These gooey Pecan Squares are everything you love about pecan pie but even easier to make! Buttery shortbread on the bottom, rich caramel made without corn syrup (honey instead!), then mixed with pecans - it is an irresistible combination. Perfect anytime in the fall, for Friendsgiving, or when craving something nutty and delicious!
They're a mouthwatering dessert all year long, but they really shine as part of your favorite Thanksgiving recipes or even on your Christmas cookie plate!
These pecan squares are one of our favorite dessert recipes for fall and the holiday season. Sure, they're delicious any time of year, but something about them just belongs on a Thanksgiving table or Christmas cookie tray. They're a total crowd pleaser! We even serve them with our spread of Game Day recipes!
If you enjoy these, you've gotta try our Maple Pecan Pie (uses maple syrup!) next. Like these bars, it skips the corn syrup, so it's sweet without being over-the-top.
True to Borrowed Bites style, this recipe came together by tweaking a couple of our favorites - the crust is adapted from Sally's Baking, and the gooey filling is inspired by Natasha's Kitchen.
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Why this recipe is great
- Truly delicious: The filling in these bars is a gooey, chewy caramel made without any corn syrup - just brown sugar, honey, butter, and cream coming together for a ridiculously tasty combo. Add that on top of a crisp, buttery shortbread cookie crust and you've got a dessert that's hard to resist.
- Simple: No mixer, food processor, pastry cutter, or fancy tools required. Just a few simple ingredients, a bowl, and a saucepan - easy enough for a weeknight treat, but impressive enough for the holidays.
- They also freeze like a dream! Perfect for make-ahead holiday desserts, potlucks, or popping into cookie baskets to share with friends and family.
Pecan square ingredients
This recipe only requires a few pantry staples! All quantities are in the recipe card below, but here are a few noteworthy tips.
- Pecans: We prefer to take pecan halves and chop them ourselves for the best flavor.
- Flour: All purpose flour is the foundation for the cookie crust.
- Butter: Our go-to is salted butter. It is used in the crust and filling.
- Sugar: Regular white sugar has the clean flavor that is needed in the base.
- Brown sugar: The richness of brown sugar makes for a perfect caramel filling.
- Honey: A natural sweetness that perfectly complements the pecans.
- Heavy cream: Adds to the lusciousness of the filling.
- Vanilla: Pure vanilla extract rounds out the sweetness.
- Salt: A little salt, always kosher for us, helps pull out the flavors the other components.
Helpful kitchen tools
How to make pecan squares with shortbread crust
Prep a 9x13 pan by lining with parchment paper, holding the sides down with mini binder clips. Spray with baking spray (cooking spray with flour).
In a large bowl, add the melted butter, sugar, vanilla and salt to a medium bowl. Add in flour. Stir gently until it just comes together. Be soft here, as too much pressure will make the cookie base tough.
Press the dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake at 325º F for 20-22 minutes or until the edges just begin to brown. Remove from the oven.
Into the still warm shortbread crust, use a fork to poke holes all across the base but make sure you don't go through to the bottom. Just the top layer needs the poke. Set the baked crust aside.
In a medium saucepan, mix the brown sugar, honey, butter, cream and salt over medium-high heat, stirring often to help the butter melt and everything incorporate. Bring to a boil then reduce to low heat and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in vanilla and chopped pecans. Mix until everything is easily distributed.
Pour the hot pecan mixture over the shortbread base making sure to spread it evenly across the surface. Bake at 350º F for 18-22 minutes. You will know they are done when the filling is bubbling and has darkened slightly. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan.
Hint: To remove easily, cool them in the pan completely. Run a knife along the sides of the pan and pull out the dessert out using the parchment sling.
How to store
Once cooled completely and sliced, these pecan pie squares can be stored at room temperature for several days in an airtight container. For longer storage see the section below on freezing.
How to freeze
These freeze beautifully! Once the bars are completely cooled, slice them into pieces. Wrap each one in a double layer of aluminum foil or plastic wrap, then place them in an airtight container. If stacking, separate layers with wax or parchment paper. When ready to serve, thaw overnight on the counter or in the fridge. The key to keeping them fresh is making sure no air gets to them. If stored correctly these can last in the freezer for up to 6 months.
