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Easy Pecan Pie Bars

Pecan Pie Bars

Yield: 24 Bars (9X13-inch pan of bars)
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients

Crust:

  • ¾ cup (170 g) salted butter, softened
  • ½ cup (106 g) light brown sugar
  • 2 cups (284 g) all-purpose flour
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

Pecan Filling:

  • ¾ cup (170 g) salted butter, melted
  • 1 ½ cups (318 g) light or dark brown sugar
  • ½ cup pure maple syrup, not pancake syrup (see note)
  • 3 tablespoons heavy cream
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 ½ cups (300 g) chopped pecans

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9X13-inch pan with foil and lightly grease with cooking spray. Set aside.
  • For the crust, in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a bowl using a handheld electric mixer, beat together the butter and brown sugar until creamy, 1-2 minutes. Add the flour and salt, and mix until combined. It will be crumbly (might be easier to finish the mixing with your hands).
  • Press the crust mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes until just barely golden. It will bake longer with the filling.
  • For the filling, in a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, cream, salt, and eggs until well-combined. Stir in the pecans.
  • Pour the filling evenly over the crust, using a spatula to make sure the pecans aren't clumped up in any area (just get them as evenly distributed as possible).
  • Bake for 20-25 minutes until the edges are starting to set and the mixture is bubbling. The middle will still be a little jiggly but will set up as the bars cool. If the middle seems overly soupy when the pan is shaken gently, bake for another few minutes, but keep in mind you definitely want to take the bars out before the middle is set.
  • Let the bars cool completely before cutting into squares. These are delicious at room temperature or chilled.

Notes

Chocolate Variation: add 1 cup chocolate chips (my recommendation would be semisweet or bittersweet) to the filling before pouring on top of the crust. 
Syrup: I haven't tried it, but I'm guessing that light corn syrup might sub well for the pure maple syrup (although if you have pure maple syrup, the depth of flavor it lends this recipe is amazing!).