A crowd-pleasing, easy dessert, pecan pie bars are made with a buttery shortbread crust and gooey pecan filling. It’s pie in a portable handheld dessert perfect for the holidays!
These dessert bars are similar to a classic pecan pie and if you add some cocoa powder they are similar to my chocolate pecan pie recipe!
Table of Contents
Easy Pecan Pie Bars Recipe
These pecan pie bars are one of my favorite holiday desserts! They have a buttery crust and caramel sauce filling that is nutty, crispy and chewy. It’s part pecan pie and part shortbread cookie and I always make them as part of my Thanksgiving menu.
Add them to your Christmas dinner along with my pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting, M&M cookie bars or pumpkin pie bars and wow your guests with the amazing flavors and textures that these easy bars bring to the table!
Recipe Ingredients
With only a few simple ingredients, pantry staples and chopped pecans, you can make the best pecan pie bars recipe.
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- For the crust: All-purpose flour, powdered sugar, cornstarch, Kosher salt and cold unsalted butter.
- Pecan filling: Brown sugar, light corn syrup, chopped pecans, melted butter, heavy cream and vanilla extract.
Variations
There are a few different ways to make these easy pecan pie bars your own.
- Add a drizzle of melted chocolate over the top or some cocoa powder to the filling.
- For a nuttier variation, try 2 cups pecans and 2 cups walnuts for fun flavor and texture.
- The buttery shortbread crust is one of the main things that differentiates this recipe from the classic pie version. You can use a homemade pie crust or make a soft sugar cookies crust instead if you would like.
How to Make Pecan Pie Bars
Using a food processor, blend together the dry ingredients, with butter. It will begin to clump together.
Line a 9×13″ baking pan with nonstick foil, leaving about 1″ of overhang. Pour the coarse crumbs into the baking pan and press into even layer. Bake until light golden, 25 minutes. Lower heat to 325ºF.
Stir together the brown sugar, corn syrup, and butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves and the mixture boils. Add pecans and cream and boil until pecan pie filling thickens slightly. Lastly, stir in the vanilla.
Pour the pecan filling layer over the baked crust in baking dish. Bake until caramel is darker and bubbles thickly, about 20 minutes.
Recipe Tips
- Bake crust first. You’ll need to pre-bake the shortbread crust before adding the filling, or else the crust won’t cook all the way.
- Make extra crust: Your future self will thank you when you have this dough in the freezer to make apple pie bars, homemade Twix bars or my favorite lemon bars.
- Keep an eye on the caramel. Similar to when making homemade caramel on the stove, it’s important to keep an eye on the mixture so that it doesn’t burn. Once the sugar dissolves and the mixture is boiling, that’s when it’s ready to go.
- Let set. These bars will need to cool completely before slicing. The filling will continue to set as they cool. Chill in the fridge to speed up the process if you prefer.
- Have extra pecans? Make these brown butter pecan cookies!
Need more pie recipes? Try this easy banana cream pie, southern sweet potato pie or razzleberry pie.
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Pecan Pie Bars
Video
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter , cold and diced
Filling
- 1 ¼ cups light brown sugar , packed
- ½ cup light corn syrup
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 4 cups coarsely chopped pecans
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a 9×13" baking pan with nonstick foil, leaving about 1″ of overhang.
- Make shortbread crust. Blend 1 3/4 cups flour, 2/3 cup powdered sugar, 1/4 cup cornstarch, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a food processor. Add 3/4 cold, diced butter and process until mixture clumps together.
- Bake crust. Pour into the baking pan and press evenly. Bake until light golden, 25 minutes. Lower heat to 325ºF.
- Pecan filling. Meanwhile stir 1 1/4 cups brown sugar, 1/2 cup corn syrup, and 1/4 cup butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves and the mixture boils. Add 4 cups pecans and 1/2 cup cream and boil until it thickens slightly. Stir in 2 teaspoons vanilla and pour over the baked crust.
- Bake then cool completely. Bake until caramel is darker and bubbles thickly, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack and cool completely. Use the foil to lift the bars out and cut into squares.
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Recipe FAQs
The filling will be set but not hard. It will also be soft but not too jiggly. You can even use a thermometer to make sure it reaches 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
Usually this means the pecan bars are undercooked. You will want to make sure to continue to bake the bars until they are fully cooked.
Yes! The filling will be a little gooey but not runny. Continue to bake your pecan pie bars until it is slightly jiggly. You will also want to make sure not to burn the top of the pecans.
Not at all! Cover the pan with a lid or transfer the sliced bars to an airtight container. The filling for the bars is a bit sticky, so it helps to add a sheet of wax paper in between each layer so they don’t stick together. They will keep at room temperature for about 2 to 3 days. A great make-ahead solution!
Once the bars have been cooled and sliced, place them on a baking sheet in a single layer and flash freeze for about an hour. This helps harden them so that they don’t stick together. Then stack in a freezer container or bag and freeze for 3-6 months. Let thaw on the counter for a few hours before enjoying.
Recipe contributed by Jennifer from The Chronicles of Home.
Categorized as: American, Bars, Christmas, Desserts, Freezer-Friendly, Pies + Tarts, Thanksgiving, Vegetarian
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
Good but not gooey, more solid!
Do these freeze well?
Yes, these freeze great :)
Are these easy to cut with the pecans or no? I want the pieces to look nice!
Yes! Very easily actually. We love how easy these bars are to cut and have at parties. Let the pecan pie bars setup and then cut them.
Amazing!
Now a new favorite!! I’m going to make these again for Christmas because everyone said it’s better than pecan pie!
These are a great single serving option! Glad you liked them :) Happy Thanksgiving.
These pecan pie bars are my family’s new favorite! They are so crispy and flavorful, perfect snacks for the kids. Love to have these on repeat.
These are definitely a fall favorite at our house. Thanks for sharing, Sharina! Happy Thanksgiving!
Whipped up a batch of these for an afternoon treat, and they do not disappoint! Excited to serve these again this week for Thanksgiving; my whole family loved them!
This sounds like a successful practice run, Sara. It never hurts to make these again :) Happy Thanksgiving!
What if I don’t have that mixer to do the crust? Is there another way?
You can cut the butter in with a pastry cutter or 2 forks :)
Still waiting for them to cool. I sneaked a bit out of the corner. Holy Moly delicious!
I had to add additional butter to get the crust to come together. Extra butter is never a bad thing!🤗
I agree! :) So glad to hear you love them, Carol!
I took these to a local benefit. They were a huge hit! I’ve been asked to take the recipe to our meeting on Monday. I did have to use additional butter to get the crust to clump before pressing in the pan.
Love to hear that! So glad the recipe was a hit :)
This was absolutely the most delicious dessert ever!!!
I think I’ll make them and drizzle chocolate on top. Numnum!
Yum, sounds delicious! Enjoy :)
The shortbread crust takes these bars over the top, the are amazing!!! Perfect for the holidays!
Oh wow, what a treat! Absolutely love these bars. I have a bag of pecans, I just bought them. I could make these bars tonight. Can’t wait :)
These bars look fantastic! I love pecans, I just want to dive into the screen and crab one!