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.
I just made The Best Pecan Pie Bars recipe yesterday. Wow, what can I say? The flavor is wonderful! All of the directions were spot on. After cutting it into 1.5 inch squares, they are easy to handle and the texture is divine! Other recipes that I have tried are too runny; these are perfect! I do keep them in the refrigerator, but let them sit out at room temperature before serving. Thank you.
Hello Barry
Made these last night exactly as per recioe and cut them this morning. Another winner in our house. Turned out perfect.
Oh these sound delicious! I love Pecan pie, and this looks just as good!!!! YUM!!!
The best recipe for this type of bar cookie! I’ve tried several others-this is my go to recipe. Wouldn’t change a thing. Thank you!
I followed the recipe as written, these satisfied my horrible sweet tooth nicely! I noticed that these have to be stored in the fridge, but I didnt have to cool the off in there before cutting them into bars.
I made them for a now-cancelled party, so, I'll have to freeze them.
You're right, they should be cut into small bars because they are sweet, sweet, sweet. I'll share with friends and family, but 1 once in a while will be a nice treat.
Thank you for posting this recipe.
Made these today and they are fantastic. I sprinkled a mix of semi-sweet and dark chocolate chips to the top of the crust when it first came out of the oven, and then added the pecan mixture on top of that. Baked for 45 minutes. My family LOVES the Chocolate Pecan Pie I make for Thanksgiving and these turned out perfectly!! Really easy too! My family is raving about them. Thank you!!
Just made these and they smell amazing! I should have checked a bit earlier though, after 40 minutes they seem a bit dark on the top but no where near burnt thank goodness! I made them for a family get together and since my daughter in law is gluten intolerant that's how I made them. About the only GF flour I can find around here is Robin Hood all purpose GF flour so I usually have a bag of that on hand. However, it seems to soak up so much more moisture than other flours appear to so I tend to adapt recipes to make it work. I used only 1 1/4 cups for the base and only 1/4 cup for the topping and that seems to be the perfect proportions. These were so easy to make and if they taste as good as they look I think I'll make these for thanksgiving for those of us who dislike pumpkin pie (and yes, there are people who don't like it lol) Thanks for a great recipe!
Hi Barry,
I made these Pecan Butter Tart Squares today & for some reason, the filling seeped out under the parchment paper. Followed your instructions to a T, but I am mystified why that happened. There was quite a lot of the caramel under the parchment paper & it was thick, plus under the crust was a thin layer, as on top with the pecans. I did not need to put it in the fridge to cut as it was sufficient at room temperature due to the seepage
I have not made these for years but never had it fail before either. The only changes I made were using half pure maple syrup & half corn syrup. The 4 eggs I added little egg whites to make them extra large as I only had smallish large. Honestly cannot see these changes would have made that difference – the base looked perfect & I let the syrup rest for the 15 minutes as you suggested & baked for 40 minutes at 350* in a Wilton 9x13 pan.
Thanks
Anyone had success freezing these bars?
I find these freeze quite well
I love this recipe make it every year for Thanksgiving. I wanted to know will it still be good if I make it Tuesday night before Thanksgiving and store in the fridge ? I usually do it the night before Thanksgiving.
Sure
I have made these over 2 dozen times. They are my dads favorite thing ever. This recipe is so simple yet they turn out so elegant looking. Good tips too- cut them small, they are rich, use an over-sized piece of parchment for easy lifting, cut on a cutting board with a serrated knife and cut the edges off to make them look prettier, and so you can eat them yourself!
Thanks for this recipe
Loved the video with your daughter Olivia!
She has a nice clear voice.
I look forward to your emails with new recipes and will definitely be making these pecan bars for Christmas!
Thank you!
Great video! Thank you Olivia…you great style and presence on camera. Look forward to more. And love the bars as welll
I made these bars for this Christmas and they are delicious. I was very surprised that they were not as sugary as I thought they would be. That is a + for me. Thank you for the recipe. This is a keeper.
I use half maple syrup & half corn syrup, no problems. I d the same for my butter tarts. Both freeze well.