Photo: Con Poulos

Makes 12 bars

Ingredients

Bars:

• 1 1/4 cups barley flour
• 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 cup toasted and salted pecans, chopped
• 1/2 cup prunes, chopped
• 8 Tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 2 Tbsp. molasses

Topping:

• 1/2 cup toasted and salted pecans, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. packed dark brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp. poppy seeds
• 1 Tbsp. butter, melted

Directions

Active time: 30 minutes
Total time: 1 1/2 hours

To make bars: Preheat oven to 350° and place a rack in the center. In a large bowl, stir together flours, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, pecans, and prunes; set aside. In a separate bowl, stir together melted butter, ricotta, milk, and molasses. Add butter mixture to flour mixture and stir gently to combine.

Spoon dough onto a floured surface. Dust flour over batter and use your hands to shape it into a long rectangle, about 3 x 14. Transfer log to a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet.

To make topping: In a small bowl, mix together pecans, brown sugar, and poppy seeds. Brush top of log with 1 Tbsp. melted butter and cover with pecan-poppy seed mixture. Bake until log is dark golden brown and gives gently to the touch, about 35 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet 10 minutes. Use a serrated knife to cut into 12 pieces, then transfer to a rack to cool.

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