With a buttery shortbread crust and caramelized pecan filling, it’s impossible not to love these sweet and nutty Pecan Pie Bars!!
Make pecan pie bars as a dessert for the holidays, or a homemade neighbor gift. Anyone who likes pecan pie (and even those who don’t!) LOVE these Pecan Bars. For more delicious bars try Millionaire Bars, Churro Cheesecake Bars, and Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bars.
BEST EVER Pecan Pie Bars
Today I’ll be sharing with you a fall favorite – Pecan Pie Bars!! Pecans are especially popular this time of year during the holidays, but don’t make the mistake of thinking this is strictly a seasonal recipe.
These yummy Pecan Bars are so gooey and addicting, you’ll likely find yourself making this delicious dessert all year round. If you’re a fan of Pecan Pie, you will absolutely LOVE these bars.
With a buttery shortbread crust and caramelized pecan filling, it’s impossible not to like these sweet and nutty bars. I’m thinking we might make these for dessert on Thanksgiving, or even as a homemade neighbor gift during Christmas time.
How to Make Pecan Bars
CRUST. Mix flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Cut in cold butter to create coarse crumbs. Press onto the bottom of a greased 9×13 baking pan and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
FILLING. Meanwhile, whisk eggs, corn syrup, sugar, melted butter and vanilla in a large bowl. Stir in pecans. Spread over the hot crust as soon as it comes out of the oven.
BAKE. Bake for an additional 25-30 minutes, until filling has set. Cool completely before serving.
Note. You can put the bars in the fridge overnight to help them set before cutting them, which means they can be made a day ahead of time. Perfect for holiday!
Tips + Storing Info
If you need to use a smaller pan you will have to increase the bake time and keep an eye on it.
To prevent the top from being runny, make sure it’s baked all the way. You want to make sure the top doesn’t jiggle, and if it does, be sure to bake it a bit longer.
If you have leftovers afterwards (which isn’t likely since they disappear quickly), cover and STORE in the fridge for 3-4 days.
FREEZE in gallon sized freezer bags with parchment paper in between each layer of bars. They will keep for up to 6 months!
For anyone that loves the classic Pecan pie recipe, they will definitely love the bars version. 😉
For more pecan recipes, check out:
Pecan Pie Bars Recipe
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust
- 2 c all-purpose flour
- 1/3 c sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 c cold butter cubed
Filling
- 4 eggs
- 1 c corn syrup
- 1 1/2 c sugar
- 3 TB butter melted
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 c chopped pecans
Instructions
- Mix flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Cut in cold butter to create coarse crumbs. Press onto the bottom of a greased 9x13 baking pan and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, whisk eggs, corn syrup, sugar, melted butter and vanilla in a large bowl. Stir in pecans. Spread over the hot crust as soon as it comes out of the oven.
- Bake for an additional 25-30 minutes, until filling has set. Cool completely before serving.
Video
Adapted from tasteofhome.
OMG!! I’m going to have to make these next weekend when my daughter comes home. Her and I LOVE pecan pie!!! Can’t wait to make this!! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
You’ll love these!! Let me know what you two think! Thanks so much!!
WOULDN’T you need to Bake the pie Filling longer than 30 minutes?
I made these for Thanksgiving and they came out amazing and so easy to make.
Yay! Love to hear that! Thank you & Happy Thanksgiving!
My family RAVED over these. Super delicious! I added a little scoop of hagendaz vanilla ice cream. Made these for my (cheat day) yesterday, now I’m fighting the urge to get the Tupperware container and finish them off along side steaming cup of hot coffee. 😁 My new favorite! I will definitely make these again at Thanksgiving, and Christmas and on Tuesday….
Yay!! I’m so happy to hear you and your family loved them. I bet having them with Hagendaz took them to the next level. YUM!! Thanks for sharing.
So looks like letting any pecan pie set up means baking until set, right?
