Made with brown butter, pure maple syrup, and loads of toasty pecans, these salted brown butter pecan pie bars ship that impossible to resist sweet-and-salty taste in each chew with out the fuss of baking a full pie.
I first printed this recipe again in 2016, and it’s since gotten slightly makeover. You’ll discover the up to date model under and in my New York Occasions best-selling cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101 (web page 77!). The photographs are new, the directions are even simpler, and some small tweaks make the feel higher than ever.
Whereas I’ll at all times have a tender spot for conventional pecan pie in a flaky pie crust, I additionally imagine there’s loads of room for a twist… like immediately’s salted brown butter pecan pie bars.
Why You’ll Love These Pecan Pie Bars
- Wealthy taste from brown butter, brown sugar, and a pinch of flaky sea salt
- Maple syrup replaces corn syrup—including deeper, extra complicated taste
- Smooth, buttery shortbread crust (no rolling or chilling!)
- Splendidly crunchy, gooey texture in each chew
- Moveable and shareable—excellent for vacation trays, bake gross sales, or potlucks
Key Components (Overview)
- Butter: Browned to reinforce the flavour within the crust. For the filling, you’ll merely soften the butter.
- Water: So as to add moisture again to the crust combination. You would use milk as an alternative if desired.
- Sugar & Brown Sugar: To sweeten, tenderize, and taste.
- Flour & Cornstarch: The bottom of the soft-yet-sturdy crust.
- Pure Maple Syrup: Taste-packed substitute for corn syrup.
- Eggs: Bind the filling collectively.
- Pecans: The star of the present!
- Flaky Sea Salt: Balances the sweetness.
Begin with the Brown Butter Shortbread Crust
If you happen to’ve ever made my Salted Caramel Apple Pie Bars, this crust will look acquainted. It’s merely doubled for a 9×13-inch pan and made with brown butter for further taste.
To brown the butter: soften it on the stovetop till golden and nutty (see my step-by-step learn how to brown butter tutorial), then combine with the remaining crust components. Press right into a parchment-lined 9×13-inch pan and provides it a fast pre-bake whilst you put together the filling.
This buttery base holds up superbly beneath the gooey pecan topping. If you happen to love the brown butter + pecan combo, strive it in my darkish chocolate pecan cookies, too!
Pecan Pie Filling With out Corn Syrup
These bars skip the corn syrup utterly. Maple syrup steps in because the sweetener and binder, lending pure taste and a smoother texture. It really works like a dream right here (and should you’re curious, I’ve a full maple pecan pie recipe, too!).
When finalizing this recipe for Sally’s Baking 101, my staff and I made a number of small enhancements:
- Added 2 Tablespoons of water to the crust to exchange moisture misplaced when browning butter.
- Stirred in a little bit of cornstarch to make the crust softer and fewer crumbly.
- Simplified the filling methodology—no extra tempering the eggs! Simply cool the filling barely earlier than including them.
- Added a contact extra cream for further smoothness.
All updates are mirrored within the printable recipe under and within the cookbook.
How you can Make Pecan Pie Bars
In the identical saucepan you used to brown the butter (no want to scrub it!), warmth the maple syrup, brown sugar, butter, and cream combination. Cool for five minutes, then whisk within the eggs and fold within the pecans.
Pour over the crust, high with sea salt, and bake. Don’t fear if the filling seems syrupy once you pour it over the crust—it’ll arrange completely.
If it’s browning too shortly, tent with foil. Cool utterly earlier than slicing into squares.
The Last Outcome
Every chew is the proper stability of buttery shortbread, toasted pecans, and gooey maple filling—with only a trace of salt to maintain issues fascinating. These bars are tender within the center, crunchy on high, and filled with taste.
They won’t be conventional pie, however belief me: they’ll steal the present on any dessert desk. High with a dollop of do-it-yourself whipped cream for an additional deal with!
