Bourbon pecan pie bars – your favourite pecan pie bite-sized! Enjoy the sweet, boozy, delicious flavours of pecan pie minus all the challenges of making one.
(Can’t get enough of pecan desserts? Try pecan pie cheesecake bars, chocolate chip pecan cookies and banana bread with pecans. So good!)
It’s November and the holiday baking season is in full swing. Technically however, the baking frenzy at our house started early because Canadian Thanksgiving happens in October (lots of people are surprised to know this!).
American Thanksgiving is coming up though and to celebrate with my American friends, from now until then I will share some amazing desserts that are not only delicious but also a breeze to make.
Let’s start with these bourbon pecan pie bars. The name says it all – boozy, sweet, nutty (i.e. tasting like nuts and not insane…though, can also mean insanely good)! And you can make them quicker than you can say pie.
Shortbread crust
The crust I used here is the same crust I used for my favourite lemon bars. It’s tender but sturdy enough to hold the filling on top. It’s also the right amount of sweetness to complement the bourbon pecan topping.
Related: Pumpkin Pecan Muffins with Pecan Streusel Topping
Scrumptious golden syrup
Next I used golden syrup
instead of the usual corn syrup. Have you heard of it? I first tasted it when I made my treacle tart and oh my word I was hooked. It is fantastic.
I think it’s more widely known in the U.K. and not so much in North America but it is available.
It has a very distinct taste. It’s sweet but doesn’t taste like honey or maple syrup. It’s a little hard to describe suffice it to say it is good.
You can use corn syrup in this recipe but if you get the chance, grab a bottle of golden syrup you won’t regret it!
Bourbon or no bourbon?
You can also choose to leave out the bourbon here but it’s the holidays! I say go for it.
It adds to the awesomeness of every bite. It won’t be so boozy that you’d get drunk but I promise it will be yummy.
Related: Grilled Peaches with Mascarpone Cream & Bourbon Salted Caramel Sauce
Bourbon pecan pie bars
And did I mention this is a breeze to make? Watch the video and see how easy!
You have no pie crust to worry about – no chilling, no rolling, no crimping. You can enjoy all the goodness of pecan pie without all the hassle.
So this Thanksgiving, serve some bourbon pecan pie bars and spend more time with your guests instead of in the kitchen!
Bourbon Pecan Pie Bars with Shortbread Crust
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Shortbread Crust:
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
For the Bourbon Pecan Pie Topping:
- ⅓ cup all purpose flour
- ½ cup brown sugar tightly packed
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup golden syrup you can substitute corn syrup
- 4 pcs large eggs room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp bourbon
- 2 cups pecans roughly chopped
Instructions
For the Shortbread Crust:
- Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare a 9×13 inch baking pan by lining it with parchment paper with a slight overhang on each side. Set aside.
- Using a handheld electric mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat all ingredients until it resembles a coarse meal. Do not over beat. You’ll know you’re done when no big chunks of butter remain.
- Press evenly and firmly onto the bottom of your pan (make sure the crust is packed tightly and evenly so you won’t have to deal with a possible seeping situation later).
- Bake for 20 minutes or until the edges start turning a light golden brown.
- Take out of the oven while you work on your filling. Do not turn oven off.
For the Bourbon Pecan Pie Topping:
- Put all ingredients in a large bowl except the pecans. Stir until thoroughly combined. Add the pecans and stir.
- Transfer onto your prepared crust and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted close to the edge comes out with minimal dry crumbs. Cool in the pan before slicing into bars.
Video
Notes
- The yield depends on how big you slice the bars. These are very rich so a little goes a long way. We’ve found slicing them into 40 squares results to perfect bite-size pieces but you can slice them bigger if you like.
- In the ingredient list above, I put 2 cups of pecans but feel free to add more. I usually use between 2 and 2 ½ cups of nuts to cover my whole pan.
- We store leftovers in a covered container in the fridge. It is absolutely delightful chilled!
Nutrition
Nutritional information are estimates only.
Happy baking!
Did you make pecan bars? I’d love to hear from you in the comments section below.
Denise Wright
These look great! So you think the bourbon is worth trying huh? I’m very interested in cooking with bourbon lately. I have tried the golden syrup when I lived in England for a year. I have never seen it here in Pittsburgh but I bet Amazon has it. I think I’m going to try these for Thanksgiving….I’m terrified to make a pie!
Jolina
Hi Denise! My default answer to boozy desserts is always a yes lol 🙂 Did you like golden syrup? When I see them at our local supermarket I always grab more than I need thinking they will all of a sudden disappear haha. I’m sure you’ll make a lovely pie!
Angie
Pecan pie bars sound nice. I have the biggest sweet tooth and have seen cook-books before lying around, but just don’t bake. I wish I did, is it time-consuming? I love treats & cupcakes, the whole thing lol.
Jolina
Not at all. And it’s easy and simple to do too 🙂 Hope you give it a shot. You’ll be enjoying yummy bars in no time 🙂
EG III
I agree with you. Why leave out the bourbon…live a little. Since I’m a fan of both bourbon and pecan pie, I have a sneaky feeling I’d really enjoy these.
Jolina
Right? 🙂 Plus, it’s the holidays!
Karly
Yesss! Love Pecan Pie in any way shape or form, but these look beyond amazing. Love the shortbread crust!
Ali Rost
These remind me so much of the pecan squares the church ladies made when I was a kid. Looking through our old church cookbook, their recipes required more than a box of brown sugar, a teddy bear+ full of honey, two pounds of pecans, and nine sticks of butter. Nowadays we’d think they were clearly trying to kill us. They made a chocolate caramel cheesecake look like a Weight Watchers 2-point popicle. But you know what? They were incredibly delicious and no holiday meal could be without one! x
Jolina
LOL 9 sticks of butter wowwww but that sounds so delicious!
Cheska
Yes to Pecan pie bars and double yes to bourbon! My kind of thanksgiving dessert.
Laurie
These look delicious and really not as difficult as I would have thought they would be to make! I didn’t realize syrup was an ingredient in these and I love pecans. This is something I definitely need to try for Thanksgiving. It will be perfect along with Pumpkin Pie of course!
Ana De- Jesus
Oh yes I love Golden Syrup although you might be right in saying that it is more widely known here in the UK than in North America. Also I love the sound of the shortbread crust and how although it is sturdy it complements the pecan perfectly. It sounds like a slice of heaven x
Jolina
Golden syrup is amazing isn’t it? It’s just so good in everything 🙂
Irena
You have so much great recipes on your blog and this one is no exception. I love baking and I am always searching for simple recipes that results with something divine. I am going to try this one for sure.
Laura
WOW! These look amazing! I just showed this to my husband and he said, you know what youre making for me tomorrow right? Hehe! I think I will too!
Laurie Beth Gulley
Oh MY! Those are amazing. I love bars like this. I will definitely enter this into the running for thanksgiving desserts.
Neely Moldovan
Well these are festive! They sound so good. I may try them for a holiday party we have in December!
Heather Johnson
You had me at pecans! Yummers! Your bourbon twist on this classic pie looks and sounds absolutely amazing!
Sharon
You had me at pecan pie! This is my favorite dessert of all time. Yes, I’ve a soft spot for desserts. I usually buy from the bakery store but this recipe looks simple for me to follow. I’m going to try this for sure. Thanks!
robin rue
These bars sound so good. I was actually looking for something like this to make for dessert on Thanksgiving, so I am glad I found your recipe.