Frazer's Cheaters (Nut Squares)

Frazer's Cheaters (Nut Squares) (no hint of who Frazer might be, although he was probably a man and definitely came from Connecticut) are amazing. The cheaters part of their name apparently comes from the fact that they are easy to make. If you type cheaters cookies into Google, you get a whole raft of recipes for easy cookies.
Frazer's Cheaters are pecan pie bars, and totally delicious. I made them on Monday night for a family dinner party because a young cousin looking to work in DC was coming the next day to spend the night. I usually don't break into desserts no matter how tempting, but by this morning, a whole row of the bars had been excavated and consumed before the party.
The cheaters reminded me of a bar cookie I used to make to take on picnics when the children were small. Since in those days, I was perennially broke, I had to make do with what we had in the cupboard. I never had chocolate in the cupboard, so brownies were out. I did have sugar, so I made a kind of blondie, a non chocolate brownie. I remember making them. I don't remember how they tasted.
The bars consist of two parts, the crust, which has half a cup of butter to a cup of flour, and the filling, which is eggs, light brown sugar, a cup of pecans and a cup of grated coconut. I combined the crust ingredients and got some crumbly mess that did not deserve the appellation of dough. However, I just patted it into the pan, stuck it in the oven and let it bake for the requisite 15 minutes. Then, I poured the filling over the baked crust, and stuck it back in the oven. Wowzie!!
This is an extremely easy baked good that all will love.

Frazer's Cheaters

1 cup plus two tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons gradulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter

2 1/4 cups light brown sugar

2 eggs

1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

1 cup grated coconut

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Combine one cup flour, the granulated sugar and salt in a mixing bowl. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter. Mix with the hands and press the dough over the botton of an eight-inch square baking pan. Bake ten minutes.

3. Increase the oven heat to 375 degrees.

4. Blend the brown sugar, eggs, pecans, coconut and remaining flour. Spread the mixture over the bottom crust. Bake twenty minutes. Cool. Cut into squares and remove from the pan with a narrow spatula. Makes 64 one inch squares.