Pecans, along with almonds and cashews, are one of my favorite nuts. It’s funny how as a child I never liked pecan pie. Of course, every mom knows what “I don’t like it” really means. It translates to “I’m afraid to try it, therefore I couldn’t possibly like it because it looks weird”. Being a small child of the 70’s and a teen of the 80’s I was raised on convenience food, packaged products and desserts with lots of whipped cream. Pecan pie didn’t have whipped cream, so how could it possibly be good?
I was so wrong, as many children are. As a mom of two young adults and two teenagers I have watched my kids go from loving everything as a baby to turning their nose up at many of those things as a young child. Then as they morph into teenagers their palate begins to take shape and they try more and more foods (many of which they ate happily as a baby!) and realize what they’ve been missing.
I’m okay with that. I’ve come to realize that it’s just part of how we evolve from infant to adult. I think the only thing that actually irks me is that my teens will try something at one of their friend’s houses that they wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole at mine! I guess the good side of that scenario is that their defense to that is “Well, I didn’t want to be rude to Mrs. So-and-so.” So my children are respectful, I’ll take that and deal with the “I don’t want to try that” responses at home. :)
These beautiful pecan pie bars are one of those things that as a child I never would have touched. It wasn’t until I was a full-fledged adult before I was brave enough to taste pecan pie and realize just what I’d been missing all those years. My teen boys still won’t try them, but my daughter, who is now 19, did and loved them.
I love that these are in bar form because they are so easy to grab and take! They are perfect for a party, office birthday, or any other celebration where you need to bring a dessert along. They are deliciously reminiscent of holiday pecan pie, but totally portable.
If you can get your kids to try them, I hope they enjoy it. :)
Try my Pecan Tassies too!
Pecan Pie Bars
IMPORTANT - There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Rate ItIngredients
- 2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅔ cup unsalted butter cut into cubes
- 3 eggs
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 ¾ cups chopped pecans divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 13x9 baking pan with foil, spray the foil with cooking spray.
- Whisk together flour, powdered sugar, salt and baking powder. Drop the butter into the flour mixture and work it with your fingers until mixture resembles coarse crumbs and begins to stick together. Press evenly into prepared pan and bake for 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and place on cooling rack.
- Whisk eggs in a large bowl until lightly beaten. Add sugar and brown sugar and beat well. Whisk in the corn syrup gradually and then beat in vanilla and melted butter. Fold in 1-1/4 cups of the pecans. Pour filling over the crust in the pan, sprinkle with remaining 1/2-cup pecans.
- Bake 35-45 minutes, or until filling is set. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.
- Lift bars from pan using foil and cut into bars.
Amanda Davis
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Christa says
I tried to make these last night but the filling seeped through the crust :( I’m a fairly decent baker so I was hoping you might suggest what I did wrong or a trick to keep it from happening. However, they were delicious and I’m not a fan of pecan pies!
Amanda Formaro says
Was the melted butter cooled or still hot?
Christa says
It was still warm
Amanda Formaro says
That’s the only thing I can think of. :-/ I can have the recipe tested and see how they come out. It has been years since I made these myself. The photos were of the bars I made myself.
Christa Porter says
The second time I made them they turned out great…don’t know what I did the first time.
Amanda Formaro says
Oh that’s great to hear!
Amy Dewey says
I will love this. Can’t wait to make it. But, I need to know how many calories this has in it. How many grams of sugar is in this? Also how many servings do you get out of this recipe? Could you possibly e-mail the answer to me?
Susan says
These were a hit at Christmas. So delicious, and a much more manageable portion than pecan pie slices. I added some salt to the pecan mixture.
Amanda Formaro says
So glad you enjoyed them as much as we do Susan, thanks!
kathy says
I am a personal chef for a family with 2 teenage kids. I made these bars for them and the whole family loved them. Thanks. I’m always on the prowl for kid friendly recipes.
Amanda Formaro says
Awesome, so glad you enjoyed them Kathy!
Debra Roberts says
I am a wonderful meal maker, but a terrible pastry cook. These came out awesome! Tasters commented on how these were better than any pecan pie they had ever had. Thank you!
Amanda Formaro says
That’s awesome Debra! Thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed them :)
Kate says
I just made these and they are absolutely delicious! Super fast alternative to making pie crust and rolling it out to make pecan pie but just as amazing and decadent. Thanks for sharing!
Amanda Formaro says
So glad you enjoyed them as much as we did Kate, thank you!
Lindsay @ Life, Love and Sugar says
They look and sound delicious! Pinned!
Amanda Formaro says
Thanks so much Lindsay!
Brenda @ a farmgirl's dabbles says
Super delish! I love this pie in bars form!
Amanda Formaro says
Thanks Brenda, they are so good!
Lana @ Never Enough Thyme says
I grew up in a huge pecan producing area so, of course, pecan pie has long been a staple in our household. I’ve always loved it. I can’t wait to try it again in this bar cookie form. They look absolutely delicious, Amanda!
Amanda Formaro says
Thank you Lana! They were really good :)
Kristen Duke says
These look yummy! Love that they are in a bar for easy grab and go.
Amanda Formaro says
Thanks Kristen! Yes, makes them very portable :)
Barbara @ Barbara Bakes says
These look irresistible.
Amanda Formaro says
Thanks Barb!
Megan's Cookin' says
I love peacan pies and those bars turned out picture perfect!
Amanda Formaro says
Thanks so much Megan!
Robyn Stone | Add a Pinch says
Have mercy this looks so yummy!!!!
Amanda Formaro says
Thanks Robyn!
Cathy Pollak ~ Noble Pig says
I wish my kids palates would morph again, I’m currently tired of the pickiness!!! I would eat a whole plate of these though.
Amanda Formaro says
They will! I know it’s hard to be patient with that though :-P