These easy Pecan Pie Bars are one of our favorite pecan dessert recipes. If you love pecan pie during the holidays, you will love these bars. We've made them for parties and special occasions, and they're always a hit. Even kids love them! We highly recommend you try this recipe for these tasty dessert bars for your next gathering.
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The sweet filling is our favorite part, but the crunchy pecans on top add the perfect contrast to the gooey center. You'll notice that the crust is crumbly, buttery, and not overly sweet to balance the whole dessert!
If you like desserts with nuts, you will love Chocolate Turtle Cookies and Seven Layer Magic Cookie Bars.
Why You'll Love This Pecan Bar Recipe
- A great holiday treat: Make a batch of these tasty pecan squares for your next Thanksgiving or Christmas party.
- Easy to make: This recipe is super easy to make even if you don't bake often.
- Inexpensive ingredients: The components of this pecan bar recipe are affordable enough for any budget.
Ingredients
Here are all the ingredients you will need to make the best pecan bars with a shortbread crust. We've also included simple substitutes and tips to help!
Crust Ingredients
- Butter: Ensure the butter is soft, but not warm to get the perfect texture for the shortbread crust. I use unsalted butter, but if you use salted, omit the added salt.
- Powdered sugar: This is the best way to sweeten your crust just enough so that it's not too sweet. It also helps to preserve the crumbly texture.
- Salt: We add salt to enhance the flavors in the crust.
- Flour: This is essential for structur,e as it holds the crust together while it bakes. We just use all-purpose flour.
Filling Ingredients
- Sugar: We use a combination of white sugar and light brown sugar to sweeten the filling. We love the subtle molasses flavor of the brown sugar. Dark brown sugar is great, too.
- Eggs: Adding eggs helps the filling to stay together
- Corn syrup: The corn syrup gives the bars their signature gooey filling and also prevents the sugar from crystallizing.
- Salt: We add a little salt to enhance the other ingredients in the filling.
- Vanilla: The authentic vanilla flavor goes great with the corn syrup and pecans.
- Pecans: This is the most important ingredient in this pecan bar recipe. We use halves, but chopped pecans or a mix of both are fine.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations
- Chocolate: Melt chocolate chips and stir them into the filling to make this an extra indulgent pecan dessert.
- Coconut: Stir in shredded coconut to add texture and tropical flavor, which pairs perfectly with the pecans.
- Maple: Swap the corn syrup for maple syrup to add a rich flavor. You can also use maple extract instead of vanilla.
How to Make Pecan Bars
It's so easy to make the best-ever pecan pie bars in your kitchen at home. Preheat your oven to 350° F and spray a 9x11-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Then, you can start working on the layers of these pecan pie squares.
Step 1: Combine the crust ingredients. Add the butter, sugar, salt, and flour to a mixing bowl and mix until it forms small clumps.
Step 2: Press and bake. Pour the mixture into the bottom of the baking dish and press it down evenly. Then, bake it for about 15 minutes or until it's golden.
Step 3: Make the filling. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, corn syrup, both sugars, salt, and vanilla until everything is well combined.
Step 4: Add filling and pecans. Pour the filling evenly over the crust and sprinkle pecans on top.
Step 5: Bake. Put the pan back into the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the edges are set.
Step 6: Serve. Allow it to cool for a few minutes, and then slice and enjoy!
⭐️ Hint: Add the filling to the hot crust.
There's no need to let the crust cool before you add the sweet filling. Pour it in while the crust is still hot, and put it back in the oven to finish baking!
Serving Suggestions
- Enjoy one of these pecan bars with a scoop of Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream.
- Take them to the next level by topping with fresh fruit, whipped cream, and caramel sauce.
- Finish a meal of Skillet Chicken Thighs and Pesto Pasta Salad with this delicious dessert.
Expert Tips
- Don't overbake them: If you overbake the pecan bars, the crust will become very dry and fall apart.
- Use parchment paper: Try lining the pan with parchment to make it easier to remove and slice the bars.
- Chill before slicing: Set the pan in the refrigerator for a few minutes so the filling can firm up slightly. This will make it easier to slice the bars.
- Storing: Store leftover bars tightly wrapped or in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. For longer storage, they will stay fresh in the refrigerator for 4-5 days or you can freeze them for up to 2 months. Thaw them at room temperature or warm them in a 350° F oven.
Recipe FAQs
Underbaked pecan bars will have a wet and runny filling. Allow them to bake for a few extra minutes. The center will be slightly jiggly when it's ready. It will continue to firm up as they cool.
If you add too much flour or overbake the bars, it can make the crust dry.
Cover the edges with aluminum foil to prevent the crust from overbrowning.
More Delicious Dessert Bar Recipes
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Pecan Pie Bars
Ingredients
Short Bread Crust
- 1 cup butter room temperature
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
Filling
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1¼ cup light corn syrup
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2½ cups pecan halves
Instructions
- Short Bread Crust
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Lightly spray a 9 x 11 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- Mix butter, powdered sugar, salt, and flour until it starts to form small clumps.
- Press the dough into the bottom of the prepared baking dish and bake for 15 minutes.
Filling
- While the crust is baking, whisk together eggs, light corn syrup, granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, and vanilla extract.
- Pour the filling into the hot crust, and sprinkle pecans evenly over the top of the filling.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes; it should still move if you gently shake it.
- Cool and serve.
Notes
- Don't overbake them: If you overbake the pecan bars, the crust will become very dry and fall apart.
- Use parchment paper: Try lining the pan with parchment to make it easier to remove and slice the bars.
- Chill before slicing: Set the pan in the refrigerator for a few minutes so the filling can firm up slightly. This will make it easier to slice the bars.
Nutrition
*All nutrition information provided is automatically calculated and is an estimate and will vary based on ingredients, brands, and changes in cooking methods listed in the recipe. If you need exact numbers on your ingredients, I would recommend calculating them with your prefered nutrition calculator.
Ryan Allen
The pecan pie bars are the ultimate fall dessert. I hope you enjoy them as much as our family does.