Pecan Pie Bars
These pecan pie bars served a la mode with caramel sauce are a fun alternative to classic pecan pie!
With its buttery and tender shortbread crust and caramelized pecan filling, these bars are delicious on their own. But a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of caramel puts them way over the top. If you like pecan pie, then you’re going to love these pecan pie bars!
They’re easier to make than a whole pie— no chilling or rolling required. And these bars are perfect for serving a crowd, or transporting to parties and potlucks, where they’re sure to be a hit!
Ingredients you’ll need
Let’s get baking! Here’s what you’ll need to make these pecan pie bars (full recipe at the bottom):
- All-purpose flour
- Butter
- Powdered sugar
- Light or dark brown sugar
- Honey
- Pecans
- Heavy cream
- Salt
- Ice cream or whipped cream, for serving
- Caramel sauce, for serving
How to make pecan pie bars
These bars are so easy to make!
- Prepare crust. Mix flour, powdered sugar, and salt. Cut butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse sand. It will still be quite loose.
- Bake. Press into an even layer in a 9×13-inch pan lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350°F until edges are golden brown, 20 minutes.
- Prepare filling. Whisk together the melted butter, honey, brown sugar and heavy cream until mixture is smooth. Add pecans and stir until all pecans are coated. Spread on top of crust.
- Bake. Bake at 350°F until filling bubbles in the center of the pan, about 20-25 minutes.
- Cool. Let bars cool completely before slicing and serving.
- Top with ice cream or whipped cream and caramel. Serve by themselves, or add toppings as desired. Bars are delicious both ways!
Tips for making these pecan pie bars
- I like to shop for pecans in the bulk section of the grocery store. They’re typically cheaper per pound than packages found in the baking aisle. Pecan halves or pecan pieces will both work for this recipe.
- Baking these bars in a pan lined with parchment paper is highly recommended. It prevents the caramel filling from sticking to the sides of the pan, and makes it easy to remove the bars from the pan for easier slicing. If you don’t have parchment paper, just be sure to grease the pan well.
- For thicker bars, bake in a 9-inch square baking pan. Baking time will be about an additional 5-10 minutes for both the crust and filling.
- You can make homemade caramel sauce to drizzle over these bars, or take a shortcut and use store-bought caramel sauce (look for it near the ice cream with other toppings).
- These bars are perfect for making ahead, and will keep at room temperature for several days. If stacking in a container, place a sheet of parchment or wax paper between the bars.
- For firmer bars, store in the fridge.
More pecan desserts to love
- Classic Pecan Pie
- Toasted Coconut, Pecan, and Dark Chocolate Cookies
- Pecan Pie Brownies
- Caramel Pudding with Sweet and Salty Pecans
Shop tools for this recipe
This recipe was originally created for Go Bold With Butter. Click here to view the recipe on their site.
Pecan Pie Bars
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour (150 grams)
- ½ cup powdered sugar (56 grams)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter , cold and cut into cubes (1 stick, 113 grams)
For the Pecan Filling:
- ¾ cup unsalted butter , melted (1 ½ sticks, 170 grams)
- ½ cup honey (168 grams)
- ⅓ cup light or dark brown sugar (70 grams)
- ¼ cup heavy cream (56 grams)
- 3 ½ cup pecan halves or pieces (400 grams)
For Serving:
- Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream
- Caramel sauce
Instructions
- To make crust, preheat oven to 350ºF. Butter 9x13 inch baking dish with butter and line with parchment paper.
- In large bowl combine flour, powdered sugar and salt. Add butter and use pastry blender to cut it into dry ingredients until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press into prepared baking dish and bake until edges are golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
- To make filling, whisk together melted butter, honey, brown sugar and heavy cream until mixture is smooth. Add pecans and stir until all pecans are coated. Spread on top of crust.
- Bake bars for 20 minutes until filling is bubbling. Let cool completely. Cut into squares and top with ice cream and caramel sauce.
One Comment on “Pecan Pie Bars”
Just super-duper!
It looks so yummy, I had to drive to the store for the ingredients!
I’m going to start making it now, I hope I get something out of it!)