Pecan Pie Bars

These pecan pie bars are what I bring when a dessert has to feed a crowd. Gooey, sweet, heavy on the brown sugar, over a buttery shortbread crust. Nobody guesses how little work they are.

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This recipe has not changed in years, and that is on purpose. It is good and it works, and I have never had a reason to touch something that does both.

The crust is what makes these worth making. It comes out short and buttery the way a good shortbread cookie does, and it holds its own under the filling.

If you would rather make the actual pie, I have an easy pecan pie recipe too. For something smaller, my pecan pie bites are the ones I put on a cookie tray.

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Why I Stopped Making Pecan Pie at Thanksgiving

I have a love hate thing with pie. I love eating it. I do not love rolling out a crust, fitting it into the pan, and crimping an edge that never comes out the way I want it to.

So one year I quit and pressed the crust into a pan with my hands instead. It came out better than my pie crust ever did, and I have not rolled one out for Thanksgiving since.

About This Shortbread Crust

A lot of pecan pie bar recipes start with a tube of refrigerated sugar cookie dough. This one does not. The crust here is flour, sugar, salt, cold butter, and a few tablespoons of milk, pressed into the pan with your hands. It is much closer to my buttery shortbread cookies than to a sugar cookie.

I have not tested a sugar cookie dough swap, so I cannot tell you how it would bake up here. Everything below is written for the crust as it is.

The Ingredients Worth a Second Look

• Cold butter: The crust butter goes in cold and stays cold. Slice it into tablespoon size pieces and cut it into the flour until the mixture looks like crumbs. Softened butter blends in smooth instead of staying in little pieces, and you lose the short, sandy texture that makes it shortbread.
• Light brown sugar: Light brown sugar is what the filling is built on. Dark brown sugar carries more molasses and will push the flavor stronger than I want it. I have not tested these with dark, so light is what I would stay with.
• Light corn syrup: Corn syrup is what makes the filling gooey and chewy instead of firm. It is doing more than sweetening, and it is not an ingredient I would leave out of this one.
• Chopped pecans: Two cups, chopped rather than halves. They go into the filling instead of getting arranged on top, so every bar has pecans all the way through it.

How to Make Pecan Pie Bars

Step 1: Make and Press the Crust Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 13×9 inch baking pan. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, and salt. Slice the cold butter into tablespoon-sized pieces, add to the flour mixture, and mash with a pastry blender, fork, or butter knife until it resembles crumbs. Pour in the milk and mix first with a fork, then with your hands until the moisture is evenly distributed. Press the dough into the prepared pan. It will look too dry to hold together, so press it in anyway and trust it.

Step 2: Prebake It Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes, until the top is light brown. Have the filling mixed and ready because it goes on hot.

Step 3: Stir Together the Filling In a medium bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Stir in the brown sugar, corn syrup, melted butter, vanilla, and chopped pecans until combined. Spread it over the hot crust.

Step 4: Bake and Cool Bake another 20 minutes, or until the filling has set. To check, wiggle the pan gently, the filling should no longer jiggle in the center. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Refrigerate for about 20 minutes, then cut into bars. Cold bars slice clean.

Storing and Making Them Ahead

One pan cuts into fifteen bars, which is what makes them work on a holiday dessert tray.

These keep for 3 to 4 days in a sealed container, either at room temperature or in the refrigerator. I like them cold, straight out of the fridge, more than I like them warm. To freeze, wrap them tightly and they hold for up to 2 months, then thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

Bake them a day ahead if you are hosting. They keep in the pan overnight and you cut them the next day.

For more like this, here are more easy dessert bars from the site. If you are building a whole holiday table, all my Thanksgiving recipes are in one place.

More Pecan and Holiday Bar Recipes

• Pecan Pie Cheesecake Bars
• Pecan Pie Brownies
• Butter Pecan Cookies
• 7 Layer Bars

4.49 from 81 votes

Pecan Pie Bars

Author — Jennifer Fishkind

Serves — 15

Pecan pie bars with a chewy brown sugar pecan filling over a crust you press in with your hands. Chill the pan before slicing.

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Ingredients

 

• ▢ 2 cups all purpose flour
• ▢ ½ cup granulated sugar
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ¾ cup butter cold
• ▢ 4 tablespoons milk
• ▢ 4 large eggs
• ▢ 2 cups chopped pecans
• ▢ ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
• ▢ 1 cup light corn syrup
• ▢ 4 tablespoons butter melted
• ▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13×9 inch baking pan. Set aside.
• In small mixing bowl stir together the flour, sugar and salt. Using either a pastry blender, fork, or butter knife cut in the 3/4 cup butter (slice the butter into tablespoon size slices, add it to the flour mixture, and mash it up until the mixture resembles crumbs)
  2 cups all purpose flour, ½ cup granulated sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¾ cup butter
• Pour in the milk and mix with fork, then with hands to ensure the moisture is evenly distributed in the flour mixture.
  4 tablespoons milk
• Press the dough into the greased baking pan. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, the top of the crust will be a light brown color.
• While the crust is baking, prepare the pecan pie topping. In a medium size bowl lightly beat the eggs. Add in the light brown sugar, light corn syrup, melted butter, vanilla extract, and chopped pecans. Stir to combine. Spread this over the hot crust after it’s baked for the 20 minutes.
  4 large eggs, ¾ cup packed light brown sugar, 1 cup light corn syrup, 4 tablespoons butter, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 2 cups chopped pecans
• Bake again for another 20 minutes, or until the pecan pie filling has set (when you wiggle the pan the filling will no longer jiggle). Remove from oven and allow to cool. Cut into bars.

Jenn’s Notes

Tips:

• The crust dough is going to look too dry when you add the milk. Keep working it with your hands instead of adding more liquid and it will come together when you press it into the pan.
• Pull the bars when the filling moves as one piece and no longer jiggles. They keep setting as they cool, and leaving them in longer is what makes the filling hard instead of chewy.
• Chill the cooled pan in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes before you slice. Cold bars cut into clean squares and a warm pan does not.

Storage:

Store the bars in a sealed container for 3 to 4 days, either at room temperature or in the refrigerator. I like them cold. To freeze, wrap them tightly and they hold for up to 2 months, then thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

Nutrition Info

Calories: 413kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 77mg | Sodium: 172mg | Potassium: 114mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 36g | Vitamin A: 454IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 1mg

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