Decadent Pecan Pie Bars with Breyers Homemade Vanilla
Gooey, buttery, caramel-y pecan pie… but make it easier, thicker, and sitting on a sugar cookie shortbread crust.
If you’re looking for the holiday dessert that gets the loudest “WHO MADE THIS?” across the dining room, look no further. These Decadent Pecan Pie Bars are everything you love about classic pecan pie — the gooey filling, the toasted pecans, the buttery richness — but baked into thick, chewy bars with a sugar cookie shortbread crust that tastes like heaven.
And because this is a sponsored post with Breyers, there was truly no other choice but to serve these warm bars with a generous scoop of Breyers Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream. The way it slowly melts over the caramelized pecan filling? Unreal. It’s the holiday dessert moment.
The Inspiration (and why bars > pie)
Look, I love pie. I do. But rolling out pie dough around the holidays feels like an extreme sport. Between the butter temperature drama and the shrinking crusts, sometimes you just want NONE of the chaos and ALL of the flavor.
Enter pecan pie bars — specifically these pecan pie bars — because they start with the most gorgeous sugar cookie shortbread crust. It’s rich, buttery, lightly crisp at the edges, and perfectly tender in the center. Think: sugar cookie, but sturdier and warm and absolutely meant to hold a gooey pecan filling.
The filling?
A dreamy mix of brown sugar, butter, toasted pecans, vanilla, corn syrup, and a hit of lemon juice to brighten everything up. It’s sticky in the best way, caramel-like, and bakes into a glossy, crackly-topped layer that’s ridiculously satisfying to slice.
Let’s Talk About That Sugar Cookie Shortbread Crust
This isn’t your average crust.
It’s not pie dough.
It’s not graham cracker crumbs.
This is a whole experience.
Made with:
- softened butter
- brown sugar
- granulated sugar
- vanilla extract
- a little kosher salt
- and flour
It mixes together like a cookie dough but bakes into a thick, buttery base that tastes like a sugar cookie married a shortbread and decided to become the platform for the best pecan pie topping ever.
It’s the perfect texture contrast:
✔️ light crisp on the edges
✔️ soft and melt-in-your-mouth in the middle
✔️ strong enough to hold all that gooey filling
Bars > pie. Every time.
The Pecan Filling (gooey perfection)
We’re using melted butter, eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, light corn syrup, milk, and toasted pecans — all the classic pecan pie flavors, but balanced with a splash of fresh lemon juice. It doesn’t taste lemony — it just brightens everything so the sweetness stays addictive, not overwhelming.
If regular pecan pie feels a little too sweet for you, THIS is the filling you’ll love.
Hot tip:
Toast your pecans.
It takes 5 minutes and makes a huge difference. Warm, roasty, nutty, buttery… everything.
And now… the ice cream.
This is where the magic happens.
Warm pecan pie bar + cold Breyers Homemade Vanilla = actual holiday bliss.
Breyers Homemade Vanilla has that nostalgic, creamy, real-vanilla flavor that makes every dessert taste like childhood. I love it because:
- it’s not icy (a dealbreaker for me)
- it melts into the bars like a vanilla sauce
- it has that classic vanilla flavor that makes pecan desserts shine
The contrast of warm + cold is truly unmatched. You just can’t replicate that with whipped cream.
Fun Food Fact 🤓
Pecan pie wasn’t invented until the late 1800s, but pecans are one of the oldest cultivated crops in North America — loved by Indigenous communities long before pies or bars existed. So technically, pecan pie bars are deeply historical… just with more butter.
Why You’ll Bring These Every Year
- The crust is a sugar cookie vibe — decadent without being fussy
- The filling is gooey and crackly in that perfect pecan pie way
- They slice beautifully and travel like a dream
- They taste even better the next day
- Add Breyers Homemade Vanilla? GAME OVER.
Bring these once and suddenly you’re the designated dessert person forever.
