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Home » Desserts

Texas Pecan Bars

Published: Oct 8, 2020 · Last Modified: Sep 29, 2021 by Anecia

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You'll love these ooey-gooey Texas Pecan bars!

Crispy pecans nestled in a creamy caramel-esque sugary concoction on a crispy crust!

Texas Pecan Bar on white plate

Pecans are the official State nut of Texas and this recipe allows you to share these beauties in a tasty treat! This is perfect for when you don't want a whole piece of pecan pie, but want a little bit...

Jump to:
  • Why you'll love this recipe!
  • Here's what you'll need
  • Here's how to make it
  • Here's what you need to know
  • Preparing the pan
  • Ingredients
  • Pan Size and Baking
  • Removing from pan
  • Slicing
  • Storage
  • Related recipes
  • 📋 Recipe

Why you'll love this recipe!

  • No pre-baking the crust- combine the ingredients, press it into the pan and top it with the pecan mixture
  • Simple ingredients - nothing fancy or gourmet
  • Perfect 3 bite-snack size-no need to eat a whole slice of pie

The consistency of these pecan bars is similar to a pecan pie, but the crust is not like a pie crust; it's more like a Pecan-Sandy-cookie...

Here's what you'll need

Ingredients labeled on countertop

You can use salted or unsalted butter; if you use unsalted, you'll need to add ½ teaspoon salt to both the crust and pecan topping

Here's how to make it

Prep the baking pan with foil and coat generously with spray oil; set aside.

Make the crust, roll it out on the counter and massage it until it's a little like dough, then put it in the pan and press it into the corners and bottom.

Steps showing how to make the crust

 

Make the pecan bar topping; working in batches, add topping to pan, spread it all around (try to keep it level on top)

Steps showing how to make the pecan bar toppingI found the trickiest part of this recipe is getting the pecan bars out of the foil. The corn syrup filling inevitably spills over to the sides in the pan and sticks to the foil, so be sure to spray the foil thoroughly with oil.

Here's what you need to know

Read this part three times before you start...seriously...these tips are based on my experience and if you follow them, your Texas Pecan Bars will come out beautifully!

Preparing the pan

Line the baking pan with two sheets of foil or parchment paper, placed perpendicular in the pan (you should have about a 1" overhang; this is so you can easily lift it out of the pan

Place one sheet in the pan; spray it with oil thoroughly; place the other sheet on top of the first foil sheet; spray thoroughly

Try to make the foil lining as smooth as possible; the corn syrup will seep into any wrinkles and stick to the foil

Ingredients

Corn syrup - Karo brand makes Light and Dark versions; get the Light. Note: they also may a "lite" reduced calorie version...sorry, but we're going all out on this one...don't get the reduced fat corn syrup

If you use pecan pieces instead of pecan halves, you can get away with 4 cups of pecans instead of 5; (pecan halves are bigger and taking up more volume when measuring)

Pan Size and Baking

This recipe uses an 8" x 8" metal pan and yields 16 pecan bars that are 2" x 2" inches. 

If you use a 9" x "13 baking pan, cut the bars into 2" x 2 ½" inches and you'll get about 24 bars.

Metal baking pans are recommended over glass (metal cools faster and ensures nice sharp edges)

Place it on the middle rack in the oven

Removing from pan

If the foil sticks to the sides or bottom of the pecan bars, (and it probably will), simply use a sharp paring knife to remove the foil

Slicing

For best results, refrigerate, remove from fridge, slice it while it's cold, then let it come to room temperature and serve

For a super clean cut, use a large, sharp knife

Place the knife edge straight down into the pecan bars; don't use a "sawing" motion

 

Steps showing how to slice pecan bars

Storage

For best results, store in refrigerator for up to 5 days. When ready to serve, slice while it's a bit chilled, then allow to come to room temperature before serving.

The beauty of these pecan bars is that they're sweet, but not too sweet. Just enough to satisfy your sweet tooth but not send you into sugar shock.

Square cut of Texas Pecan bar on a white plate

Texas Pecan Bars also make a lovely hostess gift! Wrap the entire square in pretty paper (line it with parchment) and put a bow on it! Your hostess will love you for it!

