Best Ever Pecan Pie Bars (With New Video)

The Best Ever Pecan Pie Bars are so good people offer to pay me for them. A fabulous recipe with a caramelized pecan pie set atop a shortbread crust is the absolute perfect nut bar. My family requests more of this dessert than any other every year.

 

Well, it is officially December and around here that means it's baking season!

Every Christmas I ask our families what they would like to see in the homemade gifts that we give each year.  My family always says the same thing.  "Lots and lots of your pecan bars."

A vanilla shortbread crust is the base for this amazing treat.  2 pounds of pecans and brown sugar guarantee that this will be a very nutty sweet treat.

Interestingly, this is an adapted version of the recipe that started it all. In the fall of 2006, after dating for nearly 10 years, Chad and I were busy preparing for our Christmas wedding.

Needless to say, holiday baking wasn't in the plans, but my mom insisted I had to make these pecan squares that she had gotten from a friend at work.

We lived 2,300 miles apart. So, I wrote down the recipe, planning to make them soon. Let me tell you; those pecan squares were amazing.

At the time I had no idea who the author was, but that one recipe would soon change my world.

It wasn't long after that I was flipping through the channels, and I landed on a woman making the same pecan square recipe that my mom gave me. I stopped, remembering how delicious they were. Her name was Ina Garten.

She had a Long Island accent and a warm laugh that reminded me of my mom. She had a way about her that drew me in. So, I watched, and I learned. A passion was ignited in me to get into the kitchen and try new things.

I started outfitting my kitchen with new tools and getting creative with my food. Before long I found my family and friends were texting me and asking for recipes for my newest creations.

I decided to put them online so everyone I knew could find them. In the summer of 2011, we published our first recipe on blog.

Chad and I are just like Frick and Frack. Partners in love and life, you can't find one of us without the other, so naturally, it soon became a family adventure as Chad saw my passion and excitement and jumped-in, camera in hand. He has an amazing knack for making my recipes looks as delicious as they taste, dontchathink?

The funny thing is, up until this point I REALLY thought I knew everything there was to know about cooking. I proudly served Chad frozen chicken fried steak and boxed mashed potatoes for our first meal together in 1998. I really thought I was the cat's meow. I would soon realize that I had so much to learn.

How to Freeze Pecan Pie Bars

So, to surprise my family I made an entire 12x18 pan of pecan bars and shipped it to my mom for Christmas a few years ago.  I told her if she wrapped them well they would keep for 6 months in the freezer.


Would you believe that shortly after New Years my baby sister called and begged me to make her some more! They were gone. So, I am shipping her a 1/4 pan. Shhh! Its a surprise.

This recipe can be 1/2'd to make a 9x13 pan and cut into 1/4's to make an 8x8 pan.  I seriously recommend that you make these.  You will love them.

Helpful Tips to make Best Ever Pecan Pie Bars:

• The dough will be very sticky; sprinkle the dough and your hands lightly with flour.
• Try chopping pecans in a food processer to make easy work of the prep or buy chopped pecans.
• The pecan bars will be a little wiggly when they are done cooking, just not jiggly. They will set up as they cool.
• Let the bars cool completely before cutting, I like to refrigerate overnight.
• Use a sharp knife to cut the bars.
• I like to use parchment paper to line the pan. When they are done cooling you can lift the bars out of the pan by the parchment and cut on a cutting board.
• These bars freeze perfectly. Wrap in a gallon size freezer bag with sheets of parchment paper between the stacks of bars. They keep for up to 6 months in the freezer. 

What you will need to make Best Ever Pecan Pie Bars:

• 12x18 Baking Pan - This is NOT the standard casserole dish. It holds 2 times as much and I use it several times a year to make huge batches of pecan bars.
• 9x13 Baking Pan - I love this pan for baking cakes with square edge, making pans of brownies and 1/2 recipe of these pecan bars (see the recipe notes for details).
  
• 8 x 8 Pan- Perfect square pan for 1/4 recipe of these pecan bars (see recipe notes for details).
  

Enjoy!

With love from our simple kitchen to yours. 

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See how easy Best Ever Pecan Pie Bars are to make. Watch the video!!! 

 

Yield: SERVES 24-36 (see notes for smaller sizes)Author: Donna Elick

Best Ever Pecan Pie Bars

The Best Ever Pecan Pie Bars are so good people offer to pay me for them. A fabulous recipe with a caramelized pecan pie set atop a shortbread crust is the absolute perfect nut bar. My family requests more of this dessert than any other every year.

prep time: 10 MINScook time: 45 MINStotal time: 55 mins

Ingredients

Shortbread Crust

• 1 1/4 pounds (5 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Pecan Pie Topping

• 1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 3 cups light brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 pounds pecans, chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat the panggangan to 350°F.
2. For the crust, beat the butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, until light, approximately 3 minutes.
3. Add the eggs and the vanilla and mix well. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix the dry ingredients into the batter with the mixer on low speed until just combined. 
4. Press the dough evenly into an ungreased 18 by 12 by 2-inch baking sheet, making an edge around the edge like you would a pie crust . It will be very sticky; sprinkle the dough and your hands lightly with flour. Bake for 15 minutes, until the crust is set but not browned. Allow to cool.
5. For the topping, combine the butter, corn syrup, and brown sugar in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan.
6. Cook over low heat until the butter is melted, using a wooden spoon to stir. Raise the heat and boil for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the heavy cream and pecans.
7. Pour over the crust, trying not to get the filling between the crust and the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the filling is set.
8. Remove from the panggangan and allow to cool. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold. Cut into bars and serve.

notes

FOR A 9x13 pan (serves 18)  Crust  1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature 6 tablespoons granulated sugar 2 large eggs 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt  Topping: 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter 1/2 cup light corn syrup 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed 2 tablespoons heavy cream 1 pound pecans, chopped  Follow directions above.  Watch your cooking time. Time will be decreased for smaller pan sizes. --------------------------------------------------------------------- FOR AN 8x8 pan (serves 9)  Crust 1 1/4 sticks (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature 3 tablespoons granulated sugar 1 large egg 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt  Topping: 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter 1/4 cup light corn syrup 3/4 cups light brown sugar, packed 1 tablespoon heavy cream 1/2 pounds pecans, chopped  Follow directions above.  Watch your cooking time. Time will be decreased for smaller pan sizes.  Recipe adapted from Ina Garten.

Recipe developed by Donna Elick
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