Gooey Pecan Pie Bars
These Gooey Pecan Pie Bars feature a crisp and buttery shortbread crust topped with a rich, sweet, and perfectly gooey pecan filling. They offer the perfect balance of sweetness and texture, making them a delicious alternative to traditional pecan pie.
Ingredients
For the Toasted Pecans:
- 2 cups pecans
For the Shortbread Crust:
- 12 tablespoons butter melted
- 2½ cups 300 grams all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup 66 grams powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the Gooey Pecan Pie Filling:
- 1½ cups dark corn syrup Lyle's golden syrup, or maple syrup (or a combination)
- 1 teaspoon salt use ½ to ¾ teaspoon if using fine-grain or iodized salt
- 4 large room temperature eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract or bourbon or rum, or 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
- ⅔ cup 140 grams brown sugar (light or dark)
- ⅓ cup 40 grams all-purpose flour
Instructions
Toast the Pecans:
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Spread the pecans evenly on a baking sheet.
- Toast in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes, stirring halfway through, until lightly toasted and fragrant.
- Remove from the oven, let cool slightly, then roughly chop them to about chocolate chip size. Set aside.
Prepare the Shortbread Crust:
- Melt the 12 tablespoons of butter. You can do this in the microwave: 40 seconds at 50% power, followed by 10-second bursts until fully melted. Covering with butter paper can help prevent splatters.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, powdered sugar, and salt until well distributed.
- Pour the melted butter into the flour mixture.
- Stir with a fork until a wet, crumbly mixture forms. Break apart any large lumps of flour.
- Line a 9x13 inch baking dish with parchment paper, making four snips in the corners to ensure it fits easily and helps with removal.
- Dump the shortbread mixture into the prepared dish. Pat it down firmly and evenly into a smooth, compacted layer. You can use a fork to smooth the edges if desired.
- Bake in the preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) for about 20 minutes, or until the edges begin to turn a beautiful golden color.
- Remove the crust from the oven and carefully place it on a trivet.
Make the Gooey Pecan Pie Filling:
- In a large bowl, combine the corn syrup (or golden syrup or maple syrup), salt, eggs, vanilla extract (or bourbon/rum/vanilla bean paste), and brown sugar.
- Whisk the mixture until it is nice and smooth, ensuring there are no clumps of eggs or salt lingering at the bottom of the bowl.
- Sift in the all-purpose flour while mixing, just until the flour is combined. Avoid overmixing.
- Add the chopped toasted pecans to the filling mixture and give them a good mix.
- Carefully pour the filling evenly over the warm shortbread crust. Smooth out any piles of pecans to ensure even distribution.
Bake and Cool:
- Place the pecan pie bars back into the 350°F (175°C) oven and bake for about 30 minutes, or until the center is just set. The center will continue to firm up as it cools, so avoid overbaking.
- Remove from the oven and let them cool completely. For perfect, clean cuts, it's recommended to chill them before slicing.
- If you prefer them ooey gooey, you can eat them slightly warm.
- For a nice, clean cut, score the top with a serrated knife before chopping into bars.
Video
Notes
- Toasting the pecans adds a wonderful depth of flavor and improves their appearance.
- The shortbread crust is intentionally less sweet to balance the richness of the pecan filling.
- Regular corn syrup is used here, not high-fructose corn syrup.
- Vanilla extract contains alcohol, as does bourbon and rum. If you want to avoid alcohol, use vanilla bean paste.