I’m a huge pecan pie fan. I mean HUGE. Whenever I go to a restaurant and pecan pie is on the menu, I always order it. However, sometimes it’s hard to find a really good pecan pie. I don’t like a soggy crust, or not super ooey-gooey, or the flavor is not there. Which is why, I now make my own Pecan Pie, or when I feel adventurous, I make a killer Bourbon Pecan Pie. But here’s what I love about pecan pie bars. They’re the perfect pecan pie in handheld form. Think about it, no plates or forks to dirty, the only thing you’re dirtying are your fingers. But that’s ok, because these pecan pie bars are finger licking good. The perfect crust for a pecan pie bar is a shortbread crust. It’s super easy to make, no food processor or mixer necessary, just a pastry cutter or two forks is all you need. A good shortbread has only 3 ingredients; flour, butter and sugar. Nothing else fancy is required.
Ingredients
Shortbread crust
Butter – Unsalted as we are adding the salt ourselves into this recipe. If using salted butter, you can omit adding any additional salt to the recipe. Flour – Just all purpose flour is all we need, nothing fancy required here! Sugar – I used granulated white sugar to give a super clean sweet flavor to our crust. Salt – Every baked good needs a bit of seasoning to balance out all that sugar, it’s a science in baking so be sure to be precise.
Filling
Pecans – all chopped up roughly. You don’t want fine crumbs, because you actually want to feel the pecan when you bite into these bars. Sugar – Some packed brown sugar is all we need, that molasses flavor is going to add complexity and depth to our filling. Flour – Just a bit of all purpose to help keep our filling from getting too liquidy, it’ll bind the filling and help us achieve a custardy consistency. Eggs – We want whole eggs for richness and to help us bind our filling. Lemon – Some fresh zest to brighten up our whole filling. Vanilla – This is a bit of a secret weapon flavor enhancer. Corn syrup – This ingredient offers both sweetness and texture to our filling.
Crank Up The Flavor
To bring out the flavor of the pecans even more, toast them in the oven for about 5 minutes at 350 F degrees or until you start to smell them. You can even brown the butter before incorporating it into your filling. I know I’m crazy, but aren’t we all a little?
How To Make Pecan Pie Bars
Crust
Filling
Let The Bars Rest
I recommend in the instructions above to give the squares plenty of hours to set completely. This will ensure the filling is totally set, that the integrity of the filling and crust is completely sound, aka no slippage.
No Corn Syrup?
You can make these pecan pie bars without corn syrup, although I have to be honest, it won’t be quite the same without it. Just combine maple syrup with 1 tablespoon of flour and you’ve got a perfectly sweet and decadent substitute! Yum.
Substitutions
All-purpose flour can be substituted with pastry flour or cake flour. Corn syrup can be substituted with honey or maple syrup.
Storing Leftovers
Pecan pie bars are great because they can easily be made a day or two ahead. You can bake it, cool it, then wrap it in plastic wrap and store it in the fridge until ready to serve. They will keep for up to 3 – 5 days stored this way.
FREEZER
These pecan pie bars freeze great! I find it easier to let them cool completely first, cut them into squares then wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and finally place them in a freezer bag before freezing. This way you can wrap them individually, a few or all together. The day before you want to serve them, take them out of the freezer and thaw them out completely in the refrigerator.
Craving More Pecan? Try These Delicious Recipes:
Pecan Pie Pecan Pie Cheesecake Chocolate Pecan Pie Cookies Pecan Pie Cheesecake Bars Bourbon Pecan Pie Brown Sugar Coated Pecans Banana Nut Muffins Soft Oatmeal Cookies 2 Minute Microwave Fudge
