These pecan bars give you the flavor of pecan pie combined with a shortbread cookie crust. Salty and sweet, and incredibly portable, they are easy to make, and my favorite dessert recipe for fall.
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Oh fall, I adore you! Crisp mornings and the sound of leaves crunching under my feet! Fall is my favorite. I've told you this before. And fall means pecans galore! These pecan bars help you take full advantage of their nutty flavor with very little effort. They taste like pecan pie, but with a shortbread crust.
Salty and sweet, I cut them into small bite-size squares so you can just pop them in your mouth all day long and somehow feel less guilty about eating half the pan. And they also have rum in them, so there's that...
I adapted these slightly from one of my favorite cookbooks, Fat Witch Brownies. As I've told you before, if you're in their neighborhood - Chelsea Market in NYC, get your butt in there and buy something.
Jump to:
These pecan bars are easy, delicious, and portable!
- The press-in shortbread crust is simple and foolproof.
- You don't need any kind of mixer to make them, just a couple of bowls.
- They have a bit of dark rum in them for added flavor and aroma! (But you can leave it out if you prefer.)
- They are the perfect balance of crispy, chewy, salty, and sweet.
- You can cut these bars into small, bite-sized squares and eat them with your hands, so they're perfect for bake sales, potlucks, and picnics. (Much more shareable than cutting up pecan pie!)
- One of the greatest things about this recipe is that you put pecans in the shortbread crust as well as the filling. More nutty deliciousness!
You only need 8 ingredients!
- Pecans: It’s important to use a high-quality pecan since they are the star of the show here. I recommend ordering from Millican Pecan. They use fresh, Grade 1 pecans harvested this season. Sometimes in the grocery store, you’re getting Grade 2 pecans that could be years old. Yes, years. (Like 2 - 4!) When I order from Millican Pecan, I know I’m getting the freshest pecans from the most recent growing season. The Millican family has been growing pecans on their farm for five generations - since 1888! They are the home of Texas’ Mother Pecan Orchard. I love their products and it makes me feel good to know that when I buy from them, I am supporting a family business that has such a wonderful history.
- Brown sugar: There's nothing like brown sugar to add the perfect, caramel flavor to these bars.
- Dark corn syrup: I prefer dark corn syrup when I'm making these bars and any pecan pie filling. But if you have light corn syrup hanging around, that will work, too.
- Eggs: To help the filling set.
- Butter: We'll need cold, cubed butter for the crust and melted butter for the filling.
- Unbleached all-purpose flour and baking powder: This is for our simple, press-in shortbread crust.
- Salt: SO important for this recipe. The salt gives the savory balance to the crust and the filling so we don't get a sweet overload.
- Dark rum: Totally optional ingredient in the filling, but it adds a great aroma. The alcohol will cook out, so no worries if the kiddies are eating these.
I am an affiliate for Millican Pecans and if you purchase through my links I may make a small commission. Thank you for supporting my blog and family farms.
How to make pecan bars
Recipe adapted lightly from Fat Witch Brownies by Patricia Helding.
Step by step instructions
Step 1: Make and bake the pecan shortbread crust
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease a 9 x 9 inch baking pan with butter, dust with flour and tap out excess.
Combine flour, baking powder, salt and brown sugar with a fork or whisk.
Add the butter a piece or two at a time, combining with a fork or pastry blender until well blended. You should have a sandy texture with some small bits of butter here and there.
Stir in ¼ cup pecans gently by hand to combine.
Spread the mixture evenly in the pan and tamp down gently with your fingers. You just want it to hold together, you're not trying to make a smooth, flat dough.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the crust is lightly golden and the edges are light brown. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Step 2: Make the pecan filling
While the crust is cooking, make the filling. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat, set aside to cool.
In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, vanilla, corn syrup, rum (if using) and salt. Stir in the butter until just blended. Add the egg and mix until well incorporated.
Step 3: Bake the pecan bars!
Pour the filling over the crust, and sprinkle the pecans evenly on top. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, or until the top is brown and little bubbles and cracks start to form on the surface.
Remove from the oven and let cool at least 2 hours before cutting into squares.
Pecan bar tips and substitutions
- Don't be tempted to overbake the shortbread crust. It should just be lightly golden, remember it is going back in the oven once you add the pecan topping.
- I always prefer to use dark corn syrup when making pecan pie type recipes because I like the extra molasses flavor, but you can absolutely substitute light corn syrup.
- If you don't have a 9"x9" baking pan, you can substitute an 11"x7" pan, 8" square pan, or a 9" round pan will also work, but they are a bit smaller by volume. So your crust will be thicker, making baking times longer for both layers of the pecan bars. It's all about the math when it comes to changing pan sizes and King Arthur Baking has a great online resource if you need some assistance.
FAQ
Store pecan bars in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
No, pecan bars do not need to be refrigerated. They can be stored at room temperature.
Pecan bars freeze well. You can freeze the whole pan tightly covered, or you can cut into bars and then stack layered with parchment or wax paper in an airtight container for up to two months.
More pecan recipes
- Pecan Sandies Cookies are crispy, delicious, and extremely dunkable!
- For a twist on the traditional version, Pecan Cream Cheese Pie has a luscious layer of cream cheese filling as well as that gooey pecan filling you love so much.
- Cranberry Pecan Dark Chocolate Bark is fun to make for the holidays!
Recipe
Pecan Bars
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 cup unbleached flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup packed brown sugar
- 7 tablespoon unsalted butter cold
- ¼ cup roughly chopped pecans
For the filling:
- 4 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- ⅓ cup dark corn syrup
- 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon dark rum optional
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- 1 ¾ cups roughly chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Grease a 9 x 9 inch baking pan with butter, dust with flour and tap out excess.
- Combine flour, baking powder, salt and brown sugar with a fork or whisk. Add the butter a piece or two at a time, combining with a fork or pastry blender until well blended. You should have a sandy texture with some small bits of butter here and there.
- Stir in ¼ cup pecans gently by hand to combine.
- Spread the mixture evenly in the pan and tamp down gently with your fingers. You just want it to hold together, you’re not trying to make a smooth, flat dough.Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the crust is lightly golden and the edges are light brown. Remove from the oven and set aside.
- While the crust is cooking, make the filling. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat, set aside to cool.
- In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, vanilla, corn syrup, rum (if using) and salt. Stir in the butter until just blended. Add the egg and mix until well incorporated.
- Pour the filling over the crust, and sprinkle the pecans evenly on top. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes, or until the top is brown and little bubbles and cracks start to form on the surface.
- Remove from the oven and let cool at least 2 hours before cutting into squares.
Notes
- It’s important to use a high-quality pecan since they are the star of the show here. I recommend ordering from Millican Pecan. They use fresh, Grade 1 pecans harvested this season. Sometimes in the grocery store, you’re getting Grade 2 pecans that could be years old. Yes, years. (Like 2 - 4!)
- I like to cut these into small, 2-inch squares. They make a perfect bite!
- Pecan bars do not need to be refrigerated. Store them in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
Millican Pecan
I am always looking for the ultimate pecan recipe and I am definitely making plans to make your pecan bars! Thank you for a great recipe and easy instructions, Great pictures, too!
Debra
Thanks so much! I do have to give credit where credit is due, as I adapted this recipe from the Fat Witch Bakery cookbook. If you make the recipe, be sure to let me know how it turns out for you!