Decadent Pecan Pie Bars
Ingredients
For the sugar cookie shortbread crust:
- 1 cup butter softened (2 sticks)
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 8 1/2 oz or 2 cups spooned and leveled all-purpose flour
For the pecan filling:
- 2 cups pecans coarsely chopped & toasted
- 1/2 cup butter 1 stick
- 3 large eggs room temp
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. If you have a few extra minutes, toast your pecans while the oven heats up — it makes a big difference in flavor. Just spread them on a baking sheet and pop them in the oven for about 7–10 minutes, stirring every few minutes until they smell amazing and look slightly darker. Then set them aside to cool.
- Make the shortbread crust: Line a 9×13-inch pan with parchment paper (or foil sprayed with nonstick spray). I like parchment because it makes it easy to lift the bars out later for clean cuts.
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat the butter until it’s light, fluffy, and looks whipped — about 2–3 minutes, scraping the bowl a couple of times. Add both sugars and keep beating until smooth and creamy. Then mix in the vanilla and salt.
- Add in the flour and mix just until everything comes together. It’ll seem crumbly at first, but it’ll press together beautifully. Spread the dough out evenly in the pan and press it flat with slightly damp hands (no need to build up edges).
- Bake for 18–20 minutes or until the edges just start turning golden. Remove from the oven and set aside while you make the filling.
- Make the pecan filling: In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat and let it cook a few minutes until it turns golden brown and smells nutty. (Don’t walk away — it goes from perfect to burnt fast.) Once browned, pull it off the heat and let it cool for a few minutes.
- In the same bowl you used for the crust (because nobody needs more dishes during the holidays), beat the eggs on medium speed for about 3 minutes until lighter in color and slightly foamy. Add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, and milk, and beat until smooth.
- Slowly pour in your cooled brown butter while mixing. Add the vanilla, salt, lemon juice (this really brightens everything up), and flour. Mix until no flour lumps remain.
- Fold in your chopped pecans with a spatula, then pour the filling over the baked crust and spread it out evenly.
- Bake at 350°F for 30–35 minutes. The edges should be golden and set, and the center should jiggle just slightly — not sloshy. (Metal pans bake a bit faster; glass pans take a few minutes longer.)
- Let the bars cool completely before slicing — I know it’s tough, but it’s worth the wait.
- To serve:
- Cut into squares and top with a big scoop of Breyers Homemade Vanilla and a drizzle of warm salted caramel. Totally optional… but also totally not optional if you want that cozy, over-the-top holiday dessert moment. 🍨✨
Notes
It takes 5 minutes, but toasted pecans taste way richer, nuttier, and more caramel-y. Raw pecans work, but toasted pecans make the bars next-level. Room-temperature eggs = smoother filling:
Cold eggs can cause the butter-sugar mixture to seize a bit. Room temp eggs blend effortlessly and keep the filling glossy. Don’t skip the parchment overhang:
These bars are gooey by nature. The parchment “handles” make lifting them out SO much easier (and give you cleaner slices). Cool completely before slicing:
The filling sets as it cools. If you slice too early, they’ll ooze (delicious, but messy). For perfect bakery-style squares, chill 20–30 minutes before cutting. That little bit of lemon juice matters:
You won’t taste lemon — it just balances the sweetness and brightens the pecan filling so it’s rich but not heavy. For thicker bars:
Use an 8×11 or 9×9 pan instead of a 9×13. Bake a little longer (watch the jiggle!). For extra-crisp shortbread edges:
Bake your crust 2–3 minutes longer before adding the filling. Serve warm with ice cream:
Breyers Homemade Vanilla melts into the cracks like a vanilla sauce and makes these taste like a high-end restaurant dessert. Make-ahead friendly:
Bake the day before, cool fully, and slice the next morning. Store covered in the fridge and warm lightly before serving. Freezer-friendly:
Once fully cooled and sliced, wrap individual bars and freeze up to 2 months. Thaw and warm before topping with ice cream.
