Celestial Bars Recipe

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My aunt gave me the recipe for these wonderfully nutty bars. With their marbled base, fluffy icing and pretty chocolate glaze, they're the stars of bake sales, cookie gift packs and parties.

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Celestial Bars Recipe

Prep: 35 min. Bake: 20 min. + cooling

Yield: 48 Servings

35 20 55

Ingredients

1/3 cup butter, softened
2 cups packed brown sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups chopped pecans
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted
ICING:
1/2 cup butter, softened
3 cups confectioners' sugar
3 to 4 tablespoons 2% milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
GLAZE:
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 teaspoons shortening

Directions

In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in extracts. Combine flour and salt; add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in pecans (batter will be thick).
Divide batter in half; stir chocolate into one portion. Alternately spoon plain and chocolate batters into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Swirl with a knife.
Bake at 350° for 16-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack.
For icing, in a large bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in milk and vanilla until smooth. Spread over bars.
For glaze, melt chocolate chips and shortening in a microwave; stir until smooth. Drizzle over bars. Let stand until chocolate is completely set before cutting into bars. Yield: 4 dozen.

Nutritional Facts 1 serving (1 each) equals 155 calories, 7 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 22 mg cholesterol, 65 mg sodium, 22 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 1 g protein.

Originally published as Celestial Bars in Country Woman Christmas Annual 1998, p34

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(1-1) of 1 reviews

Reviewed on Mar. 02, 2008 by Aquarelle

I have taken a pan of these bars to four separate pot lucks, and every time at least one person has asked me for the recipe. Don't let the length of the ingredients list or the directions scare you. These are really very easy to make.