Chunky Pecan Pie Bars
87 comments » 
Although I haven’t made these bars in a long time, they hold a special place in my heart. They were the very first thing I ever baked on my own. Sure, I had helped my mom make Christmas cookies when I was young, but I began baking on my own sometime in high school with this very recipe. These bars showed up at a family party and I just loved them, so my grandma gave me the recipe so I could make them whenever I wanted. They quickly became my “signature” and were for a long time – I would take them to work potlucks, family parties, and anywhere else I could think to lug them. And so, the baker in me was born!
These bars are a breeze to throw together and don’t require much in the way of equipment or time. You can easily mix together the crust ingredients with a fork, a pastry blender, or your fingers – just make sure you get the mixture to a crumbly texture. The bars need to cool completely before you cut them or the filling and chocolate will smear and run a bit. Serve these at cool room temperature.
Love how easy bar recipes are? Check out these popular recipes:
Seven-Layer Bars
Chocolate Chip Cookie-Topped Brownies
Coconut Chocolate Chunk Blondies
Strawberry Pretzel Squares
Chunky Pecan Pie Bars
Yield: 24 bars
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 to 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
For the Crust:
1½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
¼ cup packed brown sugarFilling:
3 large eggs
¾ cup corn syrup
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1¾ cups coarsely chopped semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (or chocolate chunks in a bag!)
1½ cups chopped pecansDirections:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan.
2. For the crust, mix together the flour, butter and brown sugar until crumbly. Press into the baking pan and bake for 12-15 minutes or until lightly brown.
3. For the filling, beat the eggs, corn syrup, sugar, butter and vanilla extract with a wire whisk. Stir in the chunks and pecans. Pour evenly over the baked crust and bake for 25-30 minutes or until set.
4. Cool in the pan on a wire rack. Cool completely and cut into bars. Store in an airtight container at room temperature (or in the refrigerator if you live in a warm/humid area with no air conditioning).
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That is the devil food… but still the best one! Well done!
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I always have a hard time waiting for things to cool. I want to taste them right out of the oven. They look great!
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Yum! Those look moist and delish!
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Oh my, this looks like a keeper. especially for the Holidays…we are saving it. Thanks, s
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Yum! I always need easy dessert recipes because in my cooking group we alternate each course and i freak out when it’s my turn for dessert because I just suck so bad at baking!
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This look great! We have family coming in this weekend. Guess what they are getting
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These look very much like I expect from pecan pie but in the bar form. Do you find them easier, more difficult or the same level of preparation as making a pie?
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Hi TammyJo – I would classify these as easier than making a pie, given that you are making the pie crust from scratch. If it is a pre-made pie crust you’re using, then I would give these a similar level of preparation. Hope that helps!
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Pecan Pie is one of my favorites, and we hardly ever have it! But these look so easy, that I have no excuse, do I? Thanks for sharing your recipe!
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Elle – nope, no excuse
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They look awesome! I can’t wait to make them for a family event!
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Too good to be true!
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So easy and delicious!I cant wait to make them!I’d sure love to guide our readers to your site if you won’t mind.Just add your choice of foodista widget to this post and it’s all set to go, Thanks!
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These look incredible. Have you tried the Pecan Pie Bars from the Pastry Queen cookbook? Strangely enough, they have coconut in them, but you don’t taste coconut. You just taste yumminess!
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BigSis – I have not tried the Pastry Queen’s pecan pie bars yet – that book is on my wish list, but I’ve been seeing a lot of her stuff lately, so I think I need to buy it ASAP! Thanks for the nudge
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Aww, your first bar cookie – they look delicious
These are the ones I made for years as my speciality: http://www.pillsbury.com/Recipes/ShowRecipe.aspx?rid=10082
And they inspired my BakeOff recipe!
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They look amazing–almost too good to eat, however, they will taste even better than they look I am sure, hope you had fun!
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Oh yeah! These looks amazing. These would go so well with a cup of tea.
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These bars look absolutely amazing! This recipe is definitely going on my to-do list!
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Yumm this looks soo good
Great to see what got you baking all this awesome stuff!
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I think I will be making these very soon! Thanks so much!
