Pecan bars are one of my absolute favourite treats, especially this time of year. If you’ve never come across them before, they’re essentially just a slice of pecan pie in bar form: a buttery, tender shortbread base, topped with a layer of caramel-y, pecan-y goodness. They’re an easier to make (and transport) version of their pie counterpart, but equally as delicious. I’ve created this small batch pecan bar recipe, which yield 6-8 bars (depending on how big you want them), so you can enjoy them whenever you want, without being overwhelmed by tasty snacks (a real problem, I know).

Ingredients
- For the Shortbread Crust:
- For the Pecan Filling:
Preparing the Tin
Making the Shortbread Crust
Making the Pecan Filling
Recipe

Ingredients

For the Shortbread Crust:

Unsalted butter

The butter needs to be very cold for this recipe, so use it straight from the fridge. I prefer to use unsalted butter, so that I can control how much salt goes into the bars, but feel free to use salted butter and omit the salt in the recipe.

Plain flour

You don’t want the shortbread to rise/puff up, so it’s important to use plain flour (also known as all-purpose flour), not self-raising!

Cornflour

A small amount of cornflour (also known as cornstarch) is added to the shortbread to make it extra tender. If you don’t have cornflour on hand, just leave it out and increase the flour to 110g- the shortbread will still be delicious.

Icing sugar

I use icing sugar in the shortbread base, instead of caster sugar, because I think it gives a softer, more tender result.

Salt

A small amount of salt is added to the crust, just to offset the sweetness and balance the flavours.

For the Pecan Filling:

Unsalted butter

Much like with the crust, I prefer to use unsalted butter, so that I have control over the amount of salt in the bars. If you would prefer to use salted butter, just omit the salt in the recipe. Unlike the crust, this butter does not have to be cold from the fridge, because we’re just going to be melting it anyway.

Maple syrup

I like to use maple syrup for these bars, because I love the flavour and think it compliments the pecans really well. You can substitute the maple syrup with an equal amount of honey or golden syrup, but the flavour will be different and the filling may be paler in colour.

Double cream

You only need a small amount of double cream for this recipe, but it really helps to give the pecan filling a smooth, moreish texture.

Light brown soft sugar

Brown sugar helps to give the filling a deep, caramel-y flavour. You could also use dark brown soft sugar, if you prefer, for a deeper, more treacle-y flavour, but I wouldn’t recommend using caster/granulated sugar.

Toasted pecans

To make pecan bars, you obviously need pecans! Gently toasting the pecans beforehand really helps to heighten the nutty flavour, so don’t skip that step. You can toast the pecans in the oven/air fryer (180°C for about 3-5 minutes, until golden) or in a dry pan on the hob.

Egg

Adding egg to the filling helps to bind the ingredients and set the filling, so that you can easily cut the pecan bars into squares.

Vanilla extract

A dash of vanilla extract gives the pecan bars great flavour and really highlights the caramel-y notes.

Salt

Salt is a really important ingredient in this filling- it helps to balance out the sweetness, but also works really well alongside the nuts to emphasise their flavour.

Preparing the Tin

For this small batch recipe, I like to use a 900g (2lb) loaf tin (about 21cm x 11cm x 7cm). With this size tin, you’ll get 8 square pecan bars (but you can cut as many or as few bars as you want!).

It’s very important to line the tin for this recipe, so that you can get the bars out! Because the filling is very sugary, it will stick to the tin if you don’t line it and you’ll be left with a big mess. Trust me: line the tin!

A really easy way to line a loaf tin (or any rectangular tin) is to cut a piece of greaseproof paper larger than the tin itself and place it underneath the tin.

Make 4 cuts into the paper towards the shorter sides of the tin, as pictured. Each cut should go right up to one corner of the tin.

Next, I like to fold the paper to help it slot into the tin more easily. Fold it twice: once along the two leftmost cuts and once along the two rightmost cuts.

Now, you can just push the greaseproof paper into the loaf tin, bending the longer sides around so they sit behind the shorter flaps, as pictured. Now, your tin is ready to be filled with delicious pecan bars!

I like to line the tin like this because a) it’s super quick and easy to do, b) it ensures the whole tin is covered, so the filling has nothing to stick to and c) it doesn’t require any extra butter to keep the paper in place. Because pecan bars are inherently very buttery, it’s nice not to have to add any more!

Making the Shortbread Crust

Start by preheating the oven to 170°C.

Place the flour, cornflour, icing sugar and salt into a bowl.

Then add the diced butter. Remember, the butter should be very cold- straight from the fridge. This helps the shortbread stay flaky and tender.

Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour ingredients until the mixture resembles the texture of breadcrumbs and there are no big lumps of butter left.

Tip the mixture into your lined tin and spread it out into an even layer.

Then, use the back of a spoon to compact the shortbread, pressing it down into an dense, even layer.

Bake the crust in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, until the shortbread is just starting to turn ever so slightly golden around the edges. Don’t worry if you get some cracks (or lots, if you’re anything like me and this particular test batch), you won’t be able to tell once the bars are baked! While the shortbread is baking, you can make the pecan filling.

Making the Pecan Filling

Making the pecan filling requires a few extra steps, but it’s still a pretty simple process. The important thing is to not scramble the egg, so take extra care when incorporating the hot mixture!

Start by roughly chopping the pecans. This will make it easier to chop the bars later and will ensure that the pecans are evenly distributed throughout the filling.

Next, put the butter, maple syrup, double cream, light brown soft sugar and salt into a small saucepan over a medium-low heat.

Allow the mixture to melt, stirring every now and then to help combine the ingredients and ensure you have a smooth mixture.

Once the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved, increase the heat to medium and allow the mixture to come to a boil. Allow the mixture to boil away for 3 minutes, while you prepare the egg.

In a small, heatproof bowl, whisk the egg well, until the white and yolk are completely combined. This will help to make sure the egg incorporates evenly into the rest of the mixture and minimises the risk of cooked egg white!

Once the mixture has boiled for 3 minutes, you can add it to the whisked egg. It’s very important that you do this gradually, while whisking constantly, so that the hot mixture does not scramble the egg. Pour the hot filling into the egg in a slow, steady stream with one hand and vigorously whisk it into the egg mixture with the other hand (or you can get someone to give you a hand). Once all of the hot sugar mixture has been added to the egg, you can add the vanilla extract and whisk well to combine, making sure the mixture is completely smooth and combined.

Finally, add the chopped, toasted pecans to the filling mixture and stir in with a heatproof spatula, making sure that the nuts are completely coated in the filling mixture.

By this point, the shortbread crust should have finished baking, so pour the warm filling directly onto the hot base and use your spatula to level the nuts out into a nice, even layer.

Place the whole thing back into the oven to bake for a further 20 minutes, or until the filling is just starting to caramelise around the edges of the pan.

Remove the bars from the oven and allow to cool completely in the tin, before transferring to a chopping board and cutting into squares.

Recipe