No I have not made a pie from scratch before
Ever. So the words , let the pie set up and let the filling set , are very New to me.
These pecan pie bars look delicious .
Please let me know by e-mailing me to the address midnight0675@frontier.com
Set is just thickened up a little. Looks ready to eat 🙂 Hope that helps! Good luck!
I have made these three time during the holidays for pot luck meals and they were such a hit, I have made other pecan pie bars but never even came close to your recipe. I carry the recipe on cards when I take these to functions. Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe.
Awe, thank you!! I love hearing that!! Thank you so much for sharing that recipe!
Do you use white sugar or brown sugar in filling?
If I’m making these the night before (about 24hours), how should I store them?
I would just store them in an airtight container or cover them with plastic wrap, if you leave them in the pan.
I want to maKe these 3 days a head of time.
Will they still be good?
Yes they can be made ahead of time. YUMMY bars!
They should 🙂 Keep them stored in an air tight container 🙂
I’m making these for thanksgiving this year. I have the taste of home recipe And compared it to yours. TAste of home RECOMMENDS a 15×10×1″ baking pan. Yours calls for a 13×9. Will the filling spill over using the smaller sized pan? I noticed the ingredients & measurements are the exact same, except for the corn syrup. Yours calls for 1/2 cup less than taste of home. Will using less corn syrup keep spillage from happening? thanks for your help!
I haven’t tried theirs, but these worked for me in the 9×13 🙂
I’ve made pecan pie cookies, but this looks even easier to make with all the pecan pie goodness!! Can’t wait to give this a try for christmas!
They are so good!! I’d love to know what you think! Hope you like them!
My Short bread is cooled will that be a pro?
It should be ok 🙂 I hope you liked them!
I MADE THESE THE NIGHT BEFORE THANKSGIVING AND THERE WERE HARDLY ANY LEFT BY DESSERT TIME ON THANKSGIVING DAY. SUPER EASY, AND SUPER DELICIOUS. EVERYONE KEEPS ASKING WHEN IM MAKING THEM AGAIN…… WINNER!
That is good to hear! I love when that happens 🙂 Thank you so much for letting me know!
Easy to make a absolutely delicious. Just the right amount of pecan pie in each slice!
Thank you so much for sharing!
I am looking forward to make these for the first time. Based on all the positive comments I am excited to try it. Can I use MAGarine instead of unsalted butter?
I made these tonight. They seemed to get too brown before they set. Any suggestions?
Since, they continue cooking, once out of the oven, you may need to lessen the baking time. You might have a really hot oven 🙂
These were great! I actually halved the recipe and it worked fine. I also used “My Buddy’s Nuts” Hot & Spicy pecans. It gave a bit of heat but all of the sugar helped so that they were not too hot. I am looking forward to making them again. Thanks for sharing.
That sounds delish! Thank you for sharing that!
A-mazing! This is my new go to instead of my usual pecan pie recipe! Thanks for sharing!
Woohoo!! You are welcome! Thank you!
Chewy & gooey..these bars were a hit & super easy to make! We will enjoy them all year long!
So i actually don’t love pecan pie, but I had these bars a t a friends house and really liked them. I can’t wait to make them myself and just in time for thanksgiving.
Made these for a friendsgiving this weekend and got so many requests for the recIpe. Took leftovers to my parents and my mom said “your Pecan Pie squares were beyond words! SO SO GOOD! Please make them for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, Martin Luther King Day, Valentine’s Day! etc!” Haha! Thanks for an easy and delicious recipe!
LOL..love that!! You are so welcome & thank you for trying them & sharing that!
HONESTLY, THE BEST RECIPE AROUND FOR PECAN PIE/BARS. THIS IS A PERFECT RECIPE. DON’T CHANGE A THING! I HAD MY HUSBAND DO A TASTE TEST — THIS RECIPE AGAINST THE PIE HIS COMPANY GIVES OUT EACH YEAR (WHICH HE CLAIMS IS DELICIOUS). THESE WON, HANDS DOWN. NOT EVEN CLOSE! THESE ARE GOOD ENOUGH TO MAKE AND GIVE AS A GIFT.
