Chocolate pecan pie bars

While searching for other recipes of healthy bars (like the energy cereal bars and quinoa bars that I recently made and posted), I found a recipe for chocolate pecan pie bars which sounded absolutely delicious to my ears and to my belly. After baking these "energy bars" (but already while baking them) I realized they couldn't be classified as "energy" bars in the sporty or nutritious sense, but rather in the sweet calorie bomb category.

These bars taste like a maple pecan pie with the added goodness of chocolate. It is not a light dessert so I recommend you eat it when very hungry or serve small portions. The chocolate pecan pie bars are truly delicious: if you love any and all ingredients in them, you should try them :-)

Chocolate pecan pie bars (16x25cm or 20x20cm or 8x8in pan)

Dough:
3.6 dl flour
112 g butter
0.6 dl brown sugar
57 g cream cheese, room T
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt

Mix all ingredients until incorporated and obtaining a rough dough. Line a baking pan with parchment paper. Transfer dough and flatten with hands. Bake in oven at 180C for about 10-12min, until starting to become golden.

Pecan filling:
1.8 dl neutral honey (I recommend maple syrup however)
1.8 dl brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tbsp melted butter
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp bourbon (or other)
6 dl chopped toasted pecan nuts
113 g roughly chopped dark chocolate

While the dough is baking, mix all ingredients (except for pecans and chocolate. Mix pecans and chopped chocolate and sprinkle on the baked dough. Add the egg-sugar mix and spread evenly. Bake for 40 min at 180C. Cover with aluminum foil if it starts getting brown to early.
Let the cake cool entirely in the fridge for a few hours before cutting out into small bars.