Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie Bars are made with pecan pie filling without corn syrup atop a buttery shortbread crust. Chocolate chips, toasted pecans, a splash of bourbon, and a sprinkle of sea salt makes them fun. Toss in browned butter and you'll have the best pecan pie bars around!
[November, 2021: I've reworked the recipe and updated this post with all new pictures. Enjoy!]
Why this recipe works
- A firmer filling than basic pecan pie gives structure to the bars so the filling doesn't ooze out
- Chocolate chips, toasted pecans, and bourbon add loads of flavor
- Browning the melted butter adds a nuttiness that's enhanced by the toasted pecans
Pecan pie is a favorite treat at our house, especially at Thanksgiving, but sometimes I don't want to fuss with making pie crust. Well, I've converted cookies into cake, so why not pies into bars? It's like having a portion-controlled piece of pie in your hand. And you know how much I love portion control.
Essentially, pie bars (aka slab pies) are just pies that sit on a base rather than in a pie shell. When I make pecan pie bars (aka Derby Pie Bars), they're essentially pecan pie filling atop a shortbread crust.
And why not add chocolate and bourbon to the mix? Folks, I give you Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie Bars! They are a big hit with my family, and are really easy to make.
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What you need
The filling ingredients are a modified version of a Black Bottom Maple Bourbon Pecan Pie recipe. By the way, if you left out the pecans, you'd have something similar to brown sugar bars!
Key ingredients
Pecans: Toast them whole or use coarsely chopped pecans. Bake them at 350°F for 8 to 10 minutes, then let them cool a bit. You can also use unsalted dry-roasted chopped pecans and skip the baking step entirely.
Brown Sugar: Using dark brown sugar adds its molasses flavor, a key feature of pecan pie bars.
Butter: Browning the butter isn't strictly necessary, but since you need to melt the butter, browning it is just letting it cook for a little longer. The nuttiness browning butter just adds flavor! Also, you can brown butter in the microwave in short burst on full power, about 3½ to 6½ minutes. Use a microwave safe bowl and lid to keep the butter from spattering.
Bourbon: Adding bourbon (like 4 Roses, 1792 Small Batch, or Widow Jane) provides a subtle spiciness to the pecan pie bars. You can substitute Apple Brandy or Apple Cider for bourbon for another flavor profile. Either way, the alcohol bakes out, so this pie is G-rated for all age groups, or just leave out the booze altogether. You can add up to ¼ cup of bourbon if you want a more pronounced flavor.
Chocolate chips: Like the "black bottom" in my pecan pie recipe, chocolate adds a rich flavor along with a note of bitterness, especially if you use dark chocolate chips.
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Other ingredients
Granulated sugar: Along with the brown sugar, granulated sugar helps sweeten the pie while balancing out the molasses flavor.
Flavorings: Vanilla extract adds floral undertones to the filling, and salt helps balance out the sweetness.
Shortbread: As I mentioned earlier, this recipe for pecan pie bars uses a shortbread base. That's just flour, sugar, and butter.
Eggs: Besides adding richness, eggs help to bind the filling ingredients along with the flour.
Flour: You can say that pecan bars are a pecan pie in a cookie bar form, but that's not strictly the case. In this pecan pie bar recipe, there is more flour than in a pecan pie recipe to give the filling a bit of structure,
No corn syrup (or maple or golden syrup): These are pecan bars without corn syrup Otherwise, the filling will sort of ooze out, and that would make for some messy eating.
Because of the extra flour and lack of syrups, the filling batter will be lighter in color and not as gooey as pecan pie filling would be, but that's fine.
How to make pecan pie bars
This is an easy pecan bar recipe - just make the shortbread crust and mix up the filling. No problem, mate!
Step 1: Make the shortbread dough
Whisk the flour, sugar, and salt together in a large bowl (photo 1).
Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a hand mixer, toss in the butter and beat until the dough clumps together (photo 2).
Step 2: Bake the shortbread crust
Press the shortbread dough evenly across the bottom and ¼-inch up the sides of an 8- x 8-inch baking pan lined with parchment paper To get the dough really flat, cover it with plastic wrap and smooth the top with a pie pan roller (photo 3).
See those binder clips? That's a trick I've learned to keep the parchment paper away from the filling as it's baking. Just fold the parchment paper over to the outside of the pan, and clip in place. Just remember to let the clips cool before removing them from the pan. No more baked-in parchment paper to ruin the look of your treats!
Bake the shortbread crust at 350°F for 15 minutes, until very pale golden. Remove the pan from the oven and set aside.
Step 4: Brown the butter
We upped the ante of this pecan bar recipe by browning the melted butter. Why? Brown butter toasts the milk solids in the butter, giving it a wonderfully rich nutty flavor that really amps up the volume of what you’re making.
Immediately transfer the butter to a large bowl after the butter has browned and stir to cool. To speed the process, place the bowl in the freezer or in an ice bath (half water, half ice) for a few minutes. You want the butter to be just warm to the touch (about 90°F on a digital thermometer).
Step 5: Make the filling
Stir the sugars into the cooled butter until the mixture is smooth. Mix in the egg, egg yolk, bourbon (if using), vanilla, and salt (photo 4).