Yay!! Glad they won!! Thank you for trying them!
Better thaN southern pecan pie!!!! Third time ive made and it never fails to please the PALETTE.
Yay!! That’s what I love to hear! Thank you so much for saying that!
I know this RECIPE is callEd peCan pie bars but can i use the same RECIPE and use walnuts inStead
You sure could 🙂
These hAve become my #1 favorite pecan recipe! With the shorTbread crust, these bars ARE BETTER than Pecan pie which used to be my favorite Fall dessert. Search no more for pecan pie bar recipes. These are to die for! Thank you!
Awe, I am so happy you think so 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing that!
Hello! These look so delicious!! I am wondering if you use light or dark corn syrup? Thank you so much!
I used light 🙂 Enjoy!
I usually make pecan pies for Thanksgiving but decided to try pecan pie bars this year. I may never make pies again! These are delicious and so easy to make! Thank you for sharing the recipe!
You are so welcome!! I am with you! Glad you liked them! Thank you!
These are delicious! Going to have to hide from hubby so we have enough for the party!
Can these be made ahead and frozen?
LOL!! You can keep them in gallon sized freezer bags with parchment paper in between each layer of bars. They will keep for up to 6 months!
I’ve made several different Pecan Bar recipes and these taste more like pecan pie than any of the others!
Oh that makes me so happy to hear!! So glad you enjoyed the bars. Thanks for giving the recipe a try!
Love your recipes. Very easy to follow and turn out great.
Thank you so much!!
Wondering if anyone has tried this but with a premade pie crust instead of making their own?
I haven’t tried with premade pie crust. I’d be curious to hear how they turn out/taste using that. I’m a big fan of that shortbread crust, so I haven’t deviated from the original recipe. 😉
I really love those Pecan Bars and I am going to have my wife to make some for Christmas and she really love Pecans and I have a big box of pecans coming from a friend of mine that raises Pecans
Oh that’s awesome!! Hope you enjoy the bars. I imagine they will be extra delicious with those fresh pecans!
These are my first dessert I make every Thanksgiving!! SO good!! If you love pecan pie – you will love these bars!!!
My family LOVES these and looks forward to me making them every Christmas.
Oh man! We couldn’t keep away from these at Thanksgiving.
I made these for Christmas and I followed the recipe. However, it didn’t seem to be enough butter for the shortbread crust. The crust was not firm, it did not brown within 20 minutes, and I could still see flour that the butter did not absorb. Any suggestions?
I’m not sure?? I haven’t had that happen to my crust before. Every oven is slightly different so perhaps it needed just a bit more baking time to golden up a bit. It’s kind of that fine balance between baking long enough and not too much to make the crust too hard. I’d say just keep a close eye on the baking time. Also, making sure the butter is cut in as evenly as possible and that the mixture is crumbly before pressing into the pan…. that may help the butter be more evenly spread and no patches of flour.
I’ve noticed the crust can sometimes be “ floury” instead of crumbly when I put it in the dish but I use my food processor to mix it up and it turns out fine. You might try using a dab more cold butter .
Thanks for the feedback and for giving the recipe a try!
I also use dark Karo but I would think light would be fine.
I made these today for a Valentine’s Day surprise because Pecan Pie is my hubby’s favorite. Fingers crossed that he loves them because I’d love to sub these for pecan pie at Thanksgiving due to how much easier they are to make! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
You’re welcome!! I sure hope that you and your hubby enjoyed the bars!
He loved them so much he’s asking me to make them again.. Even my daughter who claimed to not like pecan pie was devouring them! So I’m currently waiting for the crust to finish so I can pour the filling and get them baking 😊
Awe, that makes me so happy to hear! Thanks for sharing!