Julie Clark
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Pecan Bars with Shortbread Crust
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Pecan Bars with shortbread crust bake in a 9×13 cake pan and feed a crowd! It’s an easy pecan slab pie perfect for the holidays.
Have you tried any of the slab pies we’ve shared lately? There’s pumpkin slab pie for fall and strawberry rhubarb for summer. We love them because they feed a crowd, giving everyone a taste of delicious pie without needing to bake multiple pies.
Classic pecan pie is a favorite loved by all, so you’ll be sure to want to serve up this Pecan Bars with buttery shortbread crust at your next gathering. It’s a fun take on traditional pecan pie!
Why you’ll love this pecan bars recipe:
- sweet and chewy
- delicious shortbread cookie crust that balances out the sweetness
- firmer than pecan pie so you can hold the bars in your hands without a mess
- loaded with caramel-y chopped pecans
What does pecan pie taste like?
Pecan pie is rich and gooey and sweet. Although this easy pecan pie bars recipe isn’t quite as gooey as a whole pecan pie, they still have the same caramel-y brown sugar flavor.
And if you love the flavor of of these pecan shortbread bars, whip up a batch of our bite size pecan tassies. They are like mini pecan pies! Don’t want nuts but want the same caramel flavor? Try our oatmeal pie.
Ingredients for Pecan Bars
- Butter: The salted butter helps cut through some of the sweetness in these pecan pie bars. If you only have unsalted butter, add in an additional ¼ teaspoon of salt into the filing.
- Flour
- Cornstarch: This helps the crust stay soft.
- Salt
- Granulated Sugar and Brown sugar. You’ll put granulated in the crust and brown sugar in the filling.
- Light corn syrup: For a slightly healthier option, you can replace the light corn syrup with honey.
- Heavy cream: The heavy cream can be substituted with half and half or whole milk.
- Pecans. Make sure the pecans you buy aren’t salted.
✨ Full ingredients and amounts in the recipe card below. ✨
How to Make Pecan Bars
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray.
- Make crust by combining all the ingredients in a large bowl. Cut into the ingredients with either a pastry cutter or two knives until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Press crust mixture in an even layer firmly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake crust for 15-20 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.
- While crust is baking prepare the pecan pie filling (start about 10 minutes before crust has finished baking). In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine butter, brown sugar, light corn syrup, and heavy cream.
- Stir frequently until mixture comes to a light boil. Boil mixture for 1 minute while stirring constantly before taking off heat. Stir in pecans.
- Remove the crust from the oven and pour hot pecan mixture over the crust. Carefully smooth topping to the edges.
- Return pan to oven and bake for an additional 20 minutes. How can you tell if pecan pie bars are done? The mixture should be bubbly with a little bit of wobble in the middle.
What is the best way to cut pecan pie bars?
In order to avoid a mess, it is important that you wait for your pecan bars to cool. As they cool, they will harden enough to make cutting much easier. Use your parchment paper to lift the bars out of the pan and on to a flat cutting surface. This will make it much easier to make straight lines.
Can I add anything to my bars?
Although the nutty bars taste great on their own, they serve as a great base for other additions and variations. Some suggestions include:
- Chocolate chips: because these bars are plenty sweet, I recommend using semi sweet or dark chocolate chips to help cut through some of the sweetness
- Toffee bits
- Caramel filling
- Nutella or peanut butter
- Different nuts for a different type of flavor. Try macadamia nuts, peanuts, or walnuts.
How do I store pecan bars?
These pecan bars will last at room temperature for an additional 5-7 days. They can also be made ahead of time and frozen. Freeze for up to 2-3 months for best quality. Store your pecan pie bars in an airtight container.
Other Recipes to Try:
- chocolate shortbread with buttercream frosting
- maple syrup pie
- sea salt caramel banana bread
- sweet potato casserole with pecan streusel
Pecan Bars with Shortbread Crust
Pecan Bars with shortbread crust bake in a 9×13 cake pan and feed a crowd! It's an easy pecan slab pie perfect for the holidays.
Servings 20
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 cup salted butter (cold and cut into cubes)
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Pecan filling
- ¾ cup salted butter (1 ½ sticks)
- 1 ½ cups light brown sugar (lightly packed)
- 2/3 cup light corn syrup
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 2 cups pecans (chopped)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a 9×13-inch pan with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray.
- Make crust by combining all the ingredients in a large bowl. 1 cup salted butter, 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, ¼ cup cornstarch, ½ cup granulated sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Cut into the ingredients with either a pastry cutter or two knives until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Press crust firmly into the bottom of the pan.
- Bake crust for 15-20 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.
- While crust is baking prepare filling (start about 10 minutes before crust has finished baking). In a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine butter, brown sugar, light corn syrup, and heavy cream. ¾ cup salted butter, 1 ½ cups light brown sugar, 2/3 cup light corn syrup, 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- Stir frequently until mixture comes to a light boil. Boil mixture for 1 minute while stirring constantly before taking off heat. Stir in pecans. 2 cups pecans
- Remove the crust from the oven and pour hot pecan mixture over the crust. Carefully smooth topping to the edges.
- Return pan to oven and bake for an additional 20 minutes. Mixture should be bubbly with a little bit of wobble.
- Let the pecan bars cool completely before cutting into bars. They are delicious served with ice cream!
Notes
The calories shown are based on the bars being cut into 20 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 pie bar. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information.**
Nutrition
Calories: 379kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 184mg | Potassium: 79mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 535IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 1mg
One question—At one place it says that you bake these in a sheet pan and another place it says in a 9 x 13. Which one have you baked them in? I’m wondering if they would work in a half sheet pan or if they would need to be doubled for that?