The Best Pecan Pie Bars. So easy to make!
Would you like to save this recipe?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Send this recipe to my email.
The Best Pecan Pie Bars. This easy recipe includes a simple shortbread bottom and a one bowl mix & pour topping. Tips for baking and cutting them are included.
Thanksgiving update 2022!
This recipe has been the runway hit of the last several Thanksgiving seasons with thousands of hits a day in Thanksgiving week and thousands of re-pins on Pinterest too.
Many folks now make these instead of traditional pecan pie because they are so easy to make. There are lots of great reviews for this super easy recipe too.
They are particularly popular with families whose celebrations include several desserts. These fit that bill very well.
Since they freeze very well too, make sure you have more on hand in the freezer for Christmas as well.
My recipe for Pecan Pie Bars
There are many recipes out there for pecan pie bars and I had to play with a few of them before I got one I quite liked. For me there seemed to be a lot of recipes that didn't have the right ratio of egg in the filling or didn't bake for a sufficient time, so the middle was too runny.
There are other recipes that didn't pre-bake the shortbread layer for long enough and it was too wet in the end. Other recipes called for pecans to be added to the simple shortbread crust which I thought was overkill.
With so many crunchy pecans on top, why not leave the buttery shortbread to be a distinctly different layer?
I hesitated to post this recipe at all because there are so many versions of it already on line.
But, after tweaking my own recipe and adding a couple of tips I think work well, I decided to share the recipe that works best for me. I hope it does the same for you.
Need more ideas for Christmas cookies?
You should check out this great collection of No Bake Cookies that was incredibly popular during our last Holiday season.
Like this Pecan Pie Bars recipe?
Find over 300 other great cookie recipes in our Cookies Category. For other sweet ideas try our Cakes & Pies Category and our Desserts Category.
It's easy to keep up with the latest home style cooking & baking ideas from Rock Recipes. Be sure to follow Rock Recipes Facebook Page and follow us on Instagram.
Plus you'll see daily recipe suggestions from decadent desserts to quick delicious weekday meals too.
You can also sign up for our FREE newsletter to know immediately when we add new recipes. You'll also get weekly suggestions for great family friendly meals and desserts too!
Rock Recipes a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Our product recommendations are almost exclusively for those we currently use or have used in the past.
Originally published October 2015. Updated November, 2019.
Pecan Pie Bars
The Best Pecan Pie Bars - this easy recipe includes a simple shortbread bottom and a one bowl mix and pour topping.
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup sugar
- ¾ cup cold butter
For the top layer
- ⅔ cup firmly packed brown sugar
- ⅓ cup +1 tablespoon flour
- 4 large or extra large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups corn syrup, dark is best
- 2 cups roughly chopped pecans, no need to toast the pecans
Instructions
- This recipe uses a 9x13 baking pan. In this recipe I think it is best to line to lightly grease the pan and line it with parchment paper so that you can lift the entire batch out of the pan after they have cooled and cut them on a cutting board. With cookie bars like this, which have different textures in the different layers, this enables you to have a more precise feeling for how to cut them well. More about that a little later in the recipe.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F for aluminum bake ware and 325 degrees F for glass bake ware.
- Mix together the 1/34 cups flour and ½ cup sugar. Rub the butter through the flour mixture until it is well incorporated and resembles a dry coarse meal. (You can pulse the butter into the flour mixture using a food processor if you prefer.)
- Press the crumb mixture firmly and evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking pan and bake for 20 minutes. The edges should just be starting to brown. Remove from oven and pour on the topping while still hot.
To prepare the top layer of the cookie bars
- Mix together the flour and brown sugar well. This will ensure there will be no lumps of either flour or brown sugar in you cookie bars when baked. Whisk in the eggs, vanilla extract, salt and corn syrup.
- Let the mixture stand for about 15 minutes while the bottom layer pre-bakes, stirring it occasionally. This gives the flour time to soften and help thicken the top layer.
- Mix in the chopped pecans and pour the topping over the partially baked bottom crust as soon as it comes out of the oven.
- Return the pan to the oven and bake for an additional 40-50 minutes until the filling is set. Times vary a few minutes depending on the baking pan material. Shake the pan a little. The center can wobble a little like set jelly but it should not be runny.
- Cool the pan to room temperature before chilling the cookie bars in the fridge for several hours or overnight before attempting to cut them
- I lift the cookies from the pan after they have fully cooled in the fridge and lay them out on a cutting board. I've found the best thing to use is a sharp serrated knife held horizontally to saw through the nut layer before pushing on through to the softer layers below. I cut one entire row of cookies off at a time and then cut each row separately into individual cookie bars.
