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.
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.
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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.
Have you ever tried using honey instead of corn syrup? I don't have corn syrup and trying to decide if I can do these without going to the store. Thanks!
Honey isn't as thick...but it might be fine.
Hi, I was just wondering how you go about freezing these, and your cookies and other bars you have on here??
I commented before but it doesn't seem to be here... Can you use freezer bags to freeze or does it absolutely have to be airtight containers? Also do you freeze in single layers or separate the bars with parchment paper?
Depends on the cookies. If using bags for things like cookie balls, I freeze them on a tray first. Most cookie bars should be stored in airtight containers. If stacking with parchment before. Freeze on a tray first, like the cookie balls.
All my recipes usually call for aluminum pans to be at 325 and the glass to be at 350? But this recipe is the opposite?
I think you have that backwards.
So I didn’t put the parchment paper on the bottom. Will this completely mess up the bars.. any recomendations. They are currently in the oven and smell delicious:)
Definitely easier to get out of the pan with parchment paper, I use it for practically all baking.
Meant to put 5 star:)
I used butter from a tub and had a hard time rubbing it into the flour for the bottom layer, so it is more doughy than “crumb like”...is there still a chance it’ll turn out OK? FYI- I’ve never made pecan pie or anything similar :/
Soft margarine should never be used for baking. A disaster waiting to happen. Only butter is butter.
the crust stuck to the parchment paper. This is not good.
Never had anything stick to parchment paper in decades of baking. Maybe it's the brand? Very strange indeed.
Easy to make and delicious!! Will be making them again!
Can I make these two or three days ahead of time?
For sure
Absolutely delicious and easy. I made the base gluten free with Orgran plain gluten free flour. I also substituted rice malt for the corn syrup. We had a Christmas party yesterday and gave the recipe to almost everyone who tried it! Thanks as it can be tricky to make gluten and dairy free food mainstream.
Has anyone tried these with raisins in them too? If so how do u add them and how much?
Thesr were a solid hit!!! Amazing!
Just wanted to say these are delicious. I modified the recipe to make it gluten and dairy free using a gf flour and vegan becel. The crust is a bit difficult to work with getting it pressed in but the recipe as a whole turns out great.
Have just started following your blog and your recipes look so good. These squares will be the first on my list but there are so many I want to try. Do you think raisins could be substituted for the pecans just to switch it up a bit.?
I've been tempted to try that myself.
I usually never leave comments, but I had been craving pecan pie for a while. I usually will buy a slice, but the place that usually carries it, was out. So, I was going to buy a store made pecan pie, but they looked unappealing and were over priced. I came across this recipe on Pinterest and my problem was sovled. This was one of the easiest recipes, and the bars turned out great! They did not stay in the fridge long. Thank you so much for this recipe!
Glad it was such a success. It is one of our most popular recipes...and for good reason.