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With a buttery shortbread crust and caramelized pecan filling, it’s impossible not to love these sweet and nutty pecan pie bars!!
Even Easier Than Pie!
If you love classic Pecan Pie or Mini Pecan Pies then you will LOVE these pecan pie bars. Easier than baking an entire pie, this delicious twist is a fall favorite dessert that the entire family is obsessed with.
Pecan-flavored treats are especially popular during the holidays on Thanksgiving, or even as a homemade neighbor gift during Christmas time, but don’t make the mistake of thinking this is strictly a seasonal recipe. You can enjoy this caramel-flavored bar recipe any time!
WHY WE LOVE IT:
- Addicting. They have the best ooey gooey texture.
- Makes a big batch. You can easily cut 20 smaller squares or cut 12 large squares.
- Perfect for pecan lovers. Even those who aren’t, LOVE these pecan bars.
Ingredients
PREP TIME: 10 minutes
BAKE TIME: 50 minutes
Shortbread Crust
- 2 cups all-purpose flour – How to Measure Flour
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup cold unsalted butter cubed – Be sure that the butter is COLD!
Filling
- 1½ cups sugar
- 4 large eggs – room temperature eggs incorporate best with the other ingredients
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2½ cups chopped pecans – You can mix the pecans with chopped walnuts or cashews.
- optional toppings – Drizzle the bars with Caramel Sauce. Top each piece with a dollop of Whipped Cream or a scoop of Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream.
How to Make Pecan Pie Bars
- PREP. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish and set aside.
- CRUST. Combine 2 cups all-purpose flour, ⅓ cup sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt. Cut in ¾ cup cold cubed butter with a fork or pastry blender to create coarse crumbs. Press into the bottom of the prepared dish and bake for 20 minutes.
- FILLING. Whisk 1½ cups sugar, 4 large eggs, 1 cup light corn syrup, 3 tablespoons melted butter, 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract in a large bowl. Stir in 2½ cups chopped pecans. Spread the filling over hot crust as soon as it comes out of the oven.
- BAKE. Bake for 30–35 minutes more, until filling has set.
- Cool completely in the pan before cutting into squares and serving.
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Equipment
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
Filling
- 1½ cups sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2½ cups chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish and set aside.
- To make the shortbread crust: In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, and salt. Cut in cold butter with a fork or pastry blender to create coarse crumbs. Press into the bottom of the prepared dish and bake for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the filling: whisk sugar, eggs, corn syrup, melted butter, and vanilla in a large bowl. Stir in pecans. Spread over hot crust as soon as it comes out of the oven.
- Bake for 30–35 minutes more, until filling has set.
- Cool completely in the pan before cutting into squares and serving.
Video
Notes
- Line the pan with parchment paper this will not only help keep them from sticking to the pan, but once the bars cool, you can lift the entire block out of the pan using the parchment paper.
- Without the side of the pan getting In the way you can then use a large kitchen knife to cut the bars, wipe the blade clean after each cut.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
Use toasted pecans. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread the chopped nuts on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Toast for 6-8 minutes until they turn a deep color and produce a delicious nutty aroma.
Chocolate. Spread semi-sweet chocolate chips onto the hot crust before pouring in the rest of the pecan mixture.
Season. Sprinkle the bars with sea salt before or after baking.
Cover pecan bars and store them in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Freeze in gallon-sized freezer bags, with parchment paper in between each layer of bars for up to 6 months! Allow time to thaw before eating.
Adapted from tasteofhome.
The best pecan pie bars! I won’t go back to making pecan pies. My family loves these. I made them for Thanksgiving and I will make them again for Christmas.
So I lost what I thought was my favorite pecan pie bar recipe and stumbled upon this one and I’m so glad that I did! These are truly amazing! They are easy to make and delicious! Do yourself a favor and make them!
Thank you so much for sharing this fantastic recipe. I made them yesterday for Thanksgiving .
They were easy to make, not too sweet ( which I was hoping for) came out looking picture perfect, and were devoured.
And….. That shortbread crust was everything ❤️.
Have you ever tried dark syrup and brown sugar in the filling? I’m kind of torn about using at least 1/2 and 1/2.
THE very best pecan bars! Each time I make them they turn out beautifully!
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!
I also use dark Karo but I would think light would be fine.
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!
Oh man! We couldn’t keep away from these at Thanksgiving.
My family LOVES these and looks forward to me making them every Christmas.