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A Southern classic just got a whole new look and we're pretty sure you're going to like what you see. It's bite-sized, it's hand-held, and, most importantly, it's completely delicious. Pecan Pie Bars come equipped with an ooey-gooey pecan pie filling and a buttery, tender crust that's the perfect bridge between a shortbread crust and real-deal, pie crust.
These bar cookies boast the same amazing Pecan Pie flavor you know and love, only they're far easier to serve and eat -- just cut them up and pass them around -- no fork required!
Many heirloom Pecan Pie Recipes come laden with excessive amounts of sugar. In fact, the biggest complaint when it comes to this dessert classic is its cloyingly sweet nature. Rest assured -- that is not going to be the case with these Pecan Pie Bars.
For that signature ooey-gooey bite, we leaned on Karo® Syrup to provide both incredible texture and flavor for this dessert, as well as a balance in sweetness. Then, we cut the quantity of brown sugar, allowing for more flavors to shine through. The end result was a heavenly, salty-sweet filling with zero sacrifices in the way of richness or texture.
The crust, while still housing a bit of sugar itself, errs more on the savory side of things and lies in perfect harmony underneath that dreamy Pecan Pie Filling.
PECAN PIE BAR INGREDIENTS
Just like Pecan Pie, these gooey Pecan Pie Bars consist of two main elements -- the crust and the filling. The crust is somewhat of a shortbread cookie-pie crust hybrid, and it is buttery tender perfection. It comes together with just a few simple ingredients. All you'll need for the crust is all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, salt, and unsalted butter.
As far as ingredients go for the Pecan Pie Bars' filling, you will need a combination of Karo® Syrup and brown sugar. Karo® Syrup has been an ingredient relied on for generations due to its superb quality and consistent performance, and should not be substituted. You will also need light brown sugar, but if you only have dark brown sugar on hand, feel free to use it instead.
Be sure to grab unsalted butter when doing your grocery shopping! Do not use salted butter in this recipe as it would make them far too salty. Take note, you will need 4 whole eggs, plus one egg yolk for these bars. The extra yolk helps to make the filling extra rich and velvety smooth. In addition to the eggs, you will also need both fine sea salt and pure vanilla extract.
Last, but certainly not least, you can't have Pecan Pie Bars without pecans. You can buy either pecan halves or chopped pecans from the store, however, make sure if you buy pecan halves, that you measure the pecans after they're chopped, not before.
HOW TO MAKE PECAN PIE BARS
- Prep the Pan - These Pecan Pie Bars are extra gooey, which is great for your taste buds, but kinda hard on the pan. Make sure you take the time to grease the dish and line it with parchment paper, both on the bottom and up the sides. This will ensure your bars remove easily from the pan and stay completely intact for serving.
- Make the Crust - To make the crust for your Pecan Pie Bars, combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Then, add the cubed butter and use a pastry blender, a fork, or two knives to cut it into the dry mixture. Continue cutting in the butter until it is broken up into fine crumbs.
- Add Crust To the Dish and Bake - Spread the mixture across the bottom of the prepared casserole dish and press down to form a crust using floured hands, or the bottom of a floured measuring cup. Bake for 28 minutes, just until the edges are tinging with gold. At this point, reduce the oven temperature to 300° -- this is an important step, don't forget it!
- Make the Pecan Pie Filling - To make the filling for the Pecan Pie Bars, add the eggs, egg yolk, Karo® Syrup, light brown sugar, melted butter, vanilla extract, and salt to a medium-sized mixing bowl and whisk until well-combined. Then, stir in the chopped pecans and pour the filling across the warm crust.
- Bake, Cool, and Cut - Bake for an additional 35 minutes. Once the time is up, place the dish on a wire rack until the bottom of the pan is completely cool to the touch, about 3 hours. Cut into squares using your sharpest knife, serve, and enjoy!
5 MORE PECAN DESSERTS YOU’LL LOVE
- Butter Pecan Blondies are rich and nutty blondies topped off with a Maple Cream Cheese Frosting.
- Easy Pecan Pie -- we have this classic gem to thank for those delicious Pecan Pie Bars! It is a no-fail, easy pie that delivers in both flavor and simplicity, you’ve come to the right place -- this is everything you need to know and more to bake the most delicious Pecan Pie the South has ever tasted!
- Candied Pecans made in the oven with fresh rosemary are salty, sweet, spicy, and addictively yummy!
- Sugar Cookies with Pecans are soft, chewy, nutty and topped off with a drizzle of maple glaze. The perfect fall cookie!
- Texas Sheet Cake is super chocolatey, decadently moist and tender, and topped with gooey, fudgy icing. Finish it off with pecans for an extra Southern touch!
The best Pecan Pie Bars with an ooey-gooey pecan pie filling and a buttery, tender crust! An easy, hand-held twist on a delicious, classic Southern dessert!
- 1 ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- 4 large eggs, plus 1 yolk
- 1 cup Karo® Light Corn Syrup
- ⅔ cup light brown sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 ½ cup chopped pecans
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Preheat the oven to 350° and have ready a greased 9x13" casserole dish lined with parchment paper (on the bottom and up the sides). Do not skip lining with parchment paper for best results.
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In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt. Sprinkle the cubed butter over the flour and use a pastry blender (or fork) to cut it into the dry mixture. Do so until the butter is broken up into fine crumbs.
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Spread the mixture across the bottom of the prepared casserole dish and press down to form a crust using floured hands or the bottom of a floured measuring cup.
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Bake for 28 minutes, just until the edges are tinging with gold. Remove from the oven and set aside while you make the filling. Reduce the oven temperature to 300°.
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Add the eggs, egg yolk, Karo Light Corn Syrup, light brown sugar, melted butter, vanilla extract, and salt to a medium-sized mixing bowl and whisk until well-combined. Stir in the chopped pecans and pour the filling over the warm crust.
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Bake for 35 minutes and place on a wire rack until completely cool to the touch, 2-3 hours. Cut into squares, serve, and enjoy!
Recipe Video
To cut the Pecan Pie Bars into 24 servings, using your sharpest knife cut into fourths going lengthwise. Then, cut into 6 strips crosswise.
