Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars - Celebrating Sweets
These Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars are made with a brown sugar shortbread crust topped with maple-brown sugar filling and loaded with pecans and chocolate chips. Delicious flavor and texture in every sweet and sticky bite!
This is the most incredible way to get your pecan pie fix. Imagine the best pecan pie you’ve ever tasted, then add chocolate chips! I’ll be making these for Thanksgiving, and approximately one million more times after that. Promise me you’ll do the same.
I figured you might be busy assembling your Thanksgiving menu, so I wanted to remind you that we turned our favorite Chocolate Pecan Pie into bars. Why bars? For one, no pie crust! This easy press-in crust is topped with a filling that comes together in minutes. These bars are one of our favorite holiday desserts.
Prefer cookies? Try our Pecan Pie Cookies. Prefer brownies? Try our Pecan Pie Brownies.
Jump to:Why you’ll love this recipe
Ease: No fussy pie crust! Just an easy shortbread dough that gets pressed into the pan along with a filling that comes together in minutes!
Flavor: Brown sugar, maple, pecans, and chocolate. An incredible flavor combo! You’ll want to add chocolate to your pecan pie from now on. 🙂
Texture: Gooey filling, buttery soft crust, crunchy pecans, and melty chocolate chips.
No corn syrup: We don’t make our pecan pie with corn syrup and these bars are no different. This recipe is sweetened with brown sugar and maple syrup which add incredible flavor.
Key ingredients
Here’s what gives these bars incredible flavor and texture:
Brown sugar: Both in the crust and the filling
Pure maple syrup: For a hint of maple flavor and the classic sticky pecan pie texture.
Butter: Adds richness to both the crust and the filling.
Pecans: Lots of chopped pecans running through every bite!
Chocolate chips: Choose bittersweet (my preference) or semisweet chocolate chips.
Recipe tips
Chop the pecans small, this makes the bars easier to cut and serve.
Use bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips. I prefer bittersweet because the dark chocolate creates a nice balance with the other flavors.
Allow time for the bars to cool completely before cutting.
The cooler the bars are the more firm they will be. Serve at room temperature, or refrigerated for a handheld dessert, or heat each serving just slightly and serve with a fork (they will be gooey!).
Just like with pie, the edges will be more “well done” and the center pieces will be a bit more soft and gooey.
Serve as is or top with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
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Recipe
Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars
A brown sugar shortbread crust topped with a gooey maple filling loaded with pecans and chocolate chips. Flavor and texture in every sweet and sticky bite!
from votes
Print Pin SaveSaved!Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 16
Calories: 311kcal
Ingredients
Instructions
Crust:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 9×9 pan with foil or parchment paper, leaving a couple inches overhang. Lightly grease the pan, set aside.
Using a hand mixer or stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat butter and brown sugar until creamy and combined. Add flour and salt, beat until thoroughly combined. Dump the mixture (it will be crumbly) into the prepared pan and press it evenly into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the filling.
Filling:
In a large bowl, whisk melted butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, milk, egg, cocoa powder, and salt. Stir in pecans and chocolate chips. Pour the filling over the crust and gently spread it around with a rubber spatula so that the liquid and solids are evenly distributed.
Return to the oven and cook for about 18-22 minutes. The mixture should be bubbling slightly around the edges. The edges will be set but the center will still be a bit jiggly. It will firm up as it cools. Place pan on a wire rack to cool completely before cutting into squares. Sprinkle lightly with flaky sea salt, if desired, to add a contrast to the sweetness.
Notes
RECIPE TIPS: Chop the pecans small, this makes the bars easier to cut and serve. Use bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips. I prefer bittersweet because the dark chocolate creates a nice balance with the other flavors. Allow time for the bars to cool completely before cutting. The cooler the bars are the more firm they will be. Serve at room temperature, or refrigerated for a handheld dessert, or heat each serving just slightly and serve with a fork (they will be gooey!). Just like with pie, the edges will be more “well done” and the center pieces will be a bit more soft and gooey. Serve as is or top with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Recipe updated November 2022, original recipe (which included coconut), can be found HERE.Nutrition
Calories: 311kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 92mg | Potassium: 96mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 346IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.
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