Pecan Pie Bars with Shortbread Crust

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Soft and gooey Pecan Pie Bars with Shortbread Crust are made with homemade pecan pie filling and the easiest four ingredients shortbread cookie crust, and baked to golden perfection. These pie bars are perfectly sweet, gooey, sticky, and taste just like the classic dessert, but easier to make! There’s really nothing not to love about these super simple pecan pie bars. The secret? Not making them too thick! That’s right. Something so simple makes such a huge difference with these delicious bars. Every bite is nutty, extra sweet, gooey, and will always leave you wanting more. These bars are perfect for cozy Fall weekends, a sweet treat for Halloween, or as an easy dessert for your Thanksgiving table!

About The Recipe

It’s our first official Fall recipe of the year and, trust me, it’s a good one! These pecan pie bars are such a simple bake and a great treat to serve during the entire Fall season. I love our Pumpkin Pie Bars, but these might just be my new favorite!

We were inspired to make these after having trouble baking pies lately. The weather here, even though it’s cooling off, has still been waaaaay too warm. Pie crust + warm weather (especially this warm)… they just don’t like each other.

Thankfully, shortbread dough/crust is MUCH more forgiving. We had to test this recipe three times before we were able to get it to come out just right! But that wasn’t the weather’s fault. We couldn’t figure out the thickness of everything.

Our first batch, albeit delicious, was WAY too thick. It was messy and kind of overwhelming to eat. So, we scaled the recipe back. This time, the pecan pie filling was PERFECT, but the crust was way too thin.

It tasted delicious as well, but the crust was paper thin! It wasn’t a bar you could hand out during the holidays. Which brings us to the third attempt. Thankfully, three times really is the charm!

The third batch of these pecan pie bars turned out perfectly. Not too thin, gooey, sweet, and sturdy enough to hold. If I’m being honest, I might just prefer these bars over the actual pie!

Every bite is the perfect combination of textures and flavors. The shortbread is buttery and lightly sweet, and practically melts away in the first bite. Top that with the caramel-y, sweet, nutty, crunchy pecan pie filling. There’s just SO much to love here, and I’m so excited to finally share the recipe!

It is simply delicious and perfect for any and every holiday, get-together, party, or just a casual weekend at home.

Reasons You Will Love These Pecan Pie Bars

• SO much easier to make than the traditional pie.
• A super simple dessert for Thanksgiving.
• Easy to share with friends and family.
• A crowd pleasing dessert.
• Ready faster than a traditional pecan pie!

Equipment Needed

• 8×12 Cake Pan
• Stand Mixer
• Rubber Spatula
• Fork
• Mixing Bowls
• Whisk

Ingredients

(Full ingredient amounts and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post)

For The Crust:

• Unsalted Butter – With shortbread, there’s nothing to hide behind. Unsalted butter has a bright, fresh flavor that adds not only richness, but is the only moisture in this crust.
• Granulated Sugar – We used granulated sugar to sweeten the dough and add tenderness.
• All Purpose Flour – Using plain all purpose flour is the way to go here. The protein content gives the dough the structure it needs to act as a sturdy base for the pie bars.
• Salt – Just a little bit of salt enhances the flavor.

For The Filling:

• Large Egg + Yolk – The extra egg yolk gives the egg an extra boost to help it thicken the filling while it bakes.
• Brown Sugar – Unlike granulated sugar, brown sugar both sweetens and adds a caramel-y, molasses-y undertone.
• Light Corn Syrup – A glucose syrup that is meant to keep sugar from crystalizing, light corn syrup keeps the filling smooth.
• Unsalted Butter – While allowing full control of the salt, unsalted butter also adds flavor and silkiness.
• Vanilla Extract – Adding a subtle undertone, vanilla extract is the perfect choice to enhance the flavor.
• Salt – Just a bit of salt helps to cut the sweetness and enhance the flavor.
• Pecan Halves – Halves instead of chopped pecans make these pie bars pretty as well as delicious!

How To Make Pecan Pie Bars

Step 1: Make the crust

Step 2: Make the filling

Step 3: Bake

What To Serve with Pecan Pie Bars

Sweet? Savory? Topping for the bars? We’ve got you covered! Here are some of our favorite things to serve alongside these pecan pie bars.

• Vanilla Ice Cream
• Caramel Sauce
• Chocolate Sauce
• Chantilly Cream
• Caramel Apple Ice Cream
• Fall Apple Cider Bourbon Fizz
• Bourbon Sweet Potato Casserole
• Shoepeg Corn and Green Bean Casserole
• Southern Cornbread Dressing
• Homemade Apple Pie
• Pumpkin Pie Bars

How To Store

Once this pie is baked and cooled, you can easily store it in the fridge for 3-5 days. You can also freeze the slices in a freezer safe zip top bag or container! To reheat, just set it out on the counter a few hours beforehand to allow it to come to room temperature.

Expert Tips

• Try and get the shortbread as even as you can when pressing out.
• Don’t skip pricking the dough.
• Make sure to pour the pecan filling over a hot crust. This is important! If the crust cools, it may pull away from the pan and cause the filling to seep out around the edges and burn.
• The filling will puff and be mostly set when done.
• These bars are very fragile when hot. Be careful lifting from the pan!
• Use a serrated knife to best cut the bars.
• Let the pie cool completely before serving!

When you make these Pecan Pie Bars with Shortbread Crust, leave a comment down below! We love hearing from you and answering any questions you might have! Also, be sure to tag us on social media and hashtag it #BakersTable.

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