I made these Chewies at the request of a very dear friend, the same friend who encouraged me to write my first book when I wasn’t entirely sure I had one in me. Long before there was a blog, before there were essays about food and memory, she was one of the people who believed I had something worth saying.

She lives in South Carolina, a place I sometimes think of as the Old South. Not because it is frozen in time, but because the past still lingers there—in the food, the stories, and the traditions that continue to find their way to the table.

When she shared this recipe with me, I did what many of us do once we’ve reached a certain age. I looked at the ingredients and started counting risks instead of blessings.

Butter.

Brown sugar.

More brown sugar.

Pecans.

I read the measurements and immediately began complaining about the health consequences of eating something this rich.

She laughed.

Not a polite laugh. Not a sympathetic laugh. The kind of laugh that comes from someone who already knows how the story ends.

“You’ll love it,” she said. “You’ll probably eat the whole pan in one day.”

I sincerely hope I don’t.

These days, I try not to burden my closest friends with every ache, every doctor’s visit, or every reminder that time moves in only one direction. We all carry enough. I’d rather spend our conversations talking about books, grandchildren, old memories, and recipes passed from one hand to another.

And that is what these chewies feel like to me.

A gift.

A reminder that friendship often arrives in simple forms. Sometimes it is a phone call. Sometimes it is encouragement when you’re afraid to begin. Sometimes it is a recipe shared across state lines with the confidence that you’ll understand why it matters once you take the first bite.

Now, I still don’t believe these chewies qualify as healthy eating. In fact, after reading the ingredient list, I’m fairly certain they qualify as the exact opposite. But friendship requires sacrifice, and if my friend was kind enough to recommend this recipe to me, the least I can do is share it with others.

So that is my plan.

I will make a pan and share them with some friends, and we can all be unhealthy together.

At our age, that may not be the wisest decision. But there is something to be said for sitting around a table with people you care about, laughing at old stories, sharing good food, and pretending not to notice who reached for the second piece first.

Sweet, rich, unapologetic, and deeply rooted in the Gullah Geechee tradition, these chewies are the kind of dessert that reminds us that not every recipe was created to be healthy. Some recipes were created to bring people together, to celebrate, to comfort, and most of all, to be remembered.

Gullah Geechee Chewies 

Serves: 10–12

Ingredients

• 170 g unsalted butter
• 660 g packed light or dark brown sugar
• 3 large eggs, beaten
• 7.5 mL vanilla extract (1½ teaspoons)
• 360 g pecans, chopped
• 375 g self-rising flour
• 30 g powdered (confectioners’) sugar, for dusting

Homemade Self-Rising Flour (375 g)

If you don’t have self-rising flour, whisk together:

• 375 g all-purpose flour
• 18 g baking powder
• 3 g fine salt

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C.
2. Grease either:
   • a 23 × 33 cm baking dish for thicker chewies, or
   • a 26.5 × 39 cm jelly-roll pan for thinner bars.
3. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.
4. Stir in the brown sugar until smooth and fully combined.
5. Remove from the heat and allow the mixture to cool for a few minutes.
6. Stir in the beaten eggs and vanilla extract.
7. Fold in the chopped pecans.
8. Add the self-rising flour and mix until just combined.
9. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.
10. Bake:
    • 25 minutes for the jelly-roll pan, or
    • 40 minutes for the deeper baking dish.
11. The edges should be golden brown and the center set. A skewer inserted into the center should come out slightly damp.
12. Dust lightly with the powdered sugar.
13. Allow the chewies to cool completely in the pan before cutting.
14. For easier slicing, turn the slab out onto a cutting board and cut into squares.

Cook’s Notes

• Toast the pecans at 175°C for 8–10 minutes before chopping for a deeper flavor.
• These chewies are even better the next day, when the flavors have had time to settle and deepen.
• Traditional chewies should remain slightly fudgy in the center. Avoid overbaking; they will continue to set as they cool.

Kyle J. Hayes

kylehayesblog.com

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