- As these are quite rich I tend to cut them a little smaller than other cookie bars.
Notes
The nutritional information provided is automatically calculated by third party software and is meant as a guideline only. Exact accuracy is not guaranteed. For recipes where all ingredients may not be used entirely, such as those with coatings on meats, or with sauces or dressings for example, calorie & nutritional values per serving will likely be somewhat lower than indicated.
Recommended Products
Rock Recipes a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Our product recommendations are almost exclusively for those we currently use or have used in the past.
Nutrition Information
Yield
36Serving Size
gAmount Per Serving Calories 174Total Fat 9gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 5gCholesterol 31mgSodium 84mgCarbohydrates 23gFiber 1gSugar 17gProtein 2g
The nutritional information provided is automatically calculated by third party software and is meant as a guideline only. Exact accuracy is not guaranteed. For recipes where all ingredients may not be used entirely, such as those with coatings on meats, or with sauces or dressings for example, calorie & nutritional values per serving will likely be somewhat lower than indicated.
Looks yummy! Can I substitute maple syrup for the corn syrup? Can I freeze it? Keep on your excellent work!
No, the maple syrup is much thinner and the filling may not set. I have frozen this recipe with good sucess.
I made them with maple syrup and it worked like a charm.
That's great to hear. Now I want to try that myself!
Did you use actual maple syrup or the pancake syrup that's made from corn syrup/hf? I'd like to try it, too, because I love maple!
Just found you:) You have recipes that " jump off the page" and say " TRY ME""! Lucky people come to your house for the Holidays..thanks for sharing. Good LUck with your cookbooks.
Going to make these tomorrow...one question...do you also butter the parchment paper in addition to the pan?
Thank you!
Not necessary.
Do you store the bars in the refrigerator once cut, or in an airtight container at room temperature? Thanks!
I refrigerate them.
Do you store the bars in the refrigerator?
I do.
I live in Scotland can i use the syrup we get here x
Are you talking bout golden syrup. That's thicker but wrath a try.
I'm in the UK too and would love to know if you did make these with syrup x
I don't see why they wouldn't work with golden syrup. Bit of a different flavour though.
Can this be baked in a springform pan like a tart?
Never thought about it but it probably could,
Great recipe, truly are pecan pie bars! Thanks!
Do you stir in pecans the top filling or just put on top once the filling is poured? Looks delicious can't wait to try this
The recipe clearly reads "mix in the chopped pecans".
Hi, I am from Southern Louisiana and I just have to tell you how wonderful this recipe was. So easy, so pretty and so delicious! My daughter and I made them today, everyone loved them. I can't wait to try this recipe out during the holidays! Thanks for sharing.
Do you use convection bake for your recipes or just regular bake. Have all your books. Love them.
I generally use regular bake but I do have a convection oven. Rule of thumb is to decrease temperature by 25 degrees F and check the baking time 5 minutes early at least.
I have a brownie pan that has individual squares will that work instead of a 9x13 pan?
I don't know the actual size of your pan. These would not be easy to remove from the pan. The top stays quite soft, so it won't work. Use a regular pan.
These look delicious, can't wait to try them! I'm assuming the brown sugar for the top layer is supposed to read 2/3 *cup* firmly packed brown sugar, just want to be sure!
YES! I just fixed it. This recipe has been viewed many thousands of times. I know the answer was kind of obvious but I can't believe nobody mentioned it before! Thanks for letting me know.
When you say brown sugar, do you mean dark or light brown sugar?
I used light but I'd use either.
@Barry C. Parsons, now perhaps you could fix another typo: 1/34 cups of flour in the Directions
These did not turn out for me and I am so disappointed. I followed the recipe exactly and baked for 45 minutes after adding the top layer which turned out dry and very much like a pecan cookie.
An awful lot of people swear by this recipe. I suspect you must have gone awry somewhere.
I followed this recipe to a 't' last Thanksgiving and they turned out perfectly! They were a huge hit with everyone and looked exactly like your picture. By popular demand I am making them again this year. Thanks so much for posting your 'tweaked' recipe.
I've made these before and absolutely love them. I'm trying to get ahead on my Christmas baking. Can these cookies be frozen?
Yes! I make a huge batch and freeze a bunch. Then I always have some for the holidays or to take for a visit.