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    Home » Recipes » Brownies and Bars

    Bourbon Pecan Pie Bars with Shortbread Crust (Video)

    by Jolina | Published: November 6, 2017 | Last Updated: November 11, 2021 | 89 Comments
    This site contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. See Terms of Use for more information.

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    Bourbon Pecan Pie Bars with Shortbread Crust
    Bourbon Pecan Pie Bars
    Bourbon Pecan Pie Bars

    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. Caramel butter pecan topping, creamy cheesecake layer, graham cracker pecan cookie base. Delicious!)

    Bourbon Pecan Pie Bars

    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

    Bourbon Pecan Pie Bars

    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

    Bourbon Pecan Pie Bars

    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

    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!

    Pecan Bars Recipe

    Bourbon Pecan Pie Bars with Shortbread Crust

    Author: Jolina
    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.
    5 from 20 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 30 mins
    Cook Time 1 hr
    Total Time 1 hr 30 mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine North American
    Servings 40 squares
    Calories 152 kcal

    Equipment

    • 9×13 Baking Pan
    • Mixing Bowls

    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

    1. 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.
    2. 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.
    3. We store leftovers in a covered container in the fridge. It is absolutely delightful chilled!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 152kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 1gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 74mgPotassium: 33mgFiber: 1gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 145IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 8mgIron: 1mg

    Nutritional information are estimates only.

    Tried this recipe? Leave a star rating today!Also tag @iamtheunlikelybaker I’d love to see your creations.

    Happy baking!

    Did you make pecan bars? I’d love to hear from you in the comments section below.

    More Brownies and Bars

    • Easy Dulce de Leche Brownies Recipe
    • Ube Cheesecake Bars Recipe
    • Cheese Bars Filipino Recipe
    • Ube Brownies Recipe (made with Ube Halaya)
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Claire

      October 13, 2019 at 8:20 am

      5 stars
      I just love golden syrup so I knew I had to make these!
      THEY WERE SO GOOD! I planned to take some to a friends house, but there wasn’t enough left!
      I’m going to make these for our cookie exchange this year!

      Reply
      • Jolina

        October 17, 2019 at 8:44 am

        Yay! 🙂 They are pretty popular here too. Everyone loves them. Golden syrup is just so goooood.

        Reply
    2. Lala

      October 11, 2019 at 10:20 pm

      5 stars
      Hi Jolina, I’m Canadian too and buy golden syrup at our local sobey’s. I’ve been making your pecan bars for a while now and they’re become my “thing” at family gatherings which is funnny because I’m not known as the baker. Another batch is in the oven for our friendsgiving. Thank you Jolina and a happy thanksgiving to you and your loved ones!

      Reply
      • Jolina

        October 17, 2019 at 8:49 am

        Hello Lala! You are most welcome and hope you had a wonderful thanksgiving 🙂

        Reply
    3. Giselle

      October 08, 2019 at 12:26 am

      5 stars
      I saw your video on facebook and made it the next day. Skipped the bourbon so my kids can eat it and used maple syrup. The bars were delicious. Hubby wants a bourbon version for Thanksgiving. Thanks for the recipe!

      Reply
      • Jolina

        October 09, 2019 at 11:59 am

        You’re most welcome Giselle! Glad you and the family liked it. Hope you have a lovely Thanksgiving 🙂

        Reply
    4. Susan

      May 16, 2018 at 7:13 pm

      Hi. I’ve read comments on several other recipes that complained about the edges coming out too hard. Does this recipe have that problem? If so, do you know how much to shorten the baking time?

      Reply
      • Jolina

        May 17, 2018 at 8:38 am

        Hi Susan. This has crusty, but not burnt, edges. To avoid tough edges, I usually take the pan out of the oven when my toothpick tester comes out with minimal crumbs – not wet batter but not thoroughly clean either. I find that if a toothpick comes out clean then I’d overbaked it. And if I did, I just trim the edges a little and it looks like nothing happened 🙂 Hope this helps!

