Pecan Pie Bars
Yield: 24 bars
These decadent bars have a rich caramel and pecan filling and a buttery shortbread crust - and NO corn syrup! Honey and brown sugar add the perfect sweetness.
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon Morton kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons finely grated orange zest (use a microplane zester)
- 14 tablespoons unsalted butter, at softened room temperature
Filling
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- ⅔ cup honey
- 14 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons Cointreau (or other orange liqueur, or substitute freshly squeezed orange juice)
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Morton kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 16 ounces coarsely chopped roasted & salted pecans (I use Trader Joe's brand)
- 1 teaspoon Maldon sea salt flakes, very lightly crushed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray a 9" x 13" baking pan with nonstick spray, then line with a parchment paper sling; set aside.
Crust
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, powdered sugar, salt, and orange zest. With a rigid pastry blender, cut in the butter until ½" sized pieces form.
- Scatter crust mixture evenly over bottom of prepared pan, then gently press into a very even layer. If it's sticky, use a piece of plastic wrap to press.
- Bake crust for 15 minutes, then remove from oven.
Pecan Filling
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine brown sugar, honey, butter, cream, cinnamon, and salt. Turn up heat just a bit, just to get it to a boil, then immediately reduce heat to medium/medium-low, so it's bubbling foamy-looking. Let simmer for 2 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and stir in vanilla, Cointreau, and pecans until evenly incorporated.
- Pour hot pecan filling over the warm par-baked crust. Return pan to oven and bake for about 25 minutes, or until the top is bubbling all over and the color changes to a bit darker caramel color.
- Transfer to a cooling rack. While still just a bit warm, sprinkle sea salt flakes over the top. Continue to cool to room temperature.
- Run a knife around the inside perimeter of the pan to loosen the edges. Use the parchment paper sling to lift the bars out of the pan. Set on a cutting board and cut into 2¼" bars. For really clean cuts, it helps to refrigerate the pan of bars for 1-2 hours after they cool to room temperature.
Notes
Adapted from my mom's recipe box.
Nutrition Information:
Calories: 375kcal Carbohydrates: 30g Protein: 3g Fat: 28g Saturated Fat: 10g Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g Monounsaturated Fat: 11g Trans Fat: 1g Cholesterol: 39mg Sodium: 176mg Potassium: 115mg Fiber: 2g Sugar: 20g Vitamin A: 470IU Vitamin C: 1mg Calcium: 30mg Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by Spoonacular. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee accuracy. If your health depends on nutrition information, please calculate again with your own favorite calculator.