Kahlua Praline Bars

I found this delicious, decadent recipe in the Chicago Sun Times. These bars won first place at the Iowa State Fair in 2001 in the Cookies, Bar Cookies, Three Layer Bar category for Nancy Gabriel of Johnston, Iowa.

• Ready In: 55 mins
• Yields: 30 bars

Ingredients

• Crust

• 1⁄3 cup  packed brown sugar
• 2⁄3 cup flour
• 1⁄3 cup butter, softened
• 1⁄2 cup  finely chopped pecans

• Filling

• 2  ounces  unsweetened chocolate
• 1⁄4 cup  Butter Flavor Crisco
• 1⁄4 cup butter
• 1⁄2 cup  packed brown sugar
• 1⁄4 cup granulated sugar
• 1  teaspoon vanilla
• 2  large eggs
• 1⁄4 cup Kahlua
• 1⁄2 cup flour
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 cup  chopped pecans

• Frosting

• 2  tablespoons butter, softened
• 1  tablespoon Kahlua
• 2  cups confectioners' sugar
• 1  tablespoon milk or 1  tablespoon  cream

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Line an 8 or 9-inch square pan with parchment, letting two opposite ends hang slightly over sides of pan.
3. For crust, in a large bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, butter and pecans, mix well.
4. Pat into bottom of prepared pan.
5. For filling, in sauce pan, melt chocolate, shortening and butter.
6. Remove from heat and stir until smooth and slightly cooled.
7. Beat in sugars and vanilla.
8. Beat in eggs, one at a time.
9. Stir in Kahlua, flour and salt.
10. Add pecans. Pour over crust.
11. Bake for 25 minutes or till fudgy--Do not overbake.
12. Cool.
13. For frosting, beat together butter, Kahlua, confectioners sugar and milk.
14. Add more Kahlua if necessary to achieve spreading consistency.
15. Frost cooled cake, either in the pan or lifted out by the parchment paper handles.
16. Let frosting set.
17. Slice into bars. Refrigerate.