Looks Good: Chunky Pecan Pie Bars

Courtesy Brown Eyed Baker.

Ingredients

Crust:
1½ cups all-purpose flour

½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened

¼ cup packed brown sugar

Filling:
3 large eggs
¾ cup corn syrup
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1¾ cups coarsely chopped semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (or chocolate chunks in a bag)
1½ cups chopped pecans

Before you jump to Brown Eyed Baker for instructions, note:

I try to use whole and/or natural ingredients when possible to either lessen the calorie count, adapt a recipe for special diets, or just to try something new (without sacrificing flavor). When I saw corn syrup in this recipe, I wanted to find an alternative. I browsed around and found that agave can be used as a substitute. But the Brown Eyed Baker (whose posts are amazing) clearly bakes more than I do, so I asked for her thoughts and she graciously replied:

I did a little research on substituting agave for corn syrup and found that you can indeed substitute, but that it should be used in a 1:2 ratio to the corn syrup. Since the recipe calls for 3/4 cup of corn syrup, I would recommend using about 1/3 cup agave in its place. The notes I read said that the other liquids in the recipe should be increased by about 1/3 cup. However, there are no other liquids in this recipe. The corn syrup helps to bind the 'filling' in this recipe, so using less agave may cause it to be a bit drier, but I can't be totally sure. Since I have never made the substitution I can't guarantee how it will turn out, but would love for you to let me know if you try it!

If you have a chance to try this recipe with agave before I do, let us know how the bars hold together and, more importantly, how they taste.