Pecan Valley Pecans

1. Preheat oven to 325ºF.
2. Line a 13-inch-inch-by-9-inch glass pan with a double layer of tin foil. Extend the foil ends a couple of inches over the shorter side of the pan. Grease the tin foil with butter.
3. Place chocolate in a 1½-quart microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on medium (50%) 2 minutes; stir. Microwave on medium 30 seconds to 1 minute longer, or until chocolate can be stirred smooth and is glossy, stirring twice.
4. Mix in sugar; blend well. Allow to cool a bit.
5. Add the three eggs; beat in well. Now add the flour, blending it in well. Add the nuts. Pour batter into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the batter.
6. Bake in a preheated oven for 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Don’t overcook this. Remove from oven.
7. Allow to cool before cutting. Cut into portions which meet with your discretion. This is a dense, chewy, fudgey type brownie.

1. Preheat oven to 325ºF.
2. Set aside 6 whole stewed figs for topping. Puree or mash remaining figs, snipping off stems first.
3. In a large mixing bowl, whip egg whites until very stiff. Add vanilla, and then slowly whip in sugar.
4. By hand, fold in figs and broken pecan meats. Place in unbuttered baking pan or casserole.
5. Bake in a preheated oven for about 45 minutes or until puffed and delicately firm.
6. Serve while warm in dessert dishes and top each with whole fig and pecan half. Pass sweetened whipped cream or top milk.

1. Combine the sugar, cocoa and salt in a large, heavy bottom saucepan. Stir to mix and break up any lumps of cocoa powder.
2. Add the corn syrup, milk and 2 tablespoons of the butter. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil. Stop stirring; cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid for about a minute to steam off any sugar crystals on the sides of the pan. Watch closely so the fudge does not boil over.
3. Uncover and continue to cook (without stirring), swabbing down the sides of the pan from time to time with a pastry brush dipped in water, until the temperature reaches the soft-ball stage. Use a candy thermometer or the old-fashioned method of dropping a bit of the hot candy into a cup of cold water every so often. When it forms a cohesive puddle on the bottom of the cup and can be formed into a ball that flattens when lifted out of the water, that’s “soft-ball” stage.) immediately swab down the sides of the pan. Pour (do not scrape) the fudge onto a slab of marble or a large platter or into a flat baking dish.
4. Heat the lemon zest, juice and vanilla to boiling and pour over the hot candy.
5. Top with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Let the mixture cool to room temperature without disturbing it.
6. Stir the fudge with a spatula or plastic scraper until it becomes thick and starts to lose its gloss.
7. Add the chopped nuts just as the fudge becomes too stiff to stir.
8. Spread the fudge onto a buttered plate or sheet of plastic wrap. After a few minutes, it will solidify and you can wrap and store it for several days.

Yields 2⅛ pounds

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, ¼ cup sugar and butter. With fork, mix until consistency of fine corn meal. Press mix into greased 9-inch-by-13-inch pan.
3. Bake in a preheated oven for 15 minutes.
4. Combine ⅔ cups sugar and syrup in small saucepan. Simmer 5 minutes.
5. Pour over beaten eggs, stirring constantly. Stir in flour, salt and vanilla.
6. Pour mix over baked crust. Sprinkle with nuts.
7. Bake in a preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes.
8. Cool in pan and cut in bars.