Brown Butter Pecan Pie Bars
These Brown Butter Pecan Pie Bars are a rich and gooey dessert made with a brown butter crust and a sweet, nutty maple-pecan filling. They’re easier than traditional pecan pie and perfect for holidays, parties, or everyday baking.
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Servings: 24 Bars
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter, browned
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
For the topping:
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup brown sugar light or dark
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 3 cups chopped pecans
Optional: flaky sea salt for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease or line a 9x13-inch pan with parchment paper.
- Brown the butter for the crust. Let cool for 5 minutes.
- Mix crust ingredients: browned butter, sugar, vanilla, salt, and flour. Press into the pan and bake for 15 minutes.
- Make filling: melt butter in a saucepan, add brown sugar, maple syrup, and cream. Bring to a low boil, stir constantly.
- Temper the eggs: whisk the eggs in a bowl. Slowly add some of the hot filling while whisking. Return to pan and stir in pecans.
- Pour topping over warm crust. Sprinkle with sea salt if using.
- Bake 30–35 minutes until mostly set. Let cool fully before cutting.
Notes
- Let bars cool completely before slicing. This helps them hold together.
- Store in the fridge up to 1 week or freeze up to 2 months.
- For a deeper flavor, use dark brown sugar in the filling.
- These are perfect with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!