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Honey Pecan Pie Bars

No tricky pie crust to roll out with these Honey Pecan Pie Bars! Sweetened  with honey and not corn syrup, these honey pecan bars are the perfect addition to your holiday dessert table!

We can all use more time around the holidays, and these HONEY PECAN PIE BARS are one way that you can save time. And as an added bonus, you get to cut out some extra sugar and butter!

Every year since we’ve been married, my husband and I have had our own Thanksgiving meal in addition to celebrating with family. It doesn’t always land on the actual day, but we always celebrate.

I enjoy planning out a whole meal for us to prepare and enjoy together, but I’ve noticed a few problems with this plan.

Up close side view of a honey pecan pie bar on a piece of parchment paper

One of the problems that comes with having our own Thanksgiving is the fact that we can end up with a lot of leftovers.

The other problem can end up being that we eat way too much food that isn’t the greatest for us. So, this year I wanted to try and make a conscious effort to make our meal a little healthier.

One of the ways in which we can make our meal healthier is to lighten up dessert. I decided to try and lighten up a Thanksgiving favorite. . .pecan pie. Instead of making a big pie, I decided to go with pie bars that are smaller.

This gives you both less crust and less filling.

While these honey pecan pie bars still have sugar and butter in them, you won’t find any corn syrup and the amount of butter is significantly less than your typical pecan pie.

And you know what? You won’t even miss the missing corn syrup and butter.

These bars are still rich, sweet, and full of nutty pecan flavor. A great way to have a little lighter dessert without anybody noticing!

Side view of a honey pecan pie bar with more bars in the background on a piece of white parchment paper

Ingredients You Need to Make Pecan Pie Bars

All you need are eight simple ingredients!

  1. Unsalted butter
  2. Brown sugar
  3. Salt
  4. All-purpose flour
  5. Honey
  6. Half and half
  7. Vanilla extract
  8. Pecans

How to Make Honey Pecan Pie Squares

To make these bars, start by lining your baking dish with aluminum foil and buttering it or spraying it with non-stick cooking spray.

Don’t skip this step. The bars will stick and make it really hard to remove from the dish!

The crust is super easy. Cream together the butter and sugar. Then add in your flour and salt, and beat until crumbly. It may look dry, but it should hold together when pressed.

Next, you simply press the mixture into the bottom of your prepared baking dish. If you want to avoid getting your hands dirty, use the bottom of a glass to evenly press the mixture into the dish.

Bake for 15 minutes.

Collage showing crust of pecan pie bars before baking and then after the filling has been spread on top

Prepare the filling while the crust is baking. Combine butter, brown sugar, honey, and half and half in a small saucepan over medium heat.

Bring to a simmer. Mixture should be simmering across the entire bottom of the pan. Allow to simmer for one minute. You’ll want to stir constantly to prevent scorching.

Remove the saucepan from the heat to a wire rack. Carefully stir in vanilla extract and chopped pecans.

Remove crust from the oven to a wire rack. Pour filling mixture over the top. Spread evenly over the crust.

Carefully return to the oven, and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

When the bars are finished baking, remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

When you’re ready to cut the pie bars, remove the aluminum foil lining. You can either peel the foil off the bars before slicing or slice the bars on top of the foil.

Above view of a batch of honey pecan pie bars cut and arranged on parchment paper

Tips for Making Easy Honey Pecan Pie Bars

  • If you don’t want to get your hands dirty, use the bottom of a glass to press the crust into the bottom of your baking dish.
  • Don’t skip the step of buttering or spraying your aluminum foil. The bars will stick.
  • I like to lightly spray the bottom of the baking dish before lining the pan with foil just in case any of the filling boils over the edge. This ensures that you can still lift the bars out of the pan.
  • When bringing your honey mixture to a simmer, start the one minute count down when the mixture is evenly simmering across the entire bottom of the pan.
  • If you love cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, check out these Spiced Honey Pecan Pie Bars that have a white chocolate drizzle!

Love how easy pie bars are? More Pie Bars Recipes to Try!

Side view of a honey pecan pie bar with more bars in the background on a piece of white parchment paper

Honey Pecan Pie Bars

Yield: 12 - 16 pie bars
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Bake Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

No tricky pie crust to roll out with this Honey Pecan Pie Bars recipe! Sweetened with honey instead of corn syrup, these honey pecan pie bars are the perfect, stress-free addition to your holiday dessert table!

Ingredients

For the Crust

  • 1/3 Cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/3 Cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 Cup all-purpose flour

For the Filling

  • 1/4 Cup unsalted butter
  • 1/3 Cup brown sugar
  • 1/3 Cup honey
  • 1 Tablespoon half and half or heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 Cup coarsely chopped pecans

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line an 8x8 inch baking dish with aluminum foil and butter or spray with non-stick cooking spray.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or with an electric hand mixer), cream together butter and sugar. Add in salt and flour and beat until crumbly.
  3. Press mixture into prepared pan, and bake for 15 minutes.
  4. While crust is baking, begin preparing filling by combining butter, sugar, honey, and half & half in a sauce pan over medium heat. Stirring constantly, bring mixture to a simmer and allow to simmer for one minute. Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla and chopped pecans.
  5. Remove crust from oven and pour filling over the top. Return to oven and bake for another 15 minutes.
  6. Carefully (the filling will still be boiling) remove bars to a wire rack and allow bars to cool.
  7. Remove bars from pan and cut into pieces.

Notes

This recipe easily doubles for a 9x13 inch baking dish.

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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 193Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 20mgSodium: 38mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 1gSugar: 13gProtein: 2g

Nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online calculator and may not always be accurate. Nutrition values can vary greatly based on brand used. It should not be considered a substitute for a medical professional’s advice.

Did you make this recipe?

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This recipe is slightly adapted from Just A Taste.

stack of honey pecan pie bars with more bars in the background

Larni

Tuesday 5th of August 2014

I was wondering if the brown sugar needs to be packed.

Jessica@A Kitchen Addiction

Tuesday 5th of August 2014

No it doesn't need to be packed. Hope you like it!

Hayley @ The Domestic Rebel

Monday 11th of November 2013

Oh wow, these look so rich and delish!! I really need to use honey as an ingredient more. It's so perfect for fall baking!

Julia

Monday 11th of November 2013

Saving this for Thanksgiving--love pecan bars!

Joanne

Monday 11th of November 2013

I love the idea of using honey instead of corn syrup in pecan pie! These bars are such a great alternative!!

Jamie@Milk 'n' Cookies

Monday 11th of November 2013

Making pecan pie bars is a great idea! I have no control when it comes to resisting desserts, so I need all the help I can get. I love that this recipe gives you the same flavor as pecan pie, but in a much more manageable size. Great idea! Definitely pinning this to try!

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