St. Helena Island Praline Bars - Oh My!
An island with a deep rooted connection to pecans through its agricultural history and its historic plantations. The Great Pecan Wars were serious business!
St. Helena Island is a magical place on the South Carolina coastline, just a few miles from Beaufort, where African American men and women have farmed this land and fished this water for centuries--first as plantation slaves, then as freedmen. It's now one of the last communities on the East Coast that hasn't been swallowed up by development and tourism.
There was a time when I lived near Colonel Rathbun’s Brickyard Point Farm on Lady’s Island. He grew some of the finest pecans in all of Beaufort County.
Living near Brickyard Point Farms meant two things: beautiful views and a front-row seat to Colonel Rathbun’s nightly tactical warfare.
When I met him, the Colonel was locked in a high-stakes, midnight standoff with the local deer and raccoons—critters who clearly viewed his pecans and vegetables as an all-you-can-eat Lowcountry buffet. Every morning, he’d recount the previous night’s skirmishes with the intensity of a four-star general, while the raccoons were likely back in the woods, patting their bellies and planning their next heist.
One afternoon, the Colonel marched up with the triumphant grin of a man who had finally outsmarted Mother Nature herself. He announced that the “Great Pecan War” was officially over. His secret weapon? High-tech surveillance? Electrified fencing?
Nope. A portable radio.
He simply marched out and plopped that little radio right in the middle of the field, cranking up the volume. Apparently, the deer weren’t fans of local talk radio or 40s swing, because he swore it scared them halfway to Beaufort.
There’s just something delightful about the image of a band of masked raccoons approaching a vegetable patch, only to be thwarted by the sudden, tinny sound of a weather report or a catchy show tune. It turns out, in the battle of Man vs. Nature, sometimes all you need is a good signal and some static to reclaim your crops!
Many of the island's historic estates, such as Coffin Point Plantation, were known for their grand "Avenues of Oaks," but they also maintained orchards. Pecans were a staple of the Lowcountry plantation economy and remain a common sight across the island's rural landscape.
Gullah Geechee Foodways: For the Gullah/Geechee people who have farmed the island for centuries, pecans are a vital part of the local "wild harvest." They are a traditional ingredient in coastal desserts and snacks, often gathered from older groves that have survived since the era of the freedmen’s farms.
While large-scale commercial pecan shipping is now more concentrated in the South Carolina Midlands (such as Golden Kernel in Cameron), St. Helena remains home to diverse "specialty crop" farms, like Earth People Farms, that celebrate heritage crops.
Planning on entertaining this spring? Perhaps a Kentucky Derby Party or an outdoor picnic? This decadent twist on the classic Southern pie is made with a buttery graham cracker crust tipped with a rich, gooey filling of toasted pecans and melted chocolate. My tip for perfectly clean squares: Cool completely before slicing and pop the entire pan in the fridge for an hour before lifting the foil out to cut them.
Positively delicious, decadent, and delightful!
Recipe from my mother’s collection. She lived on Lady’s Island (1976-1996).
St. Helena Island Praline Bars
Yields: 24 bars | Prep time: 15 mins | Bake time: 50 mins
The Ingredients
The Crust
3 cups graham cracker crumbs
½ cup butter, melted
½ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
The Filling
1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
½ cup light corn syrup
½ cup dark corn syrup
¼ cup butter, melted
3 large eggs
1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp salt
2 cups chopped pecans
12 oz mini semisweet chocolate morsels
The Preparation
1. Prep the Oven and Pan Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a 13x9-inch baking pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil, leaving a slight overhang on the sides for easy removal. Spray the foil generously with nonstick baking spray (the kind with flour works best).
2. Par-Bake the Crust In a medium bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, sugar, and egg white until the mixture is well combined and moistened. Press the mixture firmly into the bottom of your prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove and let cool completely.
3. Mix the Filling. In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar and both corn syrups. Add the melted butter, eggs, vanilla, and salt, whisking until the mixture is smooth. Fold in the chopped pecans and chocolate morsels.
4. The Final Bake Spoon the filling evenly over your cooled crust. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. You’ll know they’re done when the edges are golden, and the middle is set (it shouldn’t jiggle when you move the pan). Add a tiny pinch of flaked sea salt on top right after they come out of the oven to balance the sweetness.
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with pecans & chocolate chips, these would be good for Derby Day in lieu of an especially litigious bakery's pie.