Chocolate pecan pie bars give you the ease of a 9×13-pan with all of the goodness you would expect from a chocolate pecan pie. You don’t have to fuss with rolling out crust and you get a tasty handheld dessert. It really is such a great way to make a “pie.”
By now you know my family are big fans of pecan pie and pecan pie inspired desserts. Well, not all of them, but those that are fans are big enough fans to eat everyone else’s pieces too.
My brother almost always requests pecan pie cheesecake for his birthday dessert. My dad requests pie sometimes too despite the fact that his birthday is usually just a week away from Thanksgiving.
These chocolate pecan pie bars feature a shortbread type crust topped with all the sweet pecan goodness you would expect. The best part is that the filling only takes a handful of ingredients, and you don’t have to fuss with making a pretty crust.
Instead of rolling out pastry and trying to make the edges look nice, you just pat a shortbread type mixture into the bottom of a 9×13-inch pan. You can make the simple filling mixture while the crust par-bakes.
Then, you can cut them into small squares that are perfect as part of a dessert buffet. You can even put pieces on a cookie tray if you want.
Of course, they would be perfect for Thanksgiving. But, really, we love desserts like this any time of year.
The crust kind of reminds me of lemon bars. So, why not serve a pan of each at your summer BBQs?
Carlee’s Tips and Tricks
I like to line my pan with some parchment paper before I start filling it. That allows me to lift the whole dessert out of the pan.
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That way, the bars are easier to cut and serve. I can get nice clean straight lines without cutting into my pan and ruining the finish.
You can line the pan with aluminum foil if you prefer. Or bake the bars right in the pan. That works, too!
Using melted butter in the crust helps it to come together really easily. You should have a nice soft dough that is easy to press into the pan.
Feel free to use dark chocolate chips if you want. Be careful using milk chocolate chips as the filling is already pretty sweet.
Let the bars cool completely before you cut them. If you try to cut them warm, they will be soft and you will be more likely to get a (delicious) mess.
Okay, I think that is about it. Let’s get baking!
Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 cup unsalted butter melted
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Filling
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- ¾ cup light brown sugar packed
- ¼ cup unsalted butter melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups chopped pecans
- 1½ cup mini semi sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a 9×13-inch baking dish with parchment paper, leaving the edges hanging over the edge.
- In a large bowl, mix together 1 cup unsalted butter, 2 cups all-purpose flour, ½ cup powdered sugar, and ¼ teaspoon salt until a dough forms.
- Press the dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Bake the crust for 15 minutes and then remove from the oven and let cool slightly.
- While the crust is baking and cooling, start the filling. Stir together 3 large eggs, 1 cup light corn syrup, ¾ cup light brown sugar, ¼ cup unsalted butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and ¼ teaspoon salt in a medium mixing bowl.
- Stir in 2 cups chopped pecans and 1½ cup mini semi sweet chocolate chips.
- Pour the filling over the warm crust and spread evenly. Return to the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until the center is mostly set with just a slight wobble when shaken.
- Let the bars cool completely before slicing. Lift the bars out of the baking dish by lifting the parchment paper out for easy cutting.
Notes
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More Easy Fall Dessert Recipes
Check out my collection of Thanksgiving desserts that aren’t pie for more tasty inspiration.
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