Brown Sugar Pie Bars have a soft brown sugar filling atop a buttery shortbread base, like pecan pie bars without the pecans. Based on a Southern Brown Sugar pie, these richly flavored bars are a portion-controlled piece of slab pie and a real crowd pleaser!
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October, 2020: I've reworked the recipe and updated this post with all new pictures. Enjoy!]
Why this recipe works
- A four ingredient shortbread base and a five ingredient brown sugar filling makes for an easy slab pie recipe
- Dark brown sugar provides rich, sweet flavor with molasses undertones
- These brown sugar bars are a piece of Southern Brown Sugar Pie that can sit in your hand instead of a plate!
A classic Southern dessert, Brown Sugar Pie has a richly flavored filling that's pleasingly sweet with a soft pecan pie-like texture, and needs only five ingredients. Like pecan pie, without the pecans.
Now take that pie and convert it into hand-held squares, and you've got pie bars (aka slab pies) - essentially just pies that have been flattened out, like Pecan Bars. Slab pies are perfect for feeding a large crowd.
Brown Sugar Pie Bars are a reimagined version of that Southern pie. They're portion-controlled pie squares, and a real crowd pleaser!
These Brown Sugar Bars are richly flavored and pleasingly sweet. The filling is soft with lots of brown sugary goodness, and the buttery shortbread base adds a crunchy counterpoint. They have become a frequently requested item around here.
Packed in a lunchbox, taken to a picnic, or served up at Thanksgiving dinner, Brown Sugar Bars are a welcome Brown Sugar Pie substitute. No fussing with pie crust!
Pie in the palm of your hand? Yes, please!
Recipe Ingredients
The brown sugar bar filling will be the same five ingredients as for the Southern Brown Sugar Pie recipe. Nothing fancy here, just common pantry staples.
You'll need the following ingredients to make this pie bar recipe:
Ingredient Notes
Brown sugar: The main flavoring ingredient for the pie. If you use dark brown sugar, it really emphasizes the molasses flavor even more.
Eggs: Add richness and moisture to the filling, and helps it to set.
Shortbread: To make a pie bar recipe, you need a base that's sturdy enough to hold up the filling, like shortcrust pastry or a shortbread crust. Here we're going with the latter, so the crust only needs flour, sugar, and butter.
See the recipe card for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Baking pan sizing
The size of the baking pan you'll use for this slab pie recipe will depend on how thick you want the filling to be, and how many 2- x 2-inch pie squares you'd like to make (with some trimmings left over). The thicker bars will have more of the yummy filling, and the thinner bars will have a softer texture. Your choice!
| Baking Pan Size | Baking Time (minutes) | Yield (squares) | Thickness |
| half sheet baking pan (13- x 18-inches) | 25 to 30 | 48 | Thin |
| quarter sheet baking pan* (9- x 13-inches) | 20 to 25 | 24 | Thin |
| 9- x 9-inch baking pan* | 25 to 30 | 16 | Thick |
Note: The recipe amounts will need to be scaled for the starred (*) baking pans. See the Recipe Notes in the recipe card for the exact ingredient amounts needed for the shortcrust base and the brown sugar filling.
How to make brown sugar bars
Step 1: Make the shortbread base
Cream the butter and sugar together. Add the flour and salt and mix just until a dough forms. (photo 1). You can use a stand mixer for this purpose.
If you prefer, you can make the base by hand using a technique like making biscuits - mix the dry shortbread ingredients together, then cut in the flour with a pastry blender.
Step 2: Bake the shortbread
Depending on how many pie bars you want to yield, you have options for the size of the baking pan to use: a 9- x 9-inch baking pan, a quarter sheet baking pan, or a half sheet baking pan. Here's a comparison about the yield and baking times for different pan sizes.
In these pictures, I lined the baking pan with parchment paper on just two sides. It's better to have all the sides covered so the filling doesn't stick to the pan, so lay two pieces of parchment paper in your pan (or line the pan with aluminum foil), leaving an overhang all around to help lift the bars out of the pan later. You'll thank me later.
Press the shortbread into whichever baking pan you choose. Using plastic wrap and a pie pan roller, helps get everything even without making too much of a mess (photo 2).
Par bake the shortbread at 350˚F for 15 minutes or until light brown. Watch that the shortbread crust doesn't get too dark - at 20 minutes, the crust is medium-dark brown.
Step 3: Make the filling
While the crust is baking, whisk the eggs in a large bowl. Add the brown sugar, butter, vanilla, and salt. Whisk together until the filling is well combined and smooth (photo 3).
Step 4: Bake the pie bars
Remove the baking pan from the oven and pour the filling on top of the hot shortbread (photo 4).
Return the pan to the oven and bake until the filling is set (photo 5). The amount of time will depend on the size of your pan. It will puff up but will settle down when cooling. Don't bake for more than 5 minutes longer than the specified time or the filling can get too firm.
Step 5: Cut the pie bars
It's best to wait until the bars have completely cooled in the pan before removing them to a cutting board. Even more helpful is to chill the bars in the pan for 15 minutes before moving it.
Lift the uncut slab out of the pan using the parchment paper or foil overhang and transfer to a cutting board, being careful not to bend the slab. Cut the slab into 2- x 2-inch squares. It might be necessary to trim the edges for a cleaner slice, but then you get to munch on the trimmings!
