Pecan Bars

You're going to love the flavor of these Pecan Bars. They're the perfect combination of homemade pecan pie paired with the ease of a grab-and-go treat. Save yourself time this holiday season and make these Pecan Pie Bars instead! And these are ready in under an hour!

Try my Cranberry Coffee Cake Recipe next. Find all Holiday Recipes in one place here.

Also if you like your Pecan bars without corn syrup, you have come to the right place. We will sweeten the bars with honey and maple syrup along with brown sugar to create that sticky effect. Worry not, you won't miss corn syrup here at all!

Love Pecans??? make sure to check out my Pecan Pie Pound Cake Recipe as well. Be sure to find all my Christmas Desserts on the blog here.

When it's time for all things sweets and treats, you're going to want to make this Pecan Pie Cookies Recipe, Cream Cheese Cookies, and one of my all time favorites, fluffy and moist Carrot Cake.

Any of those recipes above would be perfect for a wonderful dessert any time of the year as well. 

TASTE AND TEXTURE:

• Nutty and Sweet
• with Sticky and gooey centers
• Buttery Shortbread base
• Tastes like pecan pie minus all the work!

RECIPE INGREDIENTS:

Ingredients for the crust:

• butter - cold butter cut into small pieces is best
• flour - all purpose flour is what I use
• confectioners' sugar - adds a tad bit of sweetness to the crust
• salt - very small amount needed

Ingredients for pecan filling:

• brown sugar - the main sweetener and flavor creator for this pecan recipe
• maple syrup - gives a nice warm flavor to these bars
• honey - adds natural sweetness to the dessert and provides stickiness.
• half and half - creates the creaminess in the filling
• vanilla - Just a splash enhances the flavor profile of these bars. Don't skip it.
• bourbon - optional, but so good! 😉
• pecans - toasted pecans would be great as well here

HOW TO MAKE PECAN BARS

Preheat your oven. Before starting recipe, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a a 9 x 9 inch pan with parchment paper using overhangs for easy removal..

Make the crust. Mix sugar and salt in a bowl and then add in cold cut butter cubes and flour. This will form a crumb-like texture.

Add this mix to baking pan. Once the crumb mixture is ready, pat it down into the pan and bake in oven for 15-20 minutes.

Make the filling.  As the crust is baking, it's time to make the filling. Mix all ingredients together (leave out the pecans) and bring to a boil on stove. Simmer for 2 minutes and then turn off the heat. Add in pecans and stir.

Pour over the crust. Pour the mixture over the top of baked crust. Place bake in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Cut into squares. Once the bars have cooled, cut them into squares and enjoy!

WHAT IS THE EASIEST WAY TO CUT BUTTER?

You'll notice that a lot of recipes call for cold cut butter but you might wonder what that means. While you can technically cut up butter by hand, using a food processor is a must faster process and will give you the texture of butter that a shortbread needs.

CAN YOU MAKE PECAN Squares WITHOUT ALCOHOL?

Absolutely. The alcohol is totally optional in this recipe. You can add in the bourbon or leave it out entirely. Or, you can do what I do sometimes and make two batches. One with alcohol and one without.

CAN YOU FREEZE PECAN PIE BARS?

A simple way to extend the life of these homemade pie bars is to store them in the freezer. I like to wrap them in saran wrap first. Then store them in an airtight container or bag. Make sure whatever storage method you choose is freezer-safe.

CAN YOU USE A PREBAKED PIE CRUST FOR THIS RECIPE?

Yes! If you want to save some extra time then you can easily use a prebaked crust for this recipe. I think that a graham cracker crust would be a great choice, too. You just need to be sure that the crust will hold together when cutting into it so that you can serve the bars.

QUICK TIPS FOR MAKING THESE BARS

• Adding a light topping of sugar is a simple way to add a boost of sweetness. It also might keep your knife from sticking as you cut through the bars.
• To keep these pecan pie treats fresh, store them in an airtight container. They don't have to be stored in the fridge, either. Room temperature is just fine.

MORE EASY Thanksgiving RECIPES

• Caramel Apple Cupcakes
• Cinnamon Swirl Cake
• Cranberry Puff Pastry Squares
• Easy Pumpkin Roll
• Brown Butter Pecan Cookies

If you liked this Holiday recipe, give it a star review. Also, tell me in the comments below, how did this turn out for you! And don’t forget to share your creations with me on Instagram at #greedyeatsblog And lets be friends on Pinterest and Facebook too! 🙂

Pecan Bars

You're going to love how simple it is to make these easy Pecan Bars.

5 from 4 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

US Customary - Metric

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Servings 12 Bars

1x2x3x

Calories: 345kcal

Author: Neha

Equipment

• 9 x 9 inch Square Pan

Ingredients

Crust Ingredients:

• ▢ ¾ cup cold butter (cut into smaller pieces)
• ▢ 2 cups flour
• ▢ ½ cup confectioners' sugar
• ▢ ⅛ tsp salt

To Make the Topping:

• ▢ ½ cup butter
• ▢ 1 cup brown sugar
• ▢ ⅓ cup maple syrup
• ▢ ¼ cup honey
• ▢ ⅛ cup half and half
• ▢ 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 Tbsp bourbon (optional)
• ▢ 2 ½ cups chopped pecans

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Preheat the oven. Before starting the recipe, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x9 inch square pan with parchment paper leaving overhangs on 2 sides for easy removal of bars after baking.
• Make the crust. Mix flour, sugar and salt in a bowl and then add in the cold cut butter. Mix in butter in the flour mixture till a crumb-like texture is formed and all the crumbs are almost equal in size. You can do this using a food processor. Or even a pastry dough cutter works well. If you don't have either of those, you can cut butter into flour using 2 forks.
• Add crust to the pan. Once the crumb mixture is ready, pat it down into pan evenly and bake in the oven for 15 minutes. The crumb will begin to look golden in color.
• Make the filling. While the crust is baking, it's time to make pecan filling. Mix all the ingredients together (leave out the pecans) and bring to a boil on the stove. Simmer for 2 minutes and then turn off the heat. Add in pecans and stir.
• Pour over the crust. Pour the mixture over the top of baked crust. Place it in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the middle will come out mostly clean.
• Cut into squares. Set bars on a cooling rack. Once the pecan bars have cooled, take them out of the pan using overhangs. Cut them into squares and enjoy!

Notes

Storing Information:

You may store bars at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to a week. These also freeze well up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator/ on counter top before serving.

Tips to make perfect Bars every time:

• Parchment paper overhangs are super helpful to take out bars out of the pan, always go for it.
• Allow them to cool down completely before cutting them into bars.
•  If you notice the crust has puffed up a little after baking, use a spatula to gently press it down. This will make an even surface for the pecan topping.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Bar | Calories: 345kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 25g | Sodium: 100mg | Sugar: 35g

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