Pecan Pie Bars

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 for the holidays!

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 45

Total Time: 55

Servings:

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.

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