Salted Caramel Maple Pecan Pie Bars
User Reviews
4.3
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Prep Time
10 mins
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Cook Time
30 mins
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Cooling Time
2 hrs
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Total Time
2 hrs 40 mins
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Servings
9 servings
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Calories
389 kcal
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Course
Baked Goods
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Cuisine
American
Salted Caramel Maple Pecan Pie Bars
Description
Salted Caramel Maple Pecan Pie Bars start with a baked crust made from flour, brown sugar, and very soft unsalted butter, creating a buttery and slightly sweet base. The filling blends egg, brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and pecans, providing a rich and nutty flavor profile enhanced by a touch of optional salt. These bars deliver a combination of tender moistness and pleasant crunch from the pecans. The finishing addition of salted caramel sauce adds a smooth, sweet, and slightly salty complement. The recipe uses straightforward baking steps, baking the crust first before adding the filling and baking again to meld the flavors.
The bars are versatile for snacking or dessert, easy to cut and serve from the baking pan. They can be stored tightly covered at room temperature for up to five days or frozen up to six months, making them practical for batch prepping or gift-giving.
To reduce cleanup, lining the pan with foil before pressing the crust is recommended, as the bars tend to be sticky. Using very soft butter aids in quickly forming the crust dough for even baking.
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup brown sugar packed (light or dark)
- ½ cup butter very soft, unsalted
Filling
- 1 egg large
- ⅓ cup brown sugar packed (light or dark)
- ⅓ cup maple syrup I used sugar-free lite pancake syrup, or pancake syrup
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- pinch salt optional and to taste (consider omitting if nuts are well-salted)
- 1 cup pecans I used raw, unsalted, whole pecans; use halves and pieces, salted and roasted, or your favorite type
- salted caramel sauce for drizzling, about 1/4 cup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 35oF. Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray; set aside. Don’t skip lining the pan with foil because bars are sticky and lining the pan will save lots of cleanup time and elbow grease.
- Make the Crust
- To a large bowl, add the flour, brown sugar, and cut in the butter using two forks or a pastry cutter. Keep working until butter is evenly distributed and pea-sized lumps and sandy bits form. The softer the butter is, the quicker and easier it is.
- Turn mixture out into prepared pan and hardpack it with a spatula or hands to form a smooth, even crust.
- Bake for 17 to 18 minutes, or until crust is just set. Don’t overbake because pan is going back into the oven after filling is added. While crust bakes, prepare the filling.
- Make the Filling
- To a large bowl (same one used for crust is fine; just wipe it with a paper towel), add the egg, brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, optional salt, and whisk until combined.
- Stir in the pecans; set aside until crust is done baking.
- After crust has baked, gently and carefully pour filling over crust (give filling one last quick stir before pouring it), smoothing the pecans with a spatula or use your fingers to evenly distribute them. Make sure they’re not clustered in one area and they’re as flat as possible because edges or corners that are jutting up will be prone to burning.
- Bake for about 16 to 19 minutes, or until center is set and not jiggly. Use an oven mitt to shake the pan gently starting at about 16 minutes, and use your judgment from there; bars will set up more as they cool.
- Place pan on a wire rack to cool for at least 1 hour before drizzling with salted caramel, slicing, and serving.
Notes
- Lining the pan with foil before pressing the crust helps with easy removal and cleanup due to sticky filling.
- Bars keep well airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days or can be frozen for up to 6 months.
- Salt to taste in the filling can be omitted if using salted nuts, to balance sweetness.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 9servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 389 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1 | |
| Calories | 389kcal | 19% |
| Carbohydrates | 53g | 18% |
| Protein | 3g | 6% |
| Fat | 19g | 29% |
| Saturated Fat | 7g | 35% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 11g | 65% |
| Cholesterol | 48mg | 16% |
| Sodium | 66mg | 3% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Sugar | 31g | 62% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.3
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