How to cut straight lines
Getting perfect straight lines only really matters if presentation is a big deal, but if you're going for that wow factor, here's how. First, carefully trim a thin edge all the way around. Then measure and mark out how many pieces you want. I keep a metal ruler in my kitchen just for this (so handy).
Use a sharp serrated knife - we love this inexpensive Swiss one, totally worth it. Cut in one direction, then turn the bars (or the cutting board) and cut again.
They look amazing no matter how you slice them - squares, diamonds, or triangles all taste amazing!
FAQs
Yes! If you cut this in half, bake them in an 8x8 pan. Just watch the baking time as it might take a minute or two less.
Yes! Feel free to use walnuts instead of pecans or a mix of both.
Tips & tricks
- You can use a glass or metal pan, but they cook a little faster in a metal pan. Plus glass pans have rounded corners which makes the bottom edges trickier to cut into pretty pieces. They taste just as good so this anly applies if aesthetics are important.
- Use a tall parchment edge so the caramel doesn't leak behind it. The parchment edge enables you to lift it out of the pan and cut nicely.
- Remove them from the oven as the golden is barely darkening. If they overcook the caramel gets really hard.
- If you try to lift them out too soon or while they are still warm, they will crack down the middle, so be patient.
More fall dessert recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Recipe
Gooey Pecan Squares w/Shortbread (Seriously Delicious!)
Equipment
Ingredients
Crust
- 12 tablespoon butter melted
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
Filling
- ⅔ cup brown sugar packed
- ½ cup honey
- 8 tablespoon butter cut into chunks to help it incorporate faster
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 cups pecans chopped roughly
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat the oven to 325F. Line a 9x13 pan with a parchment overhang and grease with baking spray.
- Mix the melted butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt together in a large bowl. Add the flour and stir until the dough is evenly combined.12 tablespoon butter, ½ cup granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla, ½ teaspoon salt, 2 cups all-purpose flour
- Press evenly into the prepared pan, then bake for 20-22 minutes (mine was done at 20) or until the edges are lightly browned.
- Remove from the oven. Using a fork, poke very shallow holes all over the top of the warm crust, but not all the way through to the bottom. Set aside to cool slightly.
Filling
- Increase oven temp to 350F.
- In a medium pan, mix the brown sugar, honey, butter, cream and salt over medium-high heat, stirring often to help the butter melt and everything incorporate. Bring to a boil then reduce to low heat and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.⅔ cup brown sugar, ½ cup honey, 8 tablespoon butter, ¼ cup heavy cream, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and pecans.1 teaspoon vanilla, 3 cups pecans
- Pour the hot pecan filling over the warm crust. Use a rubber spatula to spread it evenly so that it covers the entire surface. Return to the oven and bake for another 18-22 minutes (I overcooked mine slightly at 21 minutes, you could tell the edges were a little too dark) until the top is bubbling and the caramel has darkened slightly. Remove and cool completely in the pan.
- Once cooled, lift the bars out of the pan with the parchment sling (you can run a knife along the edges first if needed). Cut into small squares or triangles and serve.
Notes
-
- You can use a glass or metal pan, but they cook a little faster in a metal pan. Plus glass pans have rounded corners which makes the bottom edges trickier to cut into pretty pieces. They taste just as good so this anly applies if aesthetics are important.
-
- Use a tall parchment edge so the caramel doesn't leak behind it. The parchment edge enables you to lift it out of the pan and cut nicely.
-
- Remove them from the oven as the golden is barely darkening. If they overcook the caramel gets really hard.
-
- If you try to lift them out too soon or while they are still warm, they will crack down the middle, so be patient.
Add Your Own Notes
Nutrition
All nutrition information is provided by a third party and is an estimate only. Use your own nutritional calculator for more specific measurements.
Danielle says
These pecan squares are the perfect holiday treat!