Pecan Pie Shortbread Cookie Bars

Chewy pecan-studded and maple-infused caramel atop a sweet and salty brown sugar shortbread. The result is a chewy (but not gooey), sweet and nutty bar that is practical, portable, pecan perfection.

Pecan pie, transformed into a portable, easier to prepare package. Instead of finicky pie crust, the base is a simple brown sugar shortbread. And instead of a temperamental custard with eggs that may or may not set properly, a simple brown sugar and maple syrup caramel that bakes up to a perfectly chewy, nutty finish.

Is it a cookie? A pie bar? A bar cookie? Or a little bit of all three?

For a seemingly simple recipe, this took me more than a few tries to nail the right ratio of shortbread to pecan and the proper set to the pecan caramel layer. And by more than a few, I mean 6. Indeed, it took me 6 trial batches to perfect this recipe (I felt a little like goldilocks, but instead of bears and porridge it was pecans and caramel.)

The winning topping ended up being the eggless version (an added bonus as the shortbread is eggless as well). While the egg made for a more traditional custardy pecan pie consistency, I had a really hard time getting it to set properly, it was always just a little too gooey and drippy, which made for an overly messy eating experience.

The eggless topping, on the other hand, bakes up to a perfectly chewy-but-not-gooey caramel, giving the cookie bars the perfect texture and chew without the mess. The stable caramel makes these bars perfectly portable for cookie swaps, holiday parties, edible gifts and more.

The pecan pie layer is essentially a caramel made with brown sugar, maple syrup and corn syrup that melds into the shortbread layer as it bakes rather than sitting on top of it, resulting in a magical fusion of cookie and caramel.

Unlike traditional pecan pie, where the filling to crust ratio is way out of balance (in my opinion at least, pecan pie tends to be overly sweet), these bars have the perfect proportion of sweet and salty shortbread crust to pecan caramel, making for a less cloyingly sweet pecan treat that counteracts the sweetness of the caramel with the buttery, sweet-and-salty shortbread and nutty pecans, and just a hint of maple and cinnamon.

The bars may seem a little greasy right out of the oven as the shortbread absorbs the (somehow buttery despite being butterless) caramel. If you can stand to wait just a little longer, I recommend leaving enough time to fully chill the bars before cutting them. This allows the caramel to fully set and the fat to return to a solid state, resulting in cleaner slices and the perfect consistency throughout.

They also keep amazingly well if you want to make them even farther ahead of time, up to 1 to 2 weeks in the fridge if necessary (though I highly doubt they’ll last that long), or 1 to 2 months in the freezer (I layer with parchment and store in an airtight bag or container).

The bars are comprised of two distinct layers that intermingle in the oven: a buttery brown sugar shortbread and a maple-infused caramel chock full of toasted pecans.

The shortbread, which is far easier to manage than a traditional pie crust, is fully baked on its own first, and then the pecan layer is added for the final bake. If you time it right, you should be able to have the pecan topping ready to go as soon as the shortbread comes out of the oven (and it’s totally fine to add the topping while it’s still warm).

When pressing the shortbread into the pan, press the very edges of the crust slightly up the sides of the pan; this raised border will help keep the liquid caramel filling from overflowing.

After the second bake, let the bars cool to lukewarm and then refrigerate for at least an hour. This will finish setting the caramel topping and re-solidify any molten butterfat that might lead to a greasy feel.

Once fully chilled, lift out the whole block using the parchment paper as a handle and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into 16 even squares using a large knife. Properly chilled, the bars should cut quite cleanly, but I still recommend wiping the knife off between slices to ensure crisp, clean cuts. I also like to break out the ruler to be sure my squares are extra precise.

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

Brown sugar: I used light brown sugar, but dark brown works too (it will give the bars a stronger molasses flavor). If you don’t have brown sugar, regular granulated sugar mixed with molasses works in a pinch (approximately 1 tablespoon molasses per 1 cup sugar).

Corn syrup/maple syrup: I used a mix of syrups in the topping, with maple syrup for flavor and corn syrup for structure (and because, let’s face it, maple syrup isn’t cheap!) You can use all maple or all corn syrup, or even swap in another liquid sugar substitute like honey or golden syrup if you prefer.

Pecans: Lightly toasting the pecans is an important step, I recommend doing this as your oven is preheating before you bake the shortbread layer. The nuts should be coarsely chopped or broken up into pieces.

Butter: I used regular American-style unsalted butter in the shortbread layer. If you use salted butter reduce the added salt to 1/4 teaspoon. You can also use European style butter for an extra indulgent shortbread!

Cinnamon: a pinch of cinnamon adds depth and intrigue to the pecan topping. I just used a small pinch for a subtle hint of spice, but feel free to add more if you want a stronger flavor. You could also add some cinnamon to the shortbread if you like.