Related recipes

  • Fresh Apple Cake
  • Original Texas Sheet Cake
  • Gingerbread Bundt Cake
  • Orange Italian Cream Cake
  • Homemade Marshmallows

If you make this recipe, please scroll down and leave a rating and comment! I love to hear from you! Thank you!

📋 Recipe

Square cut of Texas Pecan bar on a white plate

Texas Pecan Bars

Ooey-gooey Texas Pecan bars loaded with pecans nestled in a sugary concoction!
5 from 4 votes
Print Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: International
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Cooling Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 55 minutes
Total Yield: 16 bars
Author: Anecia Hero
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Ingredients 

Crust

  • 1¾ cups flour all-purpose
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 stick butter salted, melted

Pecan Topping

  • 1 cup brown sugar packed
  • ¾ cup light corn syrup
  • 1¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 5 cups pecan halves See Recipe Notes
  • 1½ sticks butter salted (See Recipe Notes), melted
  • oil spray oil for pan preparation

Instructions 

Prep

  • Preheat oven to 350ºF
  • Place foil or parchment paper in metal baking dish; spray lightly with oil; set aside
    oil
  • Melt butter in a small bowl; set aside
    1 stick butter

Prepare the Crust

  • In a mixing bowl, combine flour and sugar and melted butter
    1¾ cups flour, ½ cup sugar, 1 stick butter
    Steps showing how to make the crust
  • Stir until dough begins to form; turn dough out onto counter;
  • Squeeze dough together and place in prepared baking pan
  • Spread dough out and press down into pan
  • Use a spatula to level crust and press into corners

Make the Pecan Topping

  • In a large mixing bowl, combine topping ingredients; mix well
    1 cup brown sugar, ¾ cup light corn syrup, 1¼ teaspoon vanilla extract, 5 cups pecan halves, 1½ sticks butter

Add the Pecan Topping and Bake

  • Working in batches, add pecan mixture to the top of the dough; gently press coated pecans into corners; spread pecan mixture evenly; repeat process until the entire pecan mixture is in the pan
    Steps showing how to make the pecan bar topping
  • Bake uncovered on middle rack for 25-30 minutes at 350ºF
  • When the mixture is bubbly throughout, remove pan from oven; allow to cool a few minutes then refrigerate for at least 1 hour
  • Once the center is cooled, gently pull the foil out of the pan and place on cutting board
  • Gently peel foil from pecan bars and slice
    Steps showing how to slice pecan bars
  • Allow to sit at room temperature about 10-15 minutes before serving

Notes

Pan Size:
  • This recipe uses an 8" x 8" dark metal pan and yields 16 square bars that are 2" x 2" inches
  • If you don't have a square pan, use a 9" x 13" baking pan; note: the pecan bars will be thinner and you'll get about 24 bars; each 2" x 2 ½"inches
Pecans:
  • If you use pecan halves, use 5 cups; if you use pecan pieces, use 4 cups
Butter:
  • If you use unsalted butter, add ½ teaspoon of salt to both the crust and pecan topping
Removing from pan and slicing:
  • If the foil sticks to the sides or bottom, (and it probably will), simply use a sharp paring knife to slice away any sticky foil
  • For best results, refrigerate, slice it while it's cold, then let it come to room temperature and serve
  • For a super clean cut, use a large, sharp knife
  • Place the knife edge straight down into the pecan bars; don't use a "sawing" motion or the pecans will crumble

Nutrition Estimate

Serving: 1barCalories: 513kcalCarbohydrates: 47gProtein: 4gFat: 37gSaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 38mgSodium: 140mgPotassium: 162mgFiber: 3gSugar: 33gVitamin A: 459IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 41mgIron: 2mg
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Anecia Hero, Food Blogger

About SmartyPantsKitchen

I'm Anecia, a native Texan, author, cook and photographer for SmartyPantsKitchen where I'm sharing Traditional and Contemporary Southern recipes for cooks of all levels. There's nothing fancy or gourmet about my recipes-just easy, simple, delicious and memorable! Take a tour and check out delicious recipes! 

Learn more about me →

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