If you happen to love these, strive my cranberry crumble pie bars, blueberry pie bars, cherry pie bars, or apple pie bars subsequent. They’re all simpler than pie and make great additions to your favourite Thanksgiving pie recipes!
Description
These extremely flavorful brown butter pecan pie bars made with maple syrup are a lot simpler than baking a whole pie. This recipe can also be in my New York Occasions best-selling cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101, on web page 77.
Brown Butter Crust
- 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, reduce into 16 items
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
Pecan Pie Topping
- 1/2 cup (170g/120ml) pure maple syrup
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed mild or darkish brown sugar (I choose darkish right here)
- 6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup (60g/ml) heavy cream
- 2 giant eggs, crushed, at room temperature
- 3 cups (360g) chopped pecans
- non-compulsory: flaky sea salt or coarse sea salt, for sprinkling
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and line a 9×13-inch metallic baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a number of inches of overhang on 2 reverse sides.
- Make the crust: Place the sliced butter in a light-colored skillet or saucepan over medium warmth. (Mild-colored helps you establish when the butter begins browning.) Stir or whisk the butter consistently because it melts. As soon as melted, the butter will start to foam. Hold stirring. After 5–8 minutes, the butter will start browning—you’ll discover flippantly browned specks start to type on the backside of the pan and it’ll have a nutty aroma. As quickly because the butter has browned, instantly take away from warmth and pour it into a big heat-safe glass bowl. Scrape up the browned solids on the backside of the skillet and add them as nicely. Enable to chill for about 10 minutes. Don’t rinse out the pan.
- Add the sugar, water, vanilla, and salt to the marginally cooled brown butter and stir till mixed. Add the flour and cornstarch and blend till the flour disappears. The combination must be slick. Press the crust evenly into the ready baking pan.
- Bake for quarter-hour or till flippantly browned on the perimeters. Place the baking pan on a cooling rack whilst you make the topping.
- Make the topping: Return the skillet/saucepan to medium warmth and add the maple syrup, brown sugar, butter, and cream. Soften the butter, whisking consistently to mix the components. When the butter has melted, take away the pan from warmth and pour the combination into a big heat-safe bowl. Cool for five minutes. Whisk within the crushed eggs, then fold within the pecans. Pour the topping over the nice and cozy crust and unfold it into an excellent layer. Evenly sprinkle with sea salt.
- Bake for 25 to twenty-eight minutes or till a toothpick inserted within the middle comes out principally clear. If the highest is browning too shortly, loosely tent aluminum foil over the pan. Cool the bars utterly within the pan set on a cooling rack.
- Elevate the cooled bars out of the pan by gripping the parchment paper overhang; switch to a slicing board and use a pointy knife to chop into squares. Retailer leftover bars lined tightly at room temperature or within the fridge for as much as 1 week.
Notes
- Make Forward & Freezing Directions: Bars freeze nicely for as much as 3 months. Thaw in a single day within the fridge then convey to room temperature earlier than serving.
- Particular Instruments (affiliate hyperlinks): 9×13-inch Metallic Baking Pan | Mild-Coloured Skillet or Stainless Metal Skillet (for browning butter) | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Cooling Rack | Flaky Sea Salt or Coarse Sea Salt
- Up to date in 2025: When finalizing this recipe for Sally’s Baking 101, my staff and I made a number of small updates so the crust holds collectively higher and the filling course of is less complicated. The revised model is mirrored right here. To make the unique 2016 model, omit the cornstarch and water from the crust. For the topping, cut back heavy cream to 2 Tablespoons and comply with these steps: Mix the butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, and cream in the identical pan used to brown the butter. Whisk till the sugar dissolves, then convey to a boil and cook dinner for 3 minutes. Fastidiously spoon out ½ cup of the combination and slowly drizzle it into the crushed eggs, whisking consistently to stop scrambling. Step by step whisk this tempered egg combination again into the pot, take away from warmth, stir within the pecans, and pour evenly over the crust. Sprinkle with sea salt and proceed with step 6.