        Reply
    5. Red

      January 08, 2018 at 7:20 pm

      HI – thank you for this!!! Is there any way to make it without Corn Syrup? I have made Pecan pies with just eggs, butter and sugar…. I would rather not corn syrup if possible…

      Reply
      • Jolina

        January 13, 2018 at 8:19 pm

        Hi Red! I’m not sure as I haven’t tried. This might help: https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/how-to-substitute-corn-syrup-article

        Reply
    6. Tess

      November 24, 2017 at 11:01 pm

      4 stars
      HI Jolina,

      the recipe is super easy with such a highly delicious payoff!!! thank you!

      i brought it to a Friendsgiving party and it was a hit!

      i do have a question, do you know why the crust was separating from the pecans when it cooled?

      thank you again for the great recipes and tips you provide us (especially me, the ill-bake-when-i feel-like-it lady )

      Reply
      • Jolina

        November 27, 2017 at 8:10 am

        Hi Tess. Glad to hear you and your friends liked the bars. I don’t know why the crust would separate from the pecans TBH…did it shrink in some way? Here’s a link I hope you find useful! – https://food52.com/blog/14789-kitchen-rescue-how-to-fix-10-common-pie-problems

        Reply
        • Tess

          December 05, 2017 at 6:36 pm

          5 stars
          i did it again and i made sure i packed it really well!!! that did the trick. i also tried agave syrup– supposed to be a tad healthier but meh, corn syrup was better haha

          Reply
          • Jolina

            December 05, 2017 at 10:04 pm

            LOL I’m glad it worked out! Hope you find golden syrup though. It’s really good…. 🙂

            Reply
    7. Lin Oh

      November 19, 2017 at 8:32 am

      5 stars
      Marvelous! However I reduced the brown sugar to 1/4 cup and increased pecan to 250g – I find 200g pecan cannot cover the whole surface.

      Reply
      • Jolina

        November 20, 2017 at 9:22 pm

        Awesome! Glad you liked it 🙂

        Reply
    8. Tasha Dewdney

      November 12, 2017 at 7:42 am

      I would definitely break my diet for this! Sounds like and looks like a very fulfilling snack treat

      Reply
    9. Sudhakar

      November 11, 2017 at 12:08 pm

      5 stars
      Golden syrup is awesome stuff. Great on porridge. Excellent recipe.

      Reply
    10. Dawn

      November 11, 2017 at 9:21 am

      Oh yum! Holiday baking is well underway around here and these would be lovely to add to the list!! Love how easy they are to make and the touch of bourbon! It’s like a cocktail and dessert in one 😉 Cheers to an awesome weekend! P.S. We watched more of Star Trek Discovery last night and absolutely love it!

      Reply
      • Jolina

        November 12, 2017 at 4:19 pm

        Cocktail and dessert in one – I love that! You always think of the best things 🙂 It’s a good show, eh? We’re totally hooked!

        Reply
    11. Linda

      November 11, 2017 at 8:23 am

      This bourbon pecan pie bars look like a real dream. I am currently at work and this is something that I could totally and happily snack on.

      Reply
    12. Lauren

      November 09, 2017 at 9:37 pm

      Omg I NEED to make this!!

      Reply
    13. Krystal

      November 09, 2017 at 9:26 pm

      These look really good. I think they’d make the perfect Thanksgiving dessert!

      Reply
    14. Jen S

      November 09, 2017 at 4:31 pm

      I love love love pecan pie. This looks heavenly! I was looking for a fall recipe to make this weekend, maybe I’ll give this a try.

      Reply
    15. Kim

      November 09, 2017 at 2:41 pm

      Love this idea! I love pecan pie, but as someone who is trying to eat healthier, I didn’t know how I was going to enjoy it without diving in ( I’m not the type of person to be able to turn down desserts lol). When things are bite-sized, I tend to stop myself at one, maybe two, so I think this will be the “healthier” option for me and the family!

      Reply
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    Hi, I'm Jolina! And I'm definitely a late bloomer, a thoroughly unexpected baker.

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