Pecan Pie Bars – a shortbread crust adorned with homemade caramel sauce and toasted pecan chips; a melt-in-your-mouth delicious addition to your Thanksgiving.
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please see my disclosure policy for more on affiliate links and my policies.
This year, I am super excited for Thanksgiving. This is not the norm for me. Don’t get me wrong, I love spending time with my family, but as an extremely picky eater I don’t get much into the smorgasbord of food. I’d rather be gorging myself on pizza, pasta, and garlic bread than the turkey with gravy and rolls that I’ll actually be eating. Yeah, I am that girl. I don’t even like pie.
The thing is, Christmas has become such a HUGE point of stress for me that I crave the relaxing chill of Thanksgiving. We’ll get to sit back and play some games, shoot the shit, and just be thankful. I am even looking forward to my turkey with gravy and rolls.
Of course, I’ll have the enjoyment of these melt-in-your-mouth delicious bars. Yes, the girl who doesn’t like pie likes these Pecan Pie Bars.
What can I tell you about these Pecan Pie Bars?
First, they’re uber delicious. I am not kidding when I say they are melt-in-your-mouth delicious. Seriously, they will melt in your mouth. Plus, what’s not to like about a shortbread crust, a homemade caramel sauce, and pecans?
Except if you’re allergic to pecans, then yeah don’t eat Pecan Pie Bars, but only if you’re allergic. Otherwise, you should definitely eat them, eat lots of them.
Second, Pecan Pie Bars are not difficult to make…a teensy caveat to that…never, ever, set and forget the sugar on the stove. You will burn the heck out of it and end up spending 3+ hours boiling and scrubbing to get the 1” blackness of burnt sugar out of the pot. It will be ugly. It will smell very bad. You will not be happy. You will want to chuck the pot. These facts are real.
That being said, Pecan Pie Bars are a breeze, easier than pie. Yes, there are three steps: the crust, the pecans, and the caramel sauce, but I promise you can handle it. I did, with 3+ hours of pan scrubbing and a life lesson I will never forget.
Third, Pecan Pie Bars are perfect for Thanksgiving! They’re ideal for those that don’t want to bake pies. They’re spot-on for those who don’t like pies. They’re great for those that do like pies. They’re just right for those that want to add variety to their Thanksgiving desserts. They’re positively hunky-dory!
Pecan Pie Bars, a pecan-perfect dessert you can be thankful for!
Pecan Pie Bars
Ingredients
For Shortbread Crust
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
For Pecans
- 1 and ½ cups pecan chips
- ½ cup brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup 1% milk
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
For Shortbread Crust
- Preheat the oven to 300F degrees. Line 8x8" baking pan with parchment paper, bringing the paper up the sides for easier removal. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat butter until creamed (more white than yellow). Add sugar, vanilla, and salt; mix until combined.
- Add flour to wet ingredients; mix until incorporated.
- Press mixture into parchment-lined pan and bake for 20 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 350F degrees and bake for an additional 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow shortbread to cool in pan on a wire rack.
For Pecans
- Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Place pecan chips on a baking sheet and toast for 5-7 minutes, or until fragrant.
- Combine brown sugar, milk, maple syrup, butter, and salt in a medium pot over medium-high heat; continuously stir until mixture begins to boil.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to stir for 7-10 minutes. Add vanilla extract, and stir for another minute over medium-low heat.
- Turn off heat, and allow caramel sauce to cool for 20 minutes.
- Pour toasted pecan chips into cooled caramel sauce and mix until evenly coated.
- Evenly spread pecan-caramel mixture onto cooled shortbread crust. Place in refrigerator for 30-45 minutes, or until firm.
- Remove Pecan Pie Bars from baking pan by lifting corners of parchment paper. Cut into 1x1" squares. Eat & Enjoy!
Kelly @ Kelly Lynns Sweets and Treats says
These look and sound amazing!! Pinned!