My Super Easy Pecan Pie Bars yield perfectly portioned and utterly delicious pecan pie in a portable bar form! You don’t want to miss this easy, crowd-pleasing recipe!
How are we pretty much entering November yet?! Did we somehow skip a few months this year and no one noticed? Was I in a minor coma? It’s INSANITY, people!
Except Thanksgiving still seems like a light year away seeing as it’s pretty much the last day of the month. But if you’re like me, that won’t matter because you’re already in the deep throes of planning your Thanksgiving feast!
We like things pretty traditional for Thanksgiving, but I know some of you like to switch things up. We generally have the same staples in my household but I may get fancy or experimental with desserts. It’s the perfect compromise for my desire to try new things + keeping the other 7 people we’re serving happy.
Although I don’t cook Thanksgiving dinner (I make Thanksgiving round 2 for Christmas dinner), I love to menu plan for my version on Christmas night. Since actual Thanksgiving is made by my grandma (who prefers shortcuts like boxed & powdered mashed potatoes – nooo thanks), I like to go all out on Christmas dinner and make everything from scratch, save for a couple super traditional favorites like green bean casserole with canned mushroom soup.
And I am always glad I only have to feed 8 of us on Christmas because I dunno how y’all do it with mega huge families where you need at least 2 turkeys!
But in case you are feeding a big crowd, these Super Easy Pecan Pie Bars are a must make! Not only are they super simple (yay!) but they are great at feeding a bigger group since you can cut them as large or as small as you’d like to tailor it to your guest count.
They taste JUST like a traditional pecan pie but made in a portable, hand-held pie bar which is great for portion control! I also find these cut a little easier than a traditional pecan pie and are obviously easier to transport, in my opinion!
Just like a typical recipe, this one has similar ingredients: a shortbread crust made with butter, sugar and flour; and the gooey pecan pie filling, made with corn syrup, butter, eggs, vanilla, sugar, and chopped pecans! For added ease in cutting, I like to chop my pecans a little finer (though still rougher but in smaller pieces).
Serve it up regular or a la mode! Really, these are good no matter how you slice it!
*from Taste of Home
- FOR THE SHORTBREAD CRUST:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup cold butter, cubed
- FOR THE FILLING:
- 4 large eggs
- 1 & ½ cups corn syrup (I used light, but dark can be used)
- 1 & ½ cups granulated sugar
- 3 Tablespoons melted butter
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 & ½ cups chopped pecans
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9x13 rectangular pan with foil, extending the sides of the foil over the edges of the pan. Spray the foil liberally with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt of the crust ingredients and mix well. Add in the cubed butter and using a pastry blender or two forks, cut the butter into the flour mixture evenly until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press the mixture evenly into the prepared baking pan and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven but keep oven on.
- For the filling, in a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, corn syrup, granulated sugar, melted butter, and vanilla extract until smooth and combined. Add in the chopped pecans and mix well. Pour the filling mixture evenly over the hot crust.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes longer or until the center is just about set. If it jiggles very slightly, that's okay, but it should not be sloshing around in the pan. Cool completely at room temperature before serving. To make it even easier to cut, I recommend refrigerating the bars in the pan for about an hour before cutting.
Buttery shortbread crust and a gooey & rich pecan pie filling. These bars are DREAMY!
Have a super sweet day!
xo, Hayley
Leave a Reply