• Cooking Time: 25 minutes
• Servings: 36 small squares
• Preparation Time: 25 minutes
• Crust Base
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• Pecan layer
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350. Cream together butter and sugar, then beat in egg. Sift flour and salt together, then add to butter mixture in three parts, blending well. Work in vanilla.
2. Pat dough evenly into a 9 x 12-inch cake pan. Bake for about 15 minutes. Make filling while pastry base is baking.
3. Beat eggs, then stir in other ingredients. Spread mixture over warm pastry base. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. Allow to cool.

I found this in the Joy of Cooking when I first started my Annual Cookie Party 20 years ago. The story in the cookbook reads that these are called "Angel Slices" and a reader relates "her family is sure these are the cakes that St. Peter gives little children at the Gates of Heaven, to get them over the first pangs of homesickness. All I know is my guests gobble these up quite quickly.