I first had these sweet, goopy, rich treats when I was in high school. There used to be a box mix for these bars that we made all the time. Hard to believe, when they're so easy to make from scratch. And these are better than the originals, with the addition of coconut and pecans.

Crust
1/2 cup (1 stick, 4 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup (3 1/4 ounces) packed brown sugar
3/4 cup (3 1/8 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

Topping
1 cup (3 7/8 ounces) pecan pieces
1/4 cup (1 ounce) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 packed cup (5 5/8 ounces) dark brown sugar
1 1/2 cups (4 1/2 ounces) flaked coconut

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 13-inch pan.

The Crust: Cream the butter and sugar together. Mix in the flour. Stir until just combined. Pat the mixture into the prepared pan. Lightly flour your fingers as you press the dough into the pan; it's sticky. Bake for approximately 15 minutes; the crust will be bubbly. Let cool.

The Topping: Bake the pecan pieces in a 350° oven for about 10 minutes, or until lightly toasted. Cooking the nuts brings out quite a bit of extra flavor.

Put the flour, salt, and baking powder in a bowl and stir with a whisk until well incorporated. Beat the eggs until thick and lemon-colored. Add the vanilla extract and the brown sugar. Beat until well mixed.

Stir in the dry ingredients, the coconut, and the toasted pecans. Pour this mixture on top of the baked crust and spread evenly. Bake for an additional 20-25 minutes. Yield: 32 two-inch squares.

Nutritional information per serving (1 bar, 27 g): 117 cal, 7 g fat, 1 g protein, 4 g complex carbohydrates, 9 g sugar, 1 g dietary fiber, 25 mg cholesterol, 48 mg sodium, 64 mg potassium, 1 mg iron, 25 mg calcium, 28 mg phosphorus.

This recipe reprinted from The Baking Sheet Newsletter, Vol. III, No. 8, September-October 1992 issue.