Salted Caramel Pecan Bars are soft and gooey, with the perfect crunch from tons of pecans and a buttery shortbread crust to tie it all together. These are a great dessert for parties or events - and made even better with homemade salted caramel!
I'm a fan of anything pecan-related, but sometimes you just want to satisfy that craving without making an entire pecan pie!
Enter in these bars - they are honestly so simple to make, and the finished pan always disappears in a crowd. These gorgeous pecan pie bars need no corn syrup or eggs, and you don't have to fuss around with pie crust.
The Coined Breakdown
- Total Cost per serving: $0.54
- Total Cost (16 bars): $8.58
- Those Other Guys: $3.99 per bar
Ingredients
- Pecan Pieces - The main ingredient in pecan bars, of course! Grab the raw pecans, not the roasted and salted ones.
- Salted Caramel Sauce - I have a delicious and easy recipe for the homemade stuff on Coined Cuisine. You can also use store-bought caramel sauce if you prefer.
- Butter- To make our shortbread crust. Salted or unsalted is fine; just make sure it's softened and not melted!
- Flour - The binding agent for the crust - we make sure to add this in after creaming the butter & sugar together.
- Vanilla - A little bit of vanilla goes into both the filling and the crust mix.
Variations and Substitutions
Chocolate Chip & Caramel Pecan Bars: You can stir in chocolate chips into the pecan filling for a nice twist! I've also made this chocolatey by adding a layer of melted chocolate on the bottom of the pecans.
Sugar Cookie Crust: Use sugar cookie dough (and parbake it) as the base of your pecan bars.
Toffee Pecan Bars: Chop up some toffee into chips and mix them into the filling.
How to Make Salted Caramel Pecan Bars
Step 1: To begin, cream your butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
Pour in the flour and stir well.
Step 2: Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C.
After everything is fully combined, you should have a thick dough.
Step 3: Line a brownie pan with parchment paper.
Press the shortbread dough into the pan in an even layer, and then poke all over with a fork for ventilation. Bake for 15 minutes.
Step 4: While that's baking, go ahead and make your homemade salted caramel if you aren't using the store-bought kind.
Mix together the caramel, pecans, and vanilla until combined.
Step 5: Spoon the filling onto the partially baked crust. Use a spatula to create an even layer.
Step 6: Bake for 10 minutes in the hot oven. After that, turn the oven off and leave the pan in for another 10 minutes.
Finally, remove the bars and let them cool completely before slicing.
Recipe Pro Tips
- Line the pan. Make sure to line the pan with parchment paper so it's easy to remove the bars! For serving, I like to place them on top of flattened cupcake wrappers.
- Bake, then turn the oven off! Because caramel can easily burn (and so can pecans) I put in the recipe notes to bake the full bars for 10 minutes, then turn the oven off and keep the pan in for another 10 minutes. The pan should be golden brown and bubbling slightly on the edges.
Recipe FAQs
Nope, not for these! I wanted a pecan bar that still had that gooey, sticky filling but without any corn syrup. All you need is some salted caramel; either homemade or store-bought.
Shortbread is really thick and takes awhile to fully bake all the way through. So, we parbake the crust for 15 minutes before adding the filling and baking the rest of the way.
The crust should be very lightly golden brown and puffy when you take it out to add the pecan filling.
Not at all! The shortbread crust is thick and chewy, almost like a more sturdy brownie. The pecan filling on top is reminiscent of pecan pie - gooey, soft, and easy to bite into.
You can - if they last that long!
Let cool completely, and slice into bars. Store these in an airtight freezer bag or container for up to 2 months. When you're ready to eat, let them thaw overnight in the fridge.
Other Tasty Baked Desserts You'll Love!
If you tried this Salted Caramel Pecan Bars Recipe, or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you! Thanks for visiting!
Salted Caramel Pecan Bars
Equipment
- 2 Mixing Bowls
- 9x9 Brownie Pan
- Parchment Paper
- Mixing Spoon
- Fork
- Silicone Spoon
- Chef's Knife for slicing
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust
- 1 cup salted butter room temperature
- ½ cup granulated white sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
Pecan Filling
- 10 ounces salted caramel
- 2 cups pecan pieces
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Shortbread Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350℉.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter, sugar, salt, and vanilla with a spoon.
- Stir in the all purpose flour until a thick dough forms.
- Line a 9x9 brownie pan with parchment paper, then press the shortbread dough into the bottom in an even layer.
- Poke holes into the dough with a fork, then bake for 15 minutes. The crust should be lightly golden brown and puffy. Remove, and set aside.
Salted Caramel Pecan Filling
- Meanwhile, if you're not using store-bought caramel, make the homemade version so it can slightly cool before stirring in the other ingredients.
- Mix together the salted caramel, pecans, and vanilla extract until the nuts are fully coated.
- Pour the filling onto the par-baked crust and spread into an even layer using a spatula.
- Bake for 10 minutes. After that, turn the oven off, and keep the pan in the hot oven for 10 more minutes.
- Let the pan cool until completely set. Remove from the pan and take the parchment paper off of the bottom.
- Slice with a sharp knife into bars and enjoy! These can be served chilled or at room temperature.
ashley c says
Shani made a batch of these and brought me some, and I had to go straight to the grocery store to get the ingredients and make them myself! They are really soft and good, and surprisingly easy. I didn't think I could ever make caramel from scratch. Thank you!!!
Shani H. says
Ashley!! Thank you so much girl. You're welcome to be my recipe tester anytime!