Melt-in-your-mouth, soft and sticky pecan pie – made handheld! These buttery shortbread bars with nutty vanilla filling are easy, fuss-free and fast to prepare. Perfect for your holiday table and enjoying with family and friends. You will go nuts for ’em!

Easiest Pecan Pie Bars

It was many years before I tried my first slice of pecan pie. It always seemed too rich and decadent to me, but one bite had me hooked – I was officially obsessed with the delicate sweetness, nutty crunch and buttery shortbread crust. Like a true Texas girl, I decided to perfect my pecan pies at home.

With a few mishaps under my belt, I finally found the PERFECT recipe for you. These pecan pie bars are nothing short of absolutely addictive – and much easier than pie!

As a bonus, these pie bars can be made with just one bowl and there’s no stovetop pre-cooking for the filling. These Pecan Pie Bars are completely handheld and gorgeously grabbable, stacked high on a platter. You can cut them as small or large as you like, which naturally means . . . you can eat more of them. Hehe.

I’m so excited to share this pecan pie bar recipe with you today. I can just see it now on all our holiday tables, can’t you?

Let’s jump into the steps for this lovely autumnal dessert!

Ready to bake your own Pecan Pie Bars?

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Press aluminum foil into a 13×9-inch baking dish with foil; set aside.

• Add butter and sugar to a large mixing bowl. Using a handheld electric mixer or electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar together on medium speed. Turn mixer to low. Beat in flour until combined. Mixture will be dry.

• Using your hands, press mixture evenly into bottom of prepared pan.

• Bake crust for 18-20 minutes, until lightly golden.

• While crust bakes, prepare your filling. In a large bowl, whisk sugar, corn syrup, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Whisk in flour and salt, until well combined. Fold in chopped pecans.

• Remove hot crust from oven. Immediately pour pecan mixture on top. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until center is set.

• Let cool completely before slicing. Using foil, lift pecan pie out of dish and place on a work surface. Slice into bars.

• Refrigerate until ready to serve. Store in a resealable container for up to 4 days.

Keep reading for full ingredient list + recipe, below

Need more desserts for your fall table? Try these!

• Soft + Chewy Gingerdoodle Cookie Sandwiches

• Spiced Apple-Caramel Crumble Bars

• Salted Brown Butter Rice Krispies Treats

• Soft Ginger Molasses Cookies

• Chocolate Caramel Pecan Pretzel Bites

• 4-Ingredient Apple Pie Cookies

• Ooey Gooey S’mores Brownie Bars

• Easy Apple Pecan Sticky Buns

• Lemon Cheesecake Bars

Want a couple pro tips? When making your shortbread crust, make sure you have room temperature (not melted or too-soft) butter. You want pea-sized pieces of butter in your flour mixture, for a crust that bakes evenly. Go ahead, get handsy with it. Pat it into your prepared pan, and pre-bake so the pecan pie filling has something to hang onto!

To get those perfectly square bars, I lift the pie from the baking dish (don’t forget that foil!), place it on a cutting board and trim the edges. Let the baked dish cool completely before cutting into bars. Place them on a dish and cool ’til ready to serve.

Then get ready to wow everyone, will ya?

I hope you try this recipe, and love it like we do. Please leave a comment and a star rating, if you give it a go!

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Easiest Pecan Pie Bars

Yield: 30 bars

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

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Ingredients

For the shortbread crust:

• 1 + 1/2 sticks (3/4 cups) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1-3/4 cups  all purpose flour

For the pecan pie filling:

• 2/3 cups light brown sugar
• 1-1/2 cups corn syrup, (light or dark)
• 4 large eggs
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 2 cups chopped pecans

Instructions

For the shortbread crust:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Press aluminum foil into a 13x9-inch baking dish with foil; set aside.
2. Add butter and sugar to a large mixing bowl. Using a handheld electric mixer or electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar together on medium speed. Turn mixer to low. Beat in flour until combined. Mixture will be dry. 
3. Using your hands, press mixture evenly into bottom of prepared pan.
4. Bake crust for 18-20 minutes, until lightly golden.

For the pecan pie filling:

1. While crust bakes, prepare your filling. In a large bowl, whisk sugar, corn syrup, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Whisk in flour and salt, until well combined. Fold in chopped pecans.
2. Remove hot crust from oven. Immediately pour pecan mixture on top. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until center is set.
3. Let cool completely before slicing. Using foil, lift pecan pie out of dish and place on a work surface. Slice into bars.
4. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Store in a resealable container for up to 4 days.
5. Enjoy!

Notes

Adapted from Cookies & Cups

Did you make this recipe?

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