Name: Pecan Pie Bars
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour; ½ cup powdered sugar; 1 cup butter (softened); 14 oz sweetened condensed milk; 1 egg; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 cup chopped pecans; 1 cup toffee bits

Pecan pie bars give you all of the flavor of pecan pie in a wonderful handheld treat. They are easy to make and taste great. This may become your new favorite way to make pecan pie.

Squares of pecan pie bars on parchment lined cutting board showing the shortbread crust and rich pecan filling.

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. Layer that with a condensed milk mixture and plenty of pecans, and you are in business!

Hand holding pecan pie square showing the golden brown top and how sturdy it is.

You can have it in the oven in about 10 minutes. So, it is pretty quick to put together.

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.

Ingredients including flour, powdered sugar, butter, condensed milk, an egg, vanilla, pecans and toffee bits ready to be made into pecan pie bars.

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?

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.

That way, it is easier to cut and serve. I can get nice clean straight lines without cutting into my pan and ruining the finish.

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Crumbly butter, flour and powdered sugar mixture in mixing bowl with beaters.

Crust pressed into a 9x13-inch pan showing how it came together from the crumbly bits.

You can line the pan with aluminum foil if you prefer. Or bake the bars right in the pan. That works, too!

The crust will seem really crumbly at first. That is normal. It comes together as you press it into the pan.

Mixing bowl with sweetened condensed milk, and egg, and vanilla extract inside.

Adding pecan pieces and toffee bits to condensed milk and egg mixture.

The condensed milk gives the filling all the rich sweet tones you need to make it feel like pecan pie. The toffee bits help to add those deeper brown sugar flavor notes.

The combination with the pecans is heavenly. It goes so well with the crust and makes the perfect little bite.

Condensed milk and pecan mixture spread over the shortbread crust dough, ready to go in the oven.

Baked pecan pie bars showing the golden color the pecan filling takes on in the oven.

Storage

Because of the dairy and egg in the filling, I would recommend storing the bars in the refrigerator. Though, they will do fine out at room temperature for several hours.

The pecan pie bars will stay good in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, and you can freeze them for even longer.

More Fun Pecan Dessert Recipes

If you like trying twist on pecan pie, try making condensed milk pecan pie. Or make a chocolate condensed milk pecan pie for something extra decadent.

Stack of 4 pecan pie bars on top of each other showing the layers of goodness and the rich filling, but also that they are sturdy enough to hold their shape.

For another recipe similar to this, but with even fewer ingredients, try making pecan dream bars. They use a cake mix for the crust, keeping the ingredients list even shorter than this one.

Check out all of my pecan recipes for even more tasty inspiration.

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5 from 2 ratings

Pecan Pie Bars

Author: Carlee

Servings: Servings

Pecan pie bars give you all of the flavor of pecan pie in a wonderful handheld treat. They are easy to make and taste great. This may become your new favorite way to make pecan pie.

Prep: 10

Cook: 25

Total: 35

Ingredients

Makes: 9 x 13inch rectangle

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350℉. Either spray a 9×13-inch pan or line with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
Combine 2 cups all-purpose flour and ½ cup powdered sugar in a medium mixing bowl. Cut in the 1 cup butter until it makes a coarse meal. Use a pastry cutter or a hand mixer to make that task easier.
Press the crumbs into the prepared pan. It should come together and form a crust as you press it together.
In the same bowl, beat together the 14 oz sweetened condensed milk, 1 egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
Stir in the 1 cup toffee bits and 1 cup chopped pecans. Spread over the crust.
Bake for 25 minutes or until the top is bubbly and golden brown.
Cool at room temperature for about an hour and then chill before cutting and serving.