Add the flour and stir until the mixture is just combined. Finally, fold in the chocolate chips and toasted pecans (photo 5). The batter will be lighter in color and not as gooey as pecan pie filling would be, but that's fine.
Step 6: Bake the bars
Pour the pecan batter over the par-baked crust and spread with a small offset spatula. If you'd like, lightly sprinkle the top with sea salt before baking. Bake the bars at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes, until top is firm and golden brown (photo 6).
Transfer the bars to a wire rack and allow them to cool completely in the pan.
Step 7: Portion the bars
Once cooled, transfer the slab from the pan to a cutting board using the parchment paper as a sling. Cut it into 2-inch squares or 1- x 2-inch rectangles (photo 7).
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...
Browning butter is just cooking the butter past melting until it turns a dark brown color and smells nutty, about 8 minutes.
You have to be vigilant though…the butter can go from brown to burnt in a few seconds, so it needs to be watched carefully. and taken off the heat as soon as the color turns amber (black butter is not what we're after!).
Yes! You can brown butter in the microwave in short burst on full power for about 3½ to 6½ minutes until the butter is dark amber (this depends on your microwave's power). Use a microwave safe bowl and lid to keep the butter from spattering, and be careful removing the bowl - it will be hot!
Pro tip: Preheat the oven
Many ovens have some sort of signal when it reaches the temperature you set. However, many times that's not yet the case. To make sure the oven is fully at your desired temperature, let it continue to heat for 20 minutes before you start baking. That will ensure there are no hot spots in the oven.
If you have an oven thermometer, you can also find out if your oven's thermostat is accurate or if you have to adjust the temperature you set above or below what you need. They're inexpensive and really useful to protect against underbaked or over-baked items.
More than pecan pie in bar form
Chocolate bourbon pecan bars are more than just pecan pie bars with a shortbread crust. The chocolate gives a rich counterpoint to balance the sweetness of the filling, Browned butter adds a nuttiness that's enhanced by the toasted pecans.
And the buttery shortbread crust lets you hold it in your hand. Perfect for portability and portion control!
Packed in a lunchbox, taken to a picnic, or served up at Thanksgiving dinner, Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie Bars are a welcome pecan pie substitute. No fussing with pie crust!
Pecan pie in the palm of your hand? Yes, please!
Slainté! L’chaim! Cheers!
Tammy
Related Recipes
Bar cookies, brownies, and pie bars (aka slab pies) are all recipes that make a lot with little effort (and no individual portioning). Here are a few ideas for these yummy treats!
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Recipe
Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie Bars (No Corn Syrup)
Equipment
Ingredients
For the base
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened and cubed
For the filling
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, browned, see Recipe Notes
- ⅓ cup dark brown sugar
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
- 1 to 2 tablespoons bourbon, optional, see Recipe Notes
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 4½ ounces chocolate chips, semisweet or dark chocolate (¾ cup)
- ¾ cup pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped, see Recipe Notes
- sea salt flakes, if desired
- powdered sugar, for dusting, optional
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350 °F. Spray an 8-× 8-inch baking pan with baking spray, then line with parchment paper leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides. If desired, use two medium binder clips to hold the parchment paper to the sides of the baking pan.
- Make the base: In the bowl of a stand mixture or a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, and salt. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a hand mixer, toss in the butter and beat until the dough clumps together.
- Transfer the shortbread dough to the prepared baking pan and press it evenly across the bottom and ¼-inch up the sides. To get the dough really flat, cover it with plastic wrap and smooth the top with a pie pan roller.
- Bake the shortbread crust for 15 minutes, until very pale golden. Remove the pan from the oven and set aside.
- Make the filling: In a saucepan with a heavy bottom, melt the butter on medium-high heat. Continue cooking the butter until it turns dark amber and smells nutty, about 8 minutes. Or, you can brown butter in the microwave in short burst on full power for about 3½ to 6½ minutes until the butter is dark amber (this depends on your microwave's power). Use a microwave safe bowl and lid to keep the butter from spattering, and be careful removing the bowl - it will be hot!
- Immediately transfer the butter to a large bowl and stir to cool. To speed the process, place the bowl in the freezer or in an ice bath (half water, half ice) for a few minutes. You want the butter to be just warm to the touch (about 90 °F on a digital thermometer).
- Stir in the sugars into the cooled butter until the mixture is smooth. Mix in the egg, egg yolk, bourbon (if using), vanilla, and salt. Add the flour and stir until the mixture is just combined. Finally, fold in the chocolate chips and toasted pecans. The batter will be lighter in color and not as gooey as pecan pie filling would be, but that's fine.
- Pour the pecan batter over the par-baked crust and spread with a small offset spatula. If you'd like, lightly sprinkle the top with sea salt before baking.
- Bake the bars for 20 to 25 minutes, until top is firm and golden brown. Transfer the bars to a wire rack and allow them to cool completely in the pan.
- Once cooled, transfer the slab from the pan to a cutting board using the parchment paper as a sling. Cut it into 2-inch squares or 1- x 2-inch rectangles.
- 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.
Georgia Mae says
I LOVE pecans!! How exciting to find a new way of eating them!
Tammy says
Thanks, Georgia Mae!