Easy Pecan Pie Bars with Shortbread Crust (No Soggy Bottom!)
The best easy pecan pie bars with a buttery shortbread crust! Rich, gooey caramel pecan filling that sets perfectly and cuts cleanly without falling apart.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup unsalted butter chilled and cubed (for crust)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar for crust
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted (for filling)
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 3/4 cup corn syrup or maple syrup
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 2.5 cups fresh pecan halves
Instructions
- Combine flour, chilled butter, and sugar into coarse crumbs, then press into a parchment-lined pan.
- Blind-bake the crust until lightly golden.
- Whisk melted butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, heavy cream, eggs, vanilla, and salt until smooth.
- Stir in pecan halves and pour the filling over the warm crust.
- Bake until the filling is set with a slight jiggle in the center.
- Cool completely, then chill before lifting out and slicing into bars.
Notes
- Always blind-bake the crust before adding the filling to prevent a soggy bottom.
- Include heavy cream in the filling for a stable, non-runny caramel structure.
- Use the parchment paper sling trick to lift the bars out cleanly for easy, mess-free slicing.