Chess Pie Bars with Dark Chocolate

For the crust:
Preheat oven to 325°F. Spray a 9″ square pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set the pan aside.

Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a medium bowl. With a pastry blender, cut in the butter until crumbly. Then quickly mix with your hands until it forms a dough. Don’t worry if it seems a bit dry. Press dough evenly onto the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove it from the oven and place the pan on a cooling rack while preparing the filling.

For the filling:
Increase oven temperature to 350°F.

In a large bowl stir together brown sugar, sugar, cornmeal, flour and salt. Add butter, cream, vinegar and vanilla. Mix well. Then add the eggs and stir well to combine. Fold in the chocolate pieces and then pour mixture into the pre-baked crust. Bake for 50 minutes, or until the filling is browned and set. Remove from oven and place the pan on a wire rack to cool completely. To expedite the chocolate setting up in the bars, you can place the pan in the refrigerator for awhile before cutting.

Source: Inspired by a delicious piece of Chess Pie from a visit to Louisville, KY. Recipe heavily adapted from Southern Living (March 2000).