The Best Pecan Pie Bars. So easy to make!
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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.
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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.
I must say, these are fantastic! Came out perfect.
2 thumbs up!!
Im gonna try this today and have read it all and comments. I guess I'm gonna ask again and know you stated the pecans get mixed in but in the picture it looks like they either get put on after and pressed in the filling or just float to the top of the filling while baking. My question is do the pecans raise to the top while baking?
They float to the top the same way they do in pecan pie.
I've made a LOT of different pecan pie bars. But after making this one, I don't even bother with any others. This is by far the best and easiest I've ever made, and everyone LOVES them. I don't use dark corn syrup, but I do use 1 1/4 cup corn syrup and 1/4 cup molasses (that is pretty much what dark corn syrup is so it's not really even a substitute).
By special request, I am making these again tonight!
Thank you!
Hello Barry, I clicked on a link to your blog from a Google recommendation, and, WOW. I feel like I have come across a goldmine. I cannot wait to try your recipes. I have a general question: do you use salted, half-salted or unsalted butter?
I plan to try your pecan bar recipe for a party this weekend. Thanks in advance!
- Vim
Hey Vim, welcome aboard. I generally use salted butter in baking, except for some frosting recipes. If there is salt in a baking recipe, I usually omit it when using sated butter.
That makes sense. Thanks for your speedy response Barry!
I love pecan pie,but found out I have celiacs and the gluten free flour does not perform as regular flour. Have you tried to do any gluten free recipes? After looking at the pictures and reading the coments, my mouth is watering. Thanks
I've done a few when entertaining family and friends with similar issues but since we don't need to in our house, not a lot.
I have only ever made these in a gluten free version. I use the wonderful Cup4Cup gluten free flour with the exact measurements as listed, and they come out divine. No one could tell they were gluten free- absolute perfection (thanks to this amazing recipe and the amazing flour). I highly recommend trying it!
Made these for a church dinner . Was a big hit . They may take the place of pecan pie at the holidays.
What is the best method for freezing (and thawing!) these?
I always freeze cookies in airtight plastic containers. I NEVER thaw them in the containers though, good air circulation on a baking rack is ideal for thawing any frozen baked goods.
Hi Barry 😊.. can't wait to try this filling recipe.. but I have a question that I did not see anyone else address.. if so, then forgive the duplicate question: what would be the bake time if adding the filling to mini phyllo shells? How long would you suggest it would take for the filling to set if using the shells instead of baking the 9x13 crust? Thank you..
Never tried that.
Did you use salted or unsalted butter?
I generally use salted for baking unless specified.
I have one question I haven't seen answered yet: Do we use light or dark brown sugar?
Either really.
Wow!! I don't bake very much, but this recipe was so easy to follow. Mine didn't come out quite as pretty, but they are darn delicious! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe and helpful tips. I can't wait to bring this dessert to Thanksgiving!
Hi Barry
I was wondering if I could use wax paper on my pans instead of parchment paper
I just joined your site and have made your mice, snowballs, gumdrop cookies and apricot squares...all are delicious
Thank you so much
Sally
I guess you could but parchment paper is much stronger in my experience. Better for lifting out the batch and cutting them.
These pecan bars are fabulous! Since I am not a big baker, I also really appreciated all your extra baking tips. Blessings on this holiday season!
Looking forward to making these tomorrow for thanksgiving! I do, however, have to travel 5-6 hours thanksgiving morning to our destination...any suggestions on traveling with these bars? Cooler? Or can they stay in pan uncut and just ride in car temperature?
I'd keep them in the pan and refrigerate them overnight. Safe travels.
First time making these, and they were delish! I used light corn syrup (which was all I had), and there wasn’t a difference at all. They’re crunchy, ooey gooey, and decadent!