Are you in need of a cookie to wow people this holiday season? These Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars are truly something special. They are dense, filling, loaded with chocolate, and pecan-crunchy in every bite.
I used a mix of semisweet and milk, but really, you can make the chocolate aspect as sweet or as deep-dark as you prefer.
Also, I suggest keeping this recipe handy for Pi Day this next year (March 14th). This is a great recipe to bake up and share with a crowd, and unlike standard pie, it’s very portable.
Bready or Not Original: Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars
This recipe makes a full casserole dish of thick, chewy pie bars! Note that the crust dough needs to chill for at least an hour, but could be made a day in advance.
Equipment
- 9×13 pan
- aluminum foil
- nonstick spray
- Rolling Pin
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter (1 and a half sticks) cold
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water
Filling
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks) melted and cooled
- 4 large eggs
- 2 cups white sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 2/3 cups chocolate chips semisweet and/or milk (16 ounces)
- 1 1/3 cups chopped pecans
Instructions
Make the pie crust
- Combine flour and salt. Cut in the cold butter until crumbly. Gradually add in ice water, pausing to mix with hands every so often. Stop adding water when the dough comes together. Shape into a disk and encase in plastic wrap to chill for at least an hour or for a day.
Shape crust
- Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Line a 13×9 pan with foil and apply nonstick spray.
- Lightly flour a clean, flat surface. Roll out dough to roughly fit the pan (hold the pan over the dough to gauge the correct shape). Press dough into pan so that it goes evenly across bottom and up all four sides. Pinch off excess dough and use that to patch and extend elsewhere. It doesn’t need to be pretty, as it will largely be covered by filling.
- Place crust in fridge to chill.
Make filling
- Melt the two sticks of butter in microwave or on stovetop. Set aside to cool.
- In a large bowl, beat together eggs, sugar, and salt, scraping bottom to incorporate. Stir in flour, melted butter, and vanilla. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Pour filling into chilled crust. Sprinkle pecans all over top.
- Cover top loosely with foil. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil. Bake another 30 minutes. Check for doneness; the pie is done when the top is golden and a butter knife tip inserted in the middle comes out clean. Pie may need as much as 15 more minutes to finish baking, meaning the total baking time can range from 50 to 105 minutes.
- Cool in pan on wire rack, then place in fridge to fully set and chill. Use foil to lift pie onto a cutting board to slice into bars.
- Store bars in sealed container in fridge. Best eaten within a few days.
