There’s a phrase we often hear when we travel north: Minnesota Nice.
It refers to how friendly the folks in Minnesota are, and that’s especially true when you visit in the summer months. After being snowed in and freezing in sub-zero temperatures all winter, they are ready to go out and about and are happy to see any other smiling face around them.
Kansas obviously doesn’t have quite the same winter woes as Minnesota, but I do think there’s a kind of excitement when the weather warms to be social and spend time out on a porch or patio with other people.
We benefitted from some friends’ desire to host on a recent, beautiful evening.
As soon as I heard we were going to hang out and enjoy food off the grill, I knew exactly what recipe I wanted to try to bring along with us.
This recipe comes from the blog “Pear Tree Kitchen.” You can find the original at https://peartreekitchen.com/pecan-chewies/. I added extra vanilla in my version.
Southern Pecan Chewies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter melted
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup pecans chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Prepare a nine-by-13-inch baking pan by spraying it with cooking spray, and set it aside.
- Add the butter and brown sugar to a mixing bowl, and mix until it’s well combined.
- Mix in the eggs and vanilla. Add in the flour, baking powder and salt, and mix until smooth, and finally, stir in the pecans.
- Evenly pour the batter into your prepared pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the edges are browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with only moist crumbs.
- Let the bars cool completely before slicing and serving. Store the bars in an airtight container.
These were nutty and sweet and perfect for a summer evening.
It’s nice to have some non-melty desserts in your back pocket for summer events, and these did not disappoint. They’re a little chewy and soft in the middle, and the crunchy pops of pecan are a perfect addition to these bars.
And, even better, I didn’t need to bring any leftovers home with me. They were well-loved by the assembled group.
There are few things better than sitting in a lawn chair, eating a masterfully charred burger and fresh salad, while talking with a group of interesting people, and summer in Kansas is the perfect time to do so.
This piece first appeared in print June 4, 2026.
Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.
