Delta bars are not something I’m too familiar with as a chef, but as a recipe developer I discovered them working here making one of Kristy’s recipes inspired by an old school Betty Crocker recipe. It’s a bar cookie with a dense crumbly bottom and a crisp, yet creamy top layer folded in with pecans. The pecans are the secret ingredient. It’s an addicting cookie and it needs more attention. This version has chocolate chips and I’m never going back to the original again.

This recipe is two separate layers of delicious. The base and the topping. It requires you to make an easy buttery cookie base, but also make a meringue. If this isn’t your first time making meringue, then it should be a cake walk for you. If this is your first time than let’s talk more about it.

Meringue is the process of trapping air into egg whites. When you add sugar it acts as a glue for these egg whites creating a fluffy cloud-like foam that we call meringue. A couple of key things to remember, is to properly separate your egg whites. If even a strand of egg yolk makes it into your whites, they won’t rise. Second is to make sure the bowl that your whipping these up in is clean.

Once your egg whites are no longer translucent you know your egg whites are beating up properly. Start to add the brown sugar in four portions. We want to slowly incorporate the sugar to retain as much air as possible, but not weighing down the cloud-like meringue. Fold in your pecans once the sugar is added then make the base.

The base layer uses the creaming method to incorporate the butter and sugar together first, then yolks and vanilla, then finally the dry ingredients. Transfer the mixture to the parchment-greased pan your baking it in and press it firmly into the base. The firmer the better.

Bake your delta bars at the low oven temp of 325°F to slowly brown the tops and firm up the bottoms. A fair warning is that these cookies will have a bit of a gooey-ness to them that doesn’t get caught on the toothpick test when determining if they’re done. Bake these until the tops are golden and then let them cool in the pan. This is a fragile cookie when it comes to transferring to a wire rack. I prefer to cut them in the pan, then transfer.

The egg white topping firms and crisps up while retaining this tender chewy center that makes these so good. Store them in the fridge for a chewier bite or room temperature for a melt-in-your-mouth chew. These bar cookies are so delicious and need more representation in the world. Try making them!