Georgia Pecan Bars

1-1/3  cups  sifted flour
1/2  tsp  baking powder
1/2  cup  dark brown sugar
1  stick  butter, cut-up
2  tsp  vanilla
1/4  cup  dark brown sugar
3/4  cup  dark corn syrup
3  Tbs  flour
2  cups  pecan halves
Fine dry bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350°. Butter a 9x13x2” baking pan. Line the bottom with foil. Butter the foil
and dust it with fine dry bread crumbs.

Combine sifted flour, baking powder, and brown sugar. Add butter pieces. Cut up with a pastry blender to resemble fine meal. Press dough into pan.

Beat the eggs lightly; add vanilla, brown sugar, corn syrup, and flour. Beat until smooth.  Pour the topping over the crust evenly. Place pecan halves, right side up, on top of topping.

Bake 35-40 minutes, reversing the position of the pan once during baking. If it puffs up during baking, gently poke it down. Bake until top is golden brown, but do not over bake. Bars should remain slightly soft in the center.

Cool in the pan for 15-20 minutes. Gently cut around sides of cake to release it. Cover the pan with a cookie sheet and invert it. If it doesn’t release, bang it until it does. Cover the cake with a cookie rack and invert to finish cooling, right side up.

When completely cool, transfer to freezer for 20 minutes, or the refrigerator for 1 hour until firm enough to cut. You must use a serrated bread knife to cut this, sawing back and forth to cut, otherwise they will squash down and look very messy. Cut into small bars.