| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 2 hr 25 min |
| Prep: | 25 min |
| Inactive: | 1 hr |
| Cook: | 1 hr |
| Yield: | 24 bars |
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) cold unsalted butter, cubed, plus more for dish
- 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- Pinch salt
- 1/3 cup light corn syrup
- 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 3 cups coarsely chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line a 13 by 9-inch baking dish with foil allowing an overhang about 2 inches off the sides. Butter the foil.
- In a food processor, blend together flour, sugar, butter and salt until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Add 2 tablespoons cold water and mix until the dough just holds together. Press dough into bottom of buttered baking dish and bake in oven until golden in color, about 20 to 25 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the filling. In a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, add the butter, brown sugar and a pinch of salt and mix on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the corn syrup, flour and pecans and mix until just combined. Spread the filling over the baked crust and bake until golden brown, about 30 to 35 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven and allow it to cool completely in the pan.
- Remove from pan by pulling up the foil sides and putting it on a cutting board. Cut bars in desired size with a sharp knife and arrange them on a serving tray. Can be stored in an airtight container up to 2 days.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 24 servings |
| Calories | 264 |
| Total Fat | 19 g |
| Saturated Fat | 7 g |
| Carbohydrates | 22 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 14 g |
| Protein | 2 g |
| Cholesterol | 25 mg |
| Sodium | 92 mg |
Reviews
Should be titled a pecan brittle or toffee. Not like other pecan bars at all in texture
My family and I love these bars and I’ve been making them every year for thanksgiving and Christmas for the past 10 years. They don’t taste like pecan pie, but they’re not supposed to, more like a pecan toffee/cookie bar.
The hardest part of the recipe is figuring out the correct bake-time because they always look golden brown, even if you over-do them, so you cant really go by looks. If in doubt, take them out, because if you over-do them they get too hard to bite. (I’m not going to suggest bake-times because every oven is different.)
The nonstick foil makes cleanup a breeze, and it might sound weird, but I use disposable vinyl gloves and mix everything with my hands.
Love all the recipes- Wish I Could print them
Have any of you converted this to gluten-free? Regular recipe is delicious, but would like to convert for grandson with celiac disease.
Everyone said these were the best bars they’ve ever had and I agree. Only issue I have with the recipe is that I needed to double the shortbread part.
Read reviews before I started as was looking for one not dripping with honey and wanted a pecan pie bite. So I used dark brown sugar and dark Karo and added 2 eggs and prayed it would come out – it did and was perfect!!! Baked the total time and left it alone for 2 good hours before messing with it – I really was generous with the butter on the foil and think that may have helped – am keeping my rendition of this for good. Merry Christmas!!
I’ve been making this recipe for years and it is PERFECT! My family and friends beg for this recipe. It always comes out great. Today, I am making it with walnuts, and it smells delicious baking! Next time I will experiment with Macadamia nuts and coconut. Thanks, Claire!
A typical shortbread has 2 cups flour, one cup butter and 12 a cup sugar. That’s why this crust is greasy and dripping… it has far too much fat and sugar. I made it as written, but ignored the baking times and just cooked the crust until done and the filling until bubbling with melted sugar. Of course you need to foil the pan for toffee bars, of course you need to let the bars cool to remove them from the pan…. There is no virtue in fewer ingredients.. you can add anything like coconut, chopped candied ginger, dry spices, some chocolate, different nuts, etc…. Also, the filling is too thick to spread onto a hot cookie crust without ripping it. Perhaps melt the filling on low on the stove and pour it on……
made these for a potluck and they disappeared almost immediately. Great dessert if youre looking for something different (not the typical cookie/cake/muffin) I used spelt flour because i didn’t have any all purpose and they turned out great. Would definitely make again!
Should have read reviews before I made these. Recipe used about $10 worth of pecans and is way over cooked!! Never have had to use foil for squares so I buttered the pan. Crust is boring, not like a shortbread crust at all and over baked with the time given and the topping is brittle. Couldn’t get these suckers out if the pan and when I did they fell apart. WONT make these again. Martha has a much better recipe I will make next time. Live and learn……