Pecan Pie Bars

These easy pecan pie bars have a gooey brown sugar pecan pie filling on a buttery pecan shortbread crust! All of the flavors of the best pecan pie with a little bit of maple syrup. Each bite has sweet brown sugar maple filling, crunchy toasted pecans and buttery, soft pecan shortbread.

These pecan pie bars have everything you love about pecan pie and pecan pralines with the addition of maple sugar and a pecan shortbread crust. The buttery shortbread balances the brown sugar pecan filling and provides a crumbly contrast.

I originally posted this recipe in 2014 and there are some loyal readers who brought these bars to Thanksgiving and now they aren’t allowed to bring anything else. Hopefully someone else brings the pumpkin pie, sweet potato pie, easy apple pie and cherry pie!

If you are lucky enough to attend a Holiday celebration with me, then you know that I never roll in with fewer than 5 pies, no matter how many attendees. You also might get to try these almond bars!

Professional Tips for Making Pecan Pie Bars

• Be sure to pre-bake the crust. Baking the shortbread crust until golden brown first ensures that it stays soft and crispy long after baking and slicing. You know I’m a shortbread pro from my chocolate chip shortbread cookies!
• Pre-cook the filling. Just like my secret to the perfect pecan pie, the secret to the thick, sliceable layer of filling in these bars is cooking the filling over a water bath while the crust bakes.
• Allow them to cool completely before slicing. The filling sets as it cools. If sliced too early it will be loose and the filling will squish out.

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Ingredients Needed

• All Purpose Flour
• Cornstarch
• Butter: I use unsalted butter to control the saltiness and flavor.
• Dark Brown Sugar:  Using dark brown sugar adds sweetness along with a nice, rich molasses flavor.
• Kosher Salt: Kosher salt is less salty than table salt and a teaspoon weighs less than other finer ground varieties. It will keep your pie bars from tasting dull or flat and helps dampen the sweetness.
• Whole Egg: The large eggs in a baked custard like chocolate pie or pumpkin pie are integral to thickening the custard. Yes, these bars are technically a baked custard!
• Maple Syrup: In addition to its role in flavoring and sweetening, maple syrup also helps thicken the filling. To that end, it is important to use a high quality “Grade A: dark amber color and robust flavor” or darker. The better the grade, the thicker and less watery the maple syrup.
• Light Corn Syrup: The corn syrup is here to thicken the pie filling. You can substitute the light corn syrup with glucose, golden syrup, or omit it completely. If you omit the corn syrup, you run a greater risk of the pecan pie filling being runny.
• Vanilla Extract
• Pecans: Much like in my chocolate pecan pie recipe, I use toasted, chopped pecans. Toasting them heightens the nutty flavor and balances out the sweet filling. Chopping them (or buying them chopped) means you can slice the bars easier and the pecans are more evenly distributed.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Variations & Substitutions

• Add chocolate or Bourbon: Add up to a ½ cup chopped chocolate or chocolate chips to the filling like I did with these chocolate pecan tassies! You can also add 2 tablespoons of Bourbon whiskey the recipe as written for a boozy twist, or add both like in this bourbon chocolate pecan tart.
• Light corn syrup: You can substitute glucose syrup or golden syrup for the light corn syrup in these bars. You can also omit the corn syrup entirely but your filling will be looser.
• Try other nuts! Did you know that other nuts taste great in these pecan pie bars?! Try toasted walnuts, hazelnuts or macadamia nuts, or do a mix of your favorite! I do recommend chopping any and all other nuts for the best results.
• Use plain shortbread instead: You can use this Scottish shortbread recipe or even a pâte sucrée as a crust instead if you don’t want pecans in the crust.

How to Make Pecan Pie Bars

Use these instructions to make the thick chewy pecan pie bars. Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below.

Prepare filling:

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350°F and generously butter an 8-inch square baking pan. Bring 1 inch of water to a simmer in a large saucepot (or you can use an actual double boiler if you want).

Step 2: Place a medium bowl over the simmering water in the saucepan. Make sure that the bottom of the bowl isn’t touching the water. Melt butter in the medium bowl.

Step 3: Remove from heat and add sugar and salt, whisking until completely combined with the melted butter. Whisk in eggs, maple syrup, corn syrup and vanilla until smooth. Place bowl back on sauce pot and let cook, stirring occasionally, until your crust is ready.

Make the pecan shortbread crust:

Step 4: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, pecans, cornstarch, and salt. Add the butter and work it into the flour mixture with a pastry fork, pastry cutter, or with your hands.

Step 5: Press the crust mixture into lined baking dish and bake 10-15 minutes, or until it has browned slightly.

Assemble & bake bars:

Step 6: Add pecans to your filling mixture, stir, and pour onto the hot shortbread crust.

Step 7: Bake 17 to 22 minutes or until the filling looks set but yields like Jell-O when gently pressed with the back of a spoon or your hand.

Step 8: Let cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into squares when cool. Don’t forget to add a dollop of whipped cream or a drizzle of caramel sauce!

Frequently Asked Questions

Before You Go!

I hope you enjoyed this professional chef tested recipe. Check out our other delicious, chef-developed brownies & bar recipes, or top it off with my homemade Chocolate Ice Cream Recipe!