 cup, but I’ve never been disappointed by doubling the pecans)
■ Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and line with parchment paper.
■ Measure 2/3 cup cake mix into a large mixing bowl and set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the remaining cake mix, melted butter and egg. (Be sure the butter is not hot when you add the egg to avoid scrambling it.) Press the dough into the bottom of the prepared dish. If the dough is sticky, dampen your hands slightly to press it out.
■ Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.
■ While the crust is baking, mix together the reserved 2/3 cup cake mix, brown sugar, corn syrup, vanilla and eggs. Beat for about 1 minute, until fully incorporated. Pour the mixture over the warm crust and sprinkle evenly with pecans.
■ Return the pan to the oven and bake for another 30 to 35 minutes, or until the filling is set. Remove from the oven and allow bars to cool completely, at least 2 hours. Cut into squares and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Amelia Plair is a mom and high school teacher in Starkville. Email reaches her at [email protected].

Amelia Plair is a Starkville resident who writes occasional food columns.

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