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guff, Hubby would love these!
http://www.alovefornewrecipes.blogspot.com
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Do you think I could use agave as a substitute for corn syrup in this recipe?
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These bars look divine; actually picture perfect.
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You have wonderful recipes but I have to make this one tomorrow. It looks delicious and I want something delicious.
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CONGRATS for the Top 9 on Foodbuzz
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Thank you Mathilde!
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Those bars look so good!
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Those look amazing! Beautiful photography. I hope you dont mind, I linked this post on my blog…they just looked so good. If you do mind, just shoot me an email, and I’ll remove it.
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Did you ever think to add 1/8 tsp of cayenne? Just gives a great recipe a little twist.
Spice Miser
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Contemporary Confections – I did a little research on substituting agave for corn syrup and found that you can indeed substitute, but that it should be used in a 1:2 ratio to the corn syrup. Since the recipe calls for 3/4 cup of corn syrup, I would recommend using about 1/3 cup agave in its place. The notes I read said that the other liquids in the recipe should be increased by about 1/3 cup. However, there are no other liquids in this recipe. The corn syrup helps to bind the “filling” in this recipe, so using less agave may cause it to be a bit drier, but I can’t be totally sure. Since I have never made the substitution I can’t guarantee how it will turn out, but would love for you to let me know if you try it!
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Hi Sara – No problem at all, thank you for featuring me on your blog!
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I could eat those right now! Thanks for sharing.
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Hello, I intend to make these delicious looking bars. WOuld like to know when measuring the corn syrup, do you use the liquid measuring cup or the dry ings measuring cup?
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Hi Anne,
I actually weigh all of my baking ingredients, but I would suggest using the liquid measuring cup for corn syrup. I hope you enjoy the pecan bars!
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I tried the recipe with 1/3 cup of agave nectar and the corn syrup was not missed. Thanks for the recipe, they were NUM!!! Wish I hadn’t found them since they’re so addicting
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These bars are pretty sensational. I included them as a dessert option for Thanksgiving this year and they were a total hit! Thanks for the recipe. Keep them coming!
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When I Googled pecan bars the Google blurb for this recipe says that “strangely enough there is cocoanut it it but you can’t taste the cocoanut.” I do NOT see that there is coconut in this at all ~~ STRANGE!
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Hi Kim,
I’m not sure what blurb you saw, but when I Google this recipe, the blurb that shows up is the beginning of the recipe starting with the ingredients for the crust.
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Yum! I love pecan pie, and especially in the form of a bar! Delish!
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These look wonderful! Makes me wish I could eat pecans!
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Wow, these look absolutely delicious!
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What a fun way to enjoy pecan pie without the hassle of making a pie crust!
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I have a Christmas potluck at my work this week and couldn’t decide what dessert I wanted to bring. Thank you for solving that dilemma for me. Pecan Pie is such a traditional dessert and these bars will be something a little different that I think everyone will enjoy!
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I am needing a recipe to make for my brother as a gift…I want to use this one b/c he LOVES pecan pie but I will be shipping it to him from nc to fl…I need to know if these can be shipped without having to be refrigerated and how long they will last…
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Michelle on December 16th, 2010 at 3:16 pm
Hi Shay, Yes, these can be shipped without refrigeration (I store them at room temperature in the house). I would say they last a good 3 to 5 days, maybe a couple days longer.
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These are in the oven right now…..looks like I will be using many of your recipes. i have also shared them on FB.
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I made these yesterday and they are insanely delicious! I love your site and your recipes. I even bought a scale to weigh my dry ingredients (would love to know how to convert cups to grams/ounces) and I would LOVE more of your bar recipes if you have more?! I love making bar desserts, so delicious and easy! Actually, I made your coconut and chocolate blondies yesterday. I think I’m going to make something else this weekend, I can’t get enough of your recipes! I take them to the trainers at the gym that I go to and they eat them in minutes
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Michelle on August 26th, 2011 at 5:39 pm
Hi Naomi, So glad you liked these! You can find more bars and brownies listed in my recipe index here: http://www.browneyedbaker.com/recipe-index/
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I adapted this amazing recipe & posted the results on my blog. Huge success!
xo
http://allykayler.blogspot.com/2011/09/48.html
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These look sinful! I will be making them to take to work for our Christmas party!
