Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars

Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars (A Seat at the Table)

It’s been several years since we’ve had pecan pie for Thanksgiving. We typically have sour cream pumpkin pie, and recently we added pumpkin cheesecake and then apple pie, so there’s not really a need for yet another dessert. But since everything is different this year and we’ll not be doing Thanksgiving at all, I decided to make some chocolate pecan pie bars to get in the festive spirit and share with Mom who also loves these.

I made chocolate pecan pie bars back in 2012 for Thanksgiving, but I never got around to blogging about them, so all I remembered was that I combined a couple of recipes from magazines. So I was a bit fussy this time about finding the right recipe. I knew I wanted chocolate and I also wanted a shortbread crust because I didn’t want to have to fuss with a whole pie crust situation. Chocolate pairs really nicely with pecan pie because of the acidity in a dark chocolate helps cut some of the sweetness, so it’s a nice mix of salty, crunchy, chewy, gooey, sweet. The result is delicious.

What are your favorite foods for the holidays? How are you getting in the holiday spirit this year when everything is so different?

Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars

Adapted from Food & Wine and Love from the Oven
Makes a 9×13″ pan, about 24 bars

For the Crust:

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted (cold) butter, cut in pieces
  • 1/4 cup packed brown sugar

For the Filling:

  • 4 cups pecans
  • 6 eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
  • 1 cup light corn syrup
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 cups (8oz) bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Before you begin, wash your hands well with soap and water.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Add the pecans to a baking sheet in a single layer and place in the oven while it’s preheating, I find that usually when the oven’s ready the nuts are toasted. Grease a 9×13″ pan with cooking spray and set aside.
In a food processor, mix the flour, cold butter pieces and brown sugar until well mixed. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan, and press into an even layer. Bake for about 13 minutes or until just beginning to show some color.

Chop the toasted nuts and allow to cool. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, brown sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, and salt. Melt the butter and then whisk into the mixture. Then fold in the chopped pecans and chocolate. Pour the mixture over the baked crust and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the center is set. Allow to cool and then enjoy!

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