Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars

Skip making a whole pie for your next gathering - these Pecan Pie Chocolate Bars are so delicious and much easier to make than a whole pie! They have a crispy brown butter shortbread crust, and gooey maple bourbon filling, with tons of crunchy toasted pecans and dark chocolate for the perfect bite!

We love a classic pecan pie - don't get us wrong. But we also like to take traditional holiday menu items and give them a little twist and extra complex flavor.

Plus, when it comes to baking, we're a bit on the lazy side, to be honest - so lower-effort desserts are a higher reward for us! 😂

We also love that you can cut these bars up pretty small for extra small servings if you're trying to get a little bit of everything at the dessert table! 😉 The choice is yours!

If you love chocolate and pecans, don't miss our pecan chocolate chip cookies, and this incredible turtle cheesecake!

❤️Why We Love This Recipe

• Easier than pie! We can't always be bothered to roll out, crimp, and blind-bake a pie crust, so making bars with a shortbread crust in a square pan is a really great way to go for ease!
• Made with simple ingredients. Everything you need to make these simple treats is readily available during the holiday season in your fridge and pantry, no extra trips to the grocery store are required!
• Decadent flavors and satisfying textures. A salted brown butter brown sugar shortbread crust, a gooey bourbon maple filling with hints of cinnamon, and lots of dark chocolate and crunchy toasted pecans make every bite absolutely irresistible! They're rich and decadent, but balanced and not overly sweet - as far as pecan pie is concerned - with complex flavor!
• Make-ahead friendly. Make these a day in advance of the gathering, they're even better the next day!

🍫Ingredients

Here are the ingredients we used for this recipe. You can find more information for substitutions below.

• Butter. We brown the butter for an incredible depth of flavor in the shortbread crust.
• Eggs. Room temperature.
• Bourbon. Optional, but it adds an incredible depth of flavor.
• Cinnamon. Optional, but extra delicious!
• Pecans. We recommend using chopped pecans. We use a few whole pecans on top of the bars because they look pretty though!
• Chocolate. We think dark chocolate goes so well with this rich and decadent bar, and cuts some of the sweetness in the rich maple filling. Chips or chunks both work great.

Visit the recipe card for the full quantities and nutritional information.

✨Substitutions & Variations

Here are a few suggestions on additional flavors to try, or simple variations to this recipe.

• Swap the chocolate. Any type of chocolate works great here, from bittersweet, to semi-sweet, to milk chocolate!
• Different nuts. You can use walnuts, almonds, or a mix of nuts for these bars, though walnuts have the most similar texture.
• Swap the maple syrup. You can easily replace maple syrup with corn syrup or honey. For a more rich, caramel-like flavor, and darker color, use dark corn syrup. For a lighter color bar with less pronounced flavor, use light corn syrup. If using corn syrup, you can reduce the amount of flour in the filling by 1 tablespoon.
• Bourbon alternatives. You can use dark rum, whiskey, or more vanilla extract. Alternatively, you can just omit the bourbon entirely.
• Make it gluten-free. Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend in both the crust and the filling.
• Spice variations. Add nutmeg, cardamom, or ginger for flavor variations. You can also omit the cinnamon or any spices entirely for a more traditional flavor.
• Salted. Sprinkle flaky sea salt on top right after the bars come out of the oven.

This recipe hasn't been tested with any other substitutions or variations, so we can't guarantee any results. If you make a change, let us know how it goes in the comments below!

🔪Prep Work

• Allow the eggs to sit out at room temperature.
• Chop pecan pieces if necessary.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Grease the bottom of an 8x8-inch pan and line it with parchment paper.
• Measure out the rest of the ingredients using a food scale. 

Toast the pecans

Place pecans on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt. (Image 1)

Toast in the oven for 10-15 minutes, until the color begins to deepen. (Image 2)

✨Pro tip: While this step is technically optional, it really helps deepen the flavors and keeps the pecans crunchy in the filling, so we don't recommend skipping it!

Brown the butter

Next, brown or heat your butter. Here is our step-by-step guide on how to brown butter.

Heat the butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until the butter bubbles up and begins to smell nutty. Then, remove it from the heat and set aside to cool for about 5 minutes. (Image 3)

Stir in vanilla extract to the butter mixture.

Brown butter shortbread crust

In a bowl, combine the flour, salt, brown sugar, and whisk to combine until there are no clumps.

Then, add in the brown butter and vanilla mixture. Use a fork to clump the mixture together. (Image 4)

Press the crust into a flat layer in a prepared pan. (Image 5)

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the crust is set and the edges are beginning to turn golden brown.

⭑Pro tip: We don't want the butter to be too hot, or it will make the crust greasy. Allow it to cool off for about 5 minutes before mixing with the flour and other ingredients. It can be warm, just not hot.

Make the filling

While the crust is baking, make the filling. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla extract, kosher salt, optional bourbon, and cinnamon until smooth. Add in the two eggs. (Image 7)

Whisk the mixture together again until totally smooth and combined, then sift in the flour. (Image 8)

Finally, gently mix everything together until combined. (Image 9)

*Pro tip: Be careful not to overmix when you add the flour, or you risk the mixture becoming too tough. Just ensure the flour is well incorporated, then stop mixing.

Add the pecans and chocolate

Now, fold in the pecan pecans and chocolate, reserving a few for the top of the bars. Make sure everything is well coated. (Image 10)

Use a rubber or offset spatula to spread the filling over top of the cooked shortbread crust in an even layer, and top with the remaining chocolate and pecans if desired. (Image 11)

Bake for 37-42 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and puffed and looks dry and set, but springs back a little bit when touched. (Image 12)

An instant-read thermometer should read around 200°F if inserted into the center. This helpful video gives instructions on how to decide if your bars are done!

⭑Pro tip: Remember that the bars will continue to bake in the pan as they cool!

Allow the bars to cool in the pan for at least 2 hours, or until completely cooled so the bars can set up. You can transfer them to the fridge to speed up the process and for cleaner cuts!

Cut into 9-16 pieces (your choice!) and enjoy! These would be great with whipped cream, a scoop of ice cream, or a drizzle of salted caramel!

⭑Pro tip: Use a sharp knife that's been run under hot water between each cut for extra clean cuts! You can also oil the knife between each pass to prevent sticking to the knife and create nice clean layers.

✨Top Tips

• Use a kitchen scale for best results. We always suggest using a scale to measure ingredients like flour, to ensure you don't have too much or too little, which can really impact the final texture of your baked goods! Plus, using a scale just means fewer dishes.
• Use the proper temperature ingredients. Use room-temperature eggs for better incorporation into the filling. Also, be sure to let browned butter cool slightly before mixing it into the crust, or the crust will end up greasy.
• Make sure your pan is well-prepped. Grease the pan before adding parchment, to help the parchment paper stick. Line the pan with parchment, leaving an overhang on all sides so you can remove the bars from the pan easily later.
• Don't overmix the flour in the filling. Mix until just combined, and then stop! Overmixing can lead to a tough, unpleasant texture in the filling.
• Use an oven thermometer. Be aware of your oven's actual temperature! Some ovens aren't the actual temperature that the dial says they are. We always use an oven thermometer to verify the actual temperature.
• Don't overbake or filling will become tough. The center should be set but still slightly jiggly, with golden brown edges. You want to make sure your filling doesn't cave in when touched either, or it will remain very runny and won't set up properly.
• Cool completely. To allow the bars to set up properly, they need to cool properly, so give them at least two hours to cool!

More Dessert Bars

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