These Gooey Pecan Pie Bars with Shortbread Crust are the perfect take on classic pecan pie. They’re made with a soft, buttery shortbread crust layered with a sweet, gooey, golden filling and finished with crunchy pecans. These pecan pie squares are made with just a few pantry staples and take just 10 minutes to prep.
There’s nothing better than sinking your teeth into a bite of a Southern-style pecan pie. And these gooey pecan pie bars with shortbread crust are the way to do just that!
These pecan pie bars feature the softest shortbread crust ever, a perfectly sweet, sugary, melt-in-your-mouth filling, and buttery pecan pieces. You get the classic pecan pie flavor, but with the portability and ease of dessert bars.
They’re easy-to-make, easy-to-serve, and DEFINITELY easy-to-eat! These bars are perfect for Fall and make a great addition to your Thanksgiving dinner, while being easy enough to make any day you might have a craving for fall flavors.
Why I LOVE this recipe!
- Simple Ingredients – These Southern pecan pie bars are made with a 3-ingredient crust and a 6-ingredient filling. Only pantry staples needed here!
- Perfect Texture – A perfectly soft crust, a gooey filling, and crunchy pecans? These pecan pie shortbread bars are the perfect combination of textures.
- Easy to Serve – Since these pie bars are made in a 9×13″ baking dish, they’re super easy to slice up and serve. Simply cut them into squares for perfectly portioned pieces. You can even cut them into pecan pie bites!
- Feeds a Crowd – This recipe makes a ton, so these pie bars are perfect for bringing to a party (or for having leftovers on hand all week long)!
Recipe Notes
This recipe for pecan pie bars is as simple as promised! Just a 9 pantry staples and 10 minutes for a dessert the whole family will love.
In this section I am going to go through a few tips and tricks I use for how to make pecan pie bars with shortbread crust to get the absolute best and most delicious results.
Make sure to scroll to the bottom for the FULL recipe card.
Ingredients + Substitutions
- Shortbread Crust – We’re making a simple, homemade shortbread crust using all-purpose flour, brown sugar, and butter.
- Eggs – You’ll need 5 whole eggs for the filling. Plenty of egg ensures that the filling has plenty of structure. That way it isn’t runny and you don’t end up with a mess when you try to cut your bars.
- Corn Syrup – I use dark corn syrup to give the pecan pie bars a really traditional, rich flavor.
- Vanilla Extract
- Salt
- Chopped Pecans – I prefer to use chopped pecans to make the bars easier to cut, bite, etc. However, if you prefer to use whole pecans, feel free to do that instead.
Make sure to see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full quantities and ingredients list.
Recipe Variations
- Toasted Pecan Pie Bars – Add another layer of flavor by toasting the pecans before you add them to the filling.
- Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars – Make your pie bars a little richer and sweeter by topping them off with your favorite chocolate chips.
Recipe Step by Step
I am going to highlight a few key steps in the recipe here, but make sure to jump down to the recipe card for comprehensive instructions on how to make these easy pecan pie bars.
- Step 1– In a mixing bowl, combine butter, flour, and brown sugar. Press the mixture firmly into a 9×13″ baking pan lined with parchment paper or greased with cooking spray. Bake for 12-15 minutes at 350ºF, then remove and set aside.
- Step 2– Use an electric mixer to blend together eggs, corn syrup, sugar, vanilla, and salt until well combined. Stir in pecans, then pour the filling over the prepared crust.
- Step 3– Reduce the oven heat to 275ºF, then bake until the filling is set. Cool completely, then slice and serve!
- Step 4– Let set then cut into 24 bars to serve.
Recipe Tips
- Line or grease the pan – A light layer of cooking spray or a piece of parchment paper will do the trick. This helps prevent the crust from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Pre-bake the crust – This is key! Pre-baking the crust before adding the pecan pie filling allows it to set up. If you add the filling without cooking the crust first, then it will be soggy.
- Reduce the oven temperature – Once the crust is baked, don’t forget to adjust the oven temperature to 275ºF. The lower heat is necessary so that the filling and pecans don’t burn as the bar cookies bake.
- Cool before slicing – After the pecan pie bars are baked, give them plenty of time to cool before you cut into them. They won’t cut well if they’re too warm. Once they’re cooled, use a sharp knife for clean cuts.
Recipe Short Cuts
If you need to make this recipe, but are extra short on time, here are a few ideas that can help make this recipe even faster!
- Prepare the crust in advance – You can prepare and bake the crust a day or two ahead of time. Wrap it tightly and store it in the fridge until you’re ready to add the filling.
- Make the filling while the crust bakes – Be really efficient with your time and throw the filling together while the crust is in the oven. This keeps your total time to a minimum!
- Make the pie bars ahead of time – Get ahead with baking and simply prepare these pecan bars a couple of days before you’re ready to serve them. That way they’re ready to go whenever you need them! You can also freeze them for a couple of months to get way ahead on dessert prep.
Pecan Pie Bars Leftovers
If you have leftovers after making these ooey gooey pecan pie bars, then it is your lucky day! They save well so you can continue to eat them throughout the week.
To save leftovers, place in an airtight container and store:
- in the refrigerator for 3-4 days
- in the freezer for up to 3 months
Recipe FAQ’s
What’s the difference between a derby pie and a pecan pie?
The difference is that a derby pie is a little bit fancier! Pecan pie is made with a buttery crust filled with a thick pecan filling. Derby pie is similar, but includes bourbon and chocolate chips for a sweeter, richer flavor.
How much should pecan pie wobble?
Just a little bit. The filling will never fully set. It should be stable, but it will still jiggle slightly even once the pie bars are done baking.
Is pecan pie supposed to be eaten hot or cold?
I recommend enjoying these pecan pie bars at room temperature. If they’re too hot, they won’t be set up properly.
If you’re enjoying leftovers from the fridge, you can bring the bars to room temperature or simply enjoy them cold.
More EASY Dessert Recipes
If you enjoyed this recipe, I really hope you will take a moment to grab a few more easy recipes for another busy night!
You can check out all of my easy dessert recipes here, or see a few of our readers favorite recipes below.
Gooey Pecan Pie Bars
Ingredients
For the shortbread crust
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 cup butter, softened
For the pecan pie filling
- 5 eggs
- 1 cup dark corn syrup
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 2½ cups chopped pecan
Instructions
For the shortbread crust
- Preheat oven to 350˚F.
- Line a 9×13 inch baking pan with parchment, or grease bottom and sides of pan.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine butter, flour and brown sugar together.
- Press mixture into the pan, bake for 12-15 minutes, then remove from oven and set aside.
For the pecan pie filling
- While crust is baking, blend eggs, corn syrup, sugar, vanilla and salt until well combined. I like to use an electric mixer to make it fast, but you can also easily do this by hand. Then, stir in pecans and pour pecan mixture over crust.
- Reduce the oven to 275° and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until filling is set.
- Allow the Pecan Pie Bars to cool completely, then cut into bars.
Recipe Notes
- in the refrigerator for 3-4 days
- in the freezer for up to 3 months
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