Pecan Pie Bars
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With their buttery shortbread crust and rich caramel-pecan topping, these pecan pie bars are everything you love about pecan pie—only easier to make and perfect for sharing!
If you’re a fan of my pecan pie, bourbon pecan pie and candied pecans, you’ll love these pecan pie bars. With a buttery shortbread crust and a rich caramel-pecan topping, they’re an indulgent treat that’s perfect for the holidays—whether you’re bringing them to a potluck or giving them as a hostess gift. Best of all, they’re incredibly easy to make!
“The showstopper at Thanksgiving this year.”
What You’ll Need To Make Pecan Pie Bars
- All-Purpose Flour: Forms the base of the shortbread crust.
- Cornstarch: Blended with the flour, cornstarch gives the crust a crisper texture.
- Confectioners’ Sugar: Sweetens the crust and helps achieve a shortbread-like consistency.
- Unsalted Butter: Creates a flaky crust and adds richness to the filling.
- Light Brown Sugar: Sweetens the filling with a deep, molasses-like flavor. When measuring brown sugar, always pack it tightly to eliminate air pockets.
- Honey: Adds sweetness and a touch of warmth to the filling.
- Vanilla Extract: Enhances the flavor of the caramel with its aromatic richness.
- Heavy Whipping Cream: Adds creaminess and helps achieve the silky, smooth texture of the filling.
- Chopped Pecans: Provide crunch and a rich, nutty flavor.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Begin with the crust. Combine the flour, cornstarch, confectioners sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine. Toss in the pieces of butter.
Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal with pea-size clumps of butter within.
Dump the mixture into a foil-lined pan.
Then press firmly with your fingers into an even layer.
Bake until set but not browned, about 17 minutes.
In the meantime, make the topping. Combine the butter, brown sugar, honey, vanilla and salt in a saucepan.
Boil gently for a few minutes.
Then stir in the heavy cream and chopped pecans.
Spread the pecan mixture onto the baked crust.
Bake until bubbling and caramel-colored.
Cool completely, then transfer baked bar to cutting board.
Cut into squares with a sharp knife. The bars will keep nicely, covered and stored at room temperature, for 3 to 4 days. Freeze for longer storage.
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Pecan Pie Bars
With their buttery shortbread crust and rich caramel-pecan topping, these pecan pie bars are everything you love about pecan pie—only easier to make and perfect for sharing!
Ingredients
For the Crust
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ½ cup Confectioners' sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
For the Filling
- 12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) unsalted butter
- ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons honey
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Generous pinch salt
- 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- 3 cups coarsely chopped pecans
Instructions
For the Crust
- Cover a 9-inch square baking pan with heavy duty aluminum foil. Push foil neatly into corners and up sides of the pan, using two pieces if necessary to ensure it overlaps all edges (the overhang will help removal from pan). Spray foiled pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Place the flour, cornstarch, confectioners sugar and salt in a bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Pulse a few times to mix. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal with pea-size clumps of butter within. It will seem dry; that's okay. Transfer mixture to the prepared pan and press firmly with your fingers into an even layer over the bottom. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. While the crust is in the refrigerator, adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350° F. Bake the crust until crust is set but not browned, about 17 minutes. Set on rack to cool. Leave oven on.
For the Filling
- In a heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat, combine butter, brown sugar, honey, vanilla and salt. Stir with a wooden spoon until sugar dissolves. Turn up the heat and boil gently for 3 minutes. Stir in heavy cream and chopped pecans.
To Assemble and Bake
- Pour pecan mixture over crust (it's fine if the crust is still warm). Bake until filling is bubbling and caramel in color, about 20 minutes. Cool completely on rack. To cut, use the foil overhang to lift baked square out of pan and onto cutting board. Loosen the foil from the edges, then cut with a sharp knife into 2-inch squares. Store finished pecan squares in air-tight container and serve at room temperature.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The pecan squares will keep nicely covered and stored at room temperature for 3 to 4 days. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months. After they are completely cooled, double-wrap them securely with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap with the layers separated by wax or parchment paper. Thaw overnight on the countertop before serving.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (16 servings)
- Calories: 357
- Fat: 29 g
- Saturated fat: 11 g
- Carbohydrates: 26 g
- Sugar: 18 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Sodium: 88 mg
- Cholesterol: 41 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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These were wonderful and my family really enjoyed them. I agree with another commenter that 3 cups of pecans was a tad much, so next time I will probably decrease them. This was a nice alternative to pecan pie which is not really a favorite at our house. We will certainly keep these in the rotation. I made them a day ahead of Thanksgiving and they are still tasting great today (Sunday). Thanks for a great take on traditional pecan pie.
Outstanding!!! Decided to decrease butter in crust by 2 Tbl as Jenn suggested to others who said crust was “greasy”. Otherwise followed recipe as written. I will never bake a pecan pie again; will make these bars instead! Thank you for another winner, Jenn!
Your Pecan Pie Bars were the show stopper at Thanksgiving this year. People’s expressions of amazement were priceless as they jammed them in their mouths! Thanks for this terrific recipe.
I’ve tried this recipe twice and my shortbread ends up being way too hard. The first time I made them, I used gluten free flour and blamed that. This time, I followed the recipe exactly and it still turned out too hard. I haven’t noticed my oven running too hot before. In any event, a friend of mine made this recipe, and I loved her bars. I’m so disappointed that I can’t get these right!
Sorry you’ve had a bit of a problem with these. When putting the crust in the pan, you want to press it down firmly but don’t apply so much pressure that it gets too compact as that may be causing it to be hard. Hope you have better luck if you try them again!
Tried these last year and huge hit. They are awesome and easier to make and more delicious than my usual “pecan tassies”. Will be making again tonight for Thursday.
Hey Jenn,
Do you think I could use a muffin pan and make individual pecan pies?
Hi Mary, instead of attempting to tweak this recipe, I’d suggest using this one for Canadian butter tarts instead. It’s delicious!
These bars will be an annual Thanksgiving favorite!! Great alternative to pecan pie.
I have never failed one of your recipes until now.
This one was a throw away:{
1) The top was burnt
2) 3 cups of pecans were too much.
It looked nothing like your picture!
Could maple syrup be used in place of the honey?
Thanks Jenn ..(You helped me with the Oreo crust recipe recently)!!
All of your recipes I make are delicious!!
Marlene
Marlene, so glad you like the recipes! Yes, you can use maple syrup in place of the honey. Enjoy!