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Michelle, what brand of chocolate do you like to use for these?
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Michelle on February 21st, 2012 at 10:55 pm
I know that Nestle makes a “chocolate chunks” product that I’ve used in the past, but lately I’ve been rough-chopping Ghiradelli baking bars. I think they taste much better!
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NRS on February 22nd, 2012 at 7:25 pm
Thanks! And sorry for additional questions but do you like ghirardelli semi-sweet or ghirardelli bittersweet for these? Finally, do you use unsalted butter or salted? (I see no additional salt in the recipe so wasn’t sure.)
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Michelle on February 22nd, 2012 at 7:47 pm
You’re welcome! For these I like the semi-sweet. As for the butter, you can use salted butter and no additional salt, or you can use unsalted and add a 1/4 teaspoon of salt, whichever you have on hand.
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Michelle, am finally going to make these this weekend. Do you use dark corn syrup or light? Thanks so much!!! Can’t tell you how much I love your blog!
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Michelle on March 10th, 2012 at 2:44 pm
For this recipe, I use light corn syrup. Enjoy the bars!
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These are so delicious! Everybody in my office loved them. One question: the filling was a little too liquidy. Did I not cook it long enough? It seemed set when I took it out of the oven. (I followed the recipe exactly.)
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Michelle on March 31st, 2012 at 11:14 pm
Hi Diane, It sounds like they either weren’t cooked long enough or weren’t allowed enough time to set before cutting into them. If your house is a little warm or humid it may have affected them setting up. I would pop them in the refrigerator next time to ensure that they set. Also, I always recommend using an oven thermometer to ensure the oven temperature is correct. You could have had them in there for the correct amount of time, but if the oven temperature was off it won’t matter.
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Hi, I’m from Europe and corn syrup isn’t widely available here, neither is agave nectar (I’ve never seen it before). Would any sweet syrup work? There’s Lyle’s golden syrup or the Dutch rietsuikerstroop which is a bit like light molasses I guess. Also, how do you determine if the filling is set?
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HOLY CRAP these were amazing/now my new favorite recipe. I plan on adding some (1 cup) pumpkin to them next time I bake them (ahem probably this week!) because pumpkin pecan pie is my fav!
PS – my experience: I love chocolate, so I also put chunks of a broken chocolate bar on top of the bars before baking – which honestly was a mistake! These bars are so rich and chocolatey already that the extra chocolate was too much and I lost the good ole pecan pie taste. Stick to the recipe peeps!
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these were good, but there was definitely too much chocolate in them (if that’s possible). All I could really taste was chocolate, if I had used maybe half I think these would be much better. However my mom was all over them and they were really tasty nevertheless.
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Hi Michelle,
I’ve made these and they were awesome, thank you!! Do you think this recipe could be used to make a pie instead of bars? It’s just so much simpler to me and requires less dirty pots
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Michelle on April 23rd, 2013 at 12:04 pm
I have never tried to use this filling for a pie, but if you do it, I’d love to hear how it turns out!
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Just what I’m looking for to bring to a Kentucky Derby party. If I add two or three tablespoons of bourbon in Derby tradition, should I decrease the corn syrup accordingly?
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Michelle on April 26th, 2013 at 12:41 pm
Hi Linda, I think you could add the bourbon without adjusting anything else in the recipe. I would not decrease the corn syrup.
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Hi Michelle,
These look perfect for a long weekend, when I have no time to make a real pie crust! Can the chocolate be omitted? (I hope you were sitting down when you read that!)
Thanks a lot…best of luck moving in to your new house.
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CookinCanuck on May 26th, 2013 at 9:11 am
Sorry for another question…I’m just curious as to why you use granulated sugar instead of brown sugar.
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Michelle on May 27th, 2013 at 12:46 pm
It’s an old recipe from my grandma that I always loved, so I just rolled with what she did
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Michelle on May 27th, 2013 at 12:46 pm
Haha! Yes, you can omit
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