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Pecan pie bars stacked on a white marble and a top view show close up of one pecan pie bar with the pecans arranged

Pecan Pie Bars

Pecan Pie Bars are a show stopping Holiday dessert that's so easy to make and tastes so much better than store-bought. It tastes like the best pecan pie you've ever had but in the shape of cookie bars. We make our pecan pies with no corn syrup, we use honey caramel so it's guaranteed tastier than any!

Course bars, cookies, Dessert, holiday, thanksgiving
Cuisine American
Keyword bars, Holiday dessert, how to make pecan pie, Pecan pie, pecan pie bars, pecan pie filling, pecan pie recipe, pecan recipes, pecans, Thanksgiving dessert
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Servings 12 bars
Calories 317 kcal
Author Mahy

Ingredients

Crust

Pecan Pie Filling

  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 5 Tablespoons butter unsalted
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 Tablespoon cream optional
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups Pecans whole or chopped

Instructions

  1. Roll the crust and line a 9 inch baking pan with it.
    The shortbread crust or pie dough fitted into a 9 inch square pan ready to bake before making the pecan pie bars filling
  2. Preheat the oven to 420 degrees F.
  3. Use a fork to pierce the crust so that it doesn’t rise during baking.
  4. Prebake the crust for 15-18 minutes only until it sets, but not fully golden.
    The pie crust is baked for 18-20 minutes at first and looks slightly golden in the pan. Now it has to cool down before proceeding
  5. Remove the crust and let it cool.
  6. To make the filling: In a medium saucepan, add the butter, light brown sugar and honey.
    Light brown sugar, honey and butter added into a small sauce pan
  7. Cook them over medium heat until the sugar has completely dissolved: this takes about 2 minutes.
    The honey, light brown sugar and butter mixture have dissolved completely in the sauce pan using a whisk
  8. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the mixture into a cold bowl.
  9. Add vanilla, salt and cream. Whisk them well.
    A hand ready to pour the eggs one at a time into the warm caramel mixture while the other hand holding a whisk to whisk continuously
  10. Add the eggs when the mixture has cooled slightly (3 minutes later) and whisk it in, one at a time.
  11. Finally add in the pecans and toss them well with the mixture.
    Pecans added into the bowl after the caramel sauce is complete
  12. Pour the pecan honey mix right over the cooled crust.
    Pecans added into the bowl after the caramel sauce is complete
  13. Drop the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
    Pecan pie filling is now poured over the crust and ready to go into the oven to bake
  14. Bake the pecan pie bars fro 30-35 minutes until the filling has set and no longer jiggles.
    Pecan pie bars right out of the oven, they look golden and the filling has set.
  15. Cool the pecan pie bars in the pan for 30 minutes before attempting to slice them.
  16. You can alternatively cool them in the fridge or freezer if you’re rushed.
    A hand holding a square spatula removing the first square from the pan of the pecan pie bars recipe
  17. When they have cooled down, slice into squares and enjoy!

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

Pecan Pie Bars Tips and FAQ

  1. Have your Pie Dough prepared in advance, it keeps in the freezer and fridge for a while. Alternatively you can use store bought. 
  2. Pre-baking the crust at high temperature before adding the filling ensures the crust never gets soggy. 
  3. Likewise waiting for 10 minutes for the caramel to cool before adding it over the crust is important to avoid a soggy crust. 
  4. When making the pecan pie filling, make sure to dissolve the sugar and honey and butter together. Otherwise the filling will have a gritty texture form the brown sugar.
  5. To avoid waiting for the caramel to cool off, we transfer it to a larger bowl that's cold and whisk it continuously. 
  6. Having a warm caramel and adding the eggs one at a time while whisking is key. This will guarantee the eggs don't curdle and cook in the caramel.
  7. You can flavor the caramel with spices if you like like apple spice, or just cinnamon. 
  8. Likewise, feel free to use hazelnuts, cashews or walnuts if you can’t have pecans or maybe want a variation on the recipe.
  9. While we love the look of using whole pecans, you can just as well use chopped nuts.
  10. When baking the filling into the crust, make sure you have dropped the oven temperature. This is because the crust will need a high temperature oven initially. 
  11. The filling will be set when the pecan pie bars are ready, but still too soft to cut when warm. So make sure the filing has cooled off completely before cutting. 

How to Store Pecan Pie Bars

Once cooled, you can keep the bars at room temperature in a sealed container or well covered in a serving plate for 1 week. If you prefer a cold dessert, they can be refrigerated for up to 10 days and have a unique taste when cold. 

Can you Freeze Pecan Pie Bars?

YES! Once cooled completely, cut them into squares and wrap each square with plastic wrap and freeze. Once frozen, place the squares in a ziploc bag and freeze them for upto 3 months. To enjoy them, thaw the bars at room temperature on the counter and enjoy. If you'd like to warm them up, you may place them wrapped in foil in a 350 degree oven for 7 minutes or air fryer for 2 minutes.

Which Pecan to use?

Chopped or whole pecans work just as well here, we however prefer whole pecans for aesthetic reasons. Both work well in the recipe.

Can I make this recipe into a Pecan Pie? 

YES Totally! Use a 9 inch round pie dish and follow the recipe. 

How to Double or Triple this Recipe?

Use 2 or 3 square pans and follow the recipe as is. 

Nutrition Facts
Pecan Pie Bars
Amount Per Serving
Calories 317 Calories from Fat 189
% Daily Value*
Fat 21g32%
Saturated Fat 6g38%
Trans Fat 0.2g
Polyunsaturated Fat 4g
Monounsaturated Fat 10g
Cholesterol 41mg14%
Sodium 110mg5%
Potassium 118mg3%
Carbohydrates 21g7%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 22g24%
Protein 3g6%
Vitamin A 213IU4%
Vitamin C 0.2mg0%
Calcium 33mg3%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.