It's easiest to cut the bars using a pizza cutter (photo 6). If you use a knife, just wipe the blade after each time you slice.
Storage instructions
Store the bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator for a week. You can also freeze the bars in an airtight bag for longer storage.
Questions asked and answered
Here are some questions you might have...
Dark brown sugar has almost twice the amount of molasses in it than does light brown sugar. Here using dark brown sugar will really emphasize the molasses flavor, or ease off by using light brown sugar.
Brown sugar hardens when it's exposed to air, leading to rock-hard lumps that can be very difficult to break up. There are several ways to keep your brown sugar soft. First, you can reduce this effect by making sure you store the sugar in an air-tight container.
If you're finding that your brown sugar is still hardening up, you can keep a piece of white bread or a moist clay disk to leach moisture into the brown sugar. Other helpful possibilities are a few slices of apple or even a couple of marshmallows.
When all else fails, use a food processor to break up the brown sugar lumps, and a fine mesh strainer to get out the little rocks that remain.
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I hope you like this recipe! Let me know if you have any questions, and don't forget to leave a comment and rating. Thanks!
Slainté! L'chaim! Cheers!
- Tammy
More bar cookie and brownie recipes to try
Recipe
Brown Sugar Pie Bars
Equipment
- half sheet baking pan (13- x 18-inches)
- parchment paper or aluminum foil
Ingredients
For the shortbread base
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
For the filling
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 pounds brown sugar, packed, (4¼ cups), see Recipe Notes
- 1 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Make the shortbread base: Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Line an 13- x 18-inch half sheet baking pan with two pieces of parchment paper or aluminum foil, leaving an overhang all around to help lift the bars out of the pan later.Note: See the Recipe Notes on how to scale down the recipe to use a smaller pan size.
- Using a mixer: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream ¾ cup unsalted butter and ¾ cup powdered sugar together until smooth. Add 1¾ cups all-purpose flour and ¾ teaspoon kosher salt and mix just until a dough forms.
- Mixing by hand: Whisk the flour, powdered sugar, and salt together in a medium bowl. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Continuing: Press the shortbread into the prepared baking pan. Using plastic wrap and a pie pan roller helps get everything even without making too much of a mess.
- Par-bake the shortbread for 15 minutes or until light brown. Watch that the shortbread crust doesn't get too dark - at 20 minutes, the crust is medium-dark brown.
- Make the filling: While the crust is baking, whisk 3 large eggs in a large bowl. Add 2 pounds brown sugar, 1 cup unsalted butter, 2 tablespoons vanilla extract, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Whisk together until the filling is well combined and smooth.
- Remove the pan from the oven and pour the filling on top of the hot shortbread. Return the pan to the oven and bake until the filling is set, about 25 to 30 minutes. It will puff up but will settle down when cooling. Don't bake for more than 35 minutes or the filling can get too firm.
- Cool the bars completely in the pan on a wire rack. Chill the bars for 15 minutes before removing the slab from the pan.
- Lift the uncut slab out of the pan using the parchment paper or foil overhang and transfer to a cutting board, being careful not to bend the slab. Cut the slab into 2- x 2-inch squares. See the Recipe Notes regarding cutting hints.
- Serve and enjoy the pie goodness in a bar!
- Storage instructions: Store the bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator for a week. You can also freeze the bars in an airtight bag for longer storage.
Notes
For the Crust
- ½ cup unsalted butter (113 grams)
- ½ cup powdered sugar (56 grams) or ¼ cup granulated sugar (50 grams)
- 1 cup flour (120 grams)
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the Filling
- 3 eggs (150 grams)
- 1 pound brown sugar, packed (454 grams, 2 cups + 2 tablespoons )
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted (113 grams)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
Pan Sizing
- Using a 9- x 13-inch quarter sheet baking pan: Bake the filling-topped bars for 20 to 25 minutes. Makes about 24 thin 2- x 2-inch bars
- Using a 9- x 9-inch baking pan: Bake the filling-topped bars for 25 to 30 minutes. Makes about 16 thick 2- x 2-inch bars
Wally says
Can pecans be added?
Tammy Spencer says
Hi Wally, Adding chopped walnuts sounds like a delicious idea. Let us know how it goes for you. Happy baking!
Michelle says
I’ve used this recipe for years and always enjoyed it, however, now it has the brown sugar in pounds instead of cups as it used to be. Is there any way to find the recipe with the cups listed again?
Tammy Spencer says
Hi Michelle, sorry for the confusion. Since brown sugar comes in 1 or 2 pound packages (in the US), I thought that would be an easier measurement to manage. That being said, 1lb of pack brown sugar is about 2 1/8 cups, so 2lbs is 4¼ cups. I’ve updated the recipe to include the volumetric measures. Thanks for letting me know, and happy baking!
Karen says
How long do you cook it for in a 9x9 in pan?
Tammy Spencer says
Hi Karen, thanks for your question. You’d bake the bars for 25 to 30 minutes in a 9- x 9-inch pan so the filling will be just set. I’ll update the Recipe Notes with this info as well. Happy baking! 😉