Pecan Pie Bars (An Easy Holiday Showstopper!)

Are you searching for the ultimate, crowd-pleasing dessert for your holiday table? A magnificent treat that captures all the gooey, caramelized, and nutty perfection of a classic pecan pie, but is infinitely easier to make, serve, and share? This incredible, from-scratch Pecan Pie Bars recipe is that perfect dessert. We’re talking a thick, buttery, and tender shortbread crust, topped with a luscious, rich, and chewy caramel-pecan filling that sets up beautifully every single time.

This isn’t just another bar recipe; it’s your definitive guide to a truly legendary holiday staple. Forget the stress of a finicky pie crust or a runny filling. We’ll show you the simple but crucial professional secrets to a flawless, foolproof bar that will be the star of your Thanksgiving or Christmas feast. This is the perfect recipe for parties, potlucks, and holiday gift-giving.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Recipe Overview: The Ultimate “Gooey & Buttery” Holiday Bar

What makes these Pecan Pie Bars so spectacularly delicious is their incredible depth of flavor and their perfect combination of textures. This recipe is a masterpiece of classic American baking, elevated with a few brilliant techniques. The foundation is a rich and tender, from-scratch shortbread crust, made with a generous amount of butter for a melt-in-your-mouth texture. The real magic, however, is the topping: a magnificent, from-scratch caramel-pecan filling. A rich blend of butter, honey, and brown sugar is cooked on the stovetop into a luscious caramel, enriched with cream and citrus zests, and then loaded with a huge amount of toasted pecans. This glorious mixture is poured over the par-baked crust and baked to gooey, chewy perfection.

Metric	Time / Level
Total Time	4 hours (includes cooling & chilling)
Active Prep Time	35 minutes
Difficulty Level	Easy
Servings	About 3-4 dozen bars

The Baker’s Pantry: The Essential Ingredients

This iconic dish uses a handful of high-quality, classic ingredients to create its signature rich and comforting flavor.

• The Buttery Shortbread Crust:
  • Room Temperature Butter: The number one secret to a wonderfully tender, not tough, shortbread crust is to use softened, room temperature butter. This is the key that allows it to cream beautifully with the sugar, creating a light and tender texture.
• The “Gooey” Caramel-Pecan Topping:
  • The Sugars: A classic combination of floral honey and rich, molasses-y brown sugar provides a deep, complex, and unbeatable caramel flavor.
  • The Citrus Zests: This is the brilliant secret ingredient that elevates the entire dish! A hint of freshly grated lemon and orange zest in the rich caramel is the key that adds a wonderful, bright, and fragrant note that cuts through the sweetness and makes all the other flavors pop.
  • Pecans: For the best flavor, use fresh, high-quality pecan halves or pieces. For an even deeper, nuttier flavor, you can toast them lightly before chopping.

The Baker’s Masterclass: The Secrets to a Perfect Bar

This recipe uses two simple but brilliant professional techniques that guarantee a flawless, impressive result.

1. The Stovetop Caramel is KEY!: The number one secret to a pecan pie bar with a perfectly thick, gooey, and non-runny filling is to cook your caramel on the stovetop first. By boiling the butter, sugars, and honey together before you add the pecans, you are creating a stable, emulsified caramel that will set up beautifully as it bakes and cools, guaranteeing a perfect, sliceable bar with no soggy crust.
2. The CHILL is CRUCIAL for Clean Cuts!: This is the single most important, non-negotiable secret to perfect, neat squares that don’t fall apart. After the bars have baked and cooled, you must chill the entire slab in the refrigerator until it is completely cold. This crucial, patient step is the key that allows the buttery caramel and the shortbread crust to firm up, which is the magic that will allow you to get beautiful, clean, and professional-looking cuts. Do not skip this step!

Step-by-Step to the Best Pecan Pie Bars

This elegant, festive dessert is a joy to prepare.

Part 1: The Art of the Buttery Press-In Crust

Step 1: First, preheat your oven to 350°F ($175^{\circ}C$).

Step 2: In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat your 1 1/4 pounds of room temperature butter and the 3/4 cup of granulated sugar together until they are light and fluffy, which will take about 3 minutes. Beat in your 3 eggs and the 3/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract.

Step 3: In a separate bowl, sift together the 4 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour, the 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder, and the 1/4 teaspoon of salt. With your mixer on a low speed, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing only until a soft, sticky dough forms.

Step 4: Press the dough evenly into an ungreased 18×12-inch baking sheet, making a small edge around the outside.

Pro Tip: This is a very sticky dough! The easiest way to press it into the pan is to lightly flour your hands and the surface of the dough.

Step 5: Bake for 15 minutes, until the crust is set but not yet browned. Let this par-baked crust cool while you make the topping.

Part 2: The Luscious Caramel-Pecan Topping and Final Bake

Step 1: In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the 1 pound of butter, the 1 cup of honey, the 3 cups of packed light brown sugar, and the lemon and orange zests. Cook over a low heat, stirring, until the butter is completely melted.

Step 2: Raise the heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Let it boil for 3 minutes.

Step 3: Remove the pan from the heat and carefully stir in the 1/4 cup of heavy cream and your 2 pounds of coarsely chopped pecans.

Step 4 (The Best Part!): Pour this beautiful, hot caramel-pecan mixture over your cooled crust and spread it out evenly.

Step 5: Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. You will know the bars are perfectly done when the filling is set and bubbly.

Step 6 (The Most Important Step!): Let the bars cool completely. Then, wrap the pan in plastic wrap and refrigerate until the slab is completely cold before you cut it into bars.

Print

Storage and Make-Ahead Tips

Pecan Pie Bars are the ultimate make-ahead holiday dessert!

• Make-Ahead: This is a perfect make-ahead recipe! You can bake and fully assemble the entire slab up to 4 days in advance.
• Storage: Store the uncut slab, well-wrapped, in the refrigerator. For the best, cleanest cuts, slice the bars while they are still cold, directly from the refrigerator. The cut bars can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

For more recipe follow my pinterest account

Frequently Asked questions (FAQs)