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If there was ever a nutty bar that screamed fall, it’s these ooey-gooey Brown Sugar Maple Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars. Made with brown sugar and sweet maple syrup, this sugar cookie base is soft, buttery, and has just the right amount of sweet maple flavor. But then, there’s the pecan pie topping. The topping is made sweet with maple syrup and a little brown sugar, plus eggs to keep everything extra gooey. There’s also a generous amount of nutty pecans, and of course, plenty of chocolate chips too. There’s really nothing not to love about these brown sugar maple pecan pie bars. Perfect for the weekend or even the upcoming Thanksgiving dinner. Or really…whenever you’re in need of a deliciously sweet and nutty chocolate pecan bar.
Not sure there’s a better way to welcome in the weekend than with these bars. These remind me so much of Thanksgiving, they’ve got me so excited. I’m not jumping ahead by any means, just excited for all that’s to come in the next couple of months.
The world has had a tough year, everyone can agree on that. But in my eyes, at least the holidays will end the year on a bright and happy note, you know? That means that this year I’m trying to make them even more special. I’ve already begun my planning, prep, and recipes…so excited!
Or at least I’m attempting to plan and prep. My organization skills these days are very poor, but I’m trying!
In all honesty, this recipe was pretty unplanned and happened at the last minute. And as often happens with last-minute recipes, it’s already one of my favorites. These sweet, nutty, chocolate bars combine two of my favorite desserts. They’re easy. And they’re delicious!
The Inspiration.
As I said above, these were unplanned. I was working on another recipe, one that I hope to share soon, but it just was not turning out how I had envisioned it in my head. As I was testing one recipe, I had this recipe brewing in my head.
I thought back to these glazed brown sugar maple cookies from a few weeks ago. Remembering just how much we all loved them, I thought…I’d love to use the recipe again in some way.
And then, I thought about Thanksgiving, and pie, and all the pies my family truly enjoys. Everyone’s favorite is my mom’s chocolate chip cookie pie. But for my mom, dad, and me, it’s a tie between chocolate chip cookie pie and pecan pie.
We love them both dearly.
So I began to think of marrying the two and suddenly I had a whole new recipe to test. I pretty much stopped what I was doing and started working on these. It was a good decision.
These bars are pretty easy, here are the steps.
Start with the base cookie layer. Instead of just a plain pie crust, I wanted to use a crust that actually enhanced the pecan pie filling. Enter the maple brown sugar cookie crust. Once baked, it’s soft, buttery, and hinted with just the right amount of maple.
And they’re simple. I’m talking really simple. Just beat the butter with sugar, add maple syrup, add an egg, add in the dry ingredients, press the dough into the pan, and bake. There is absolutely nothing fancy here and you don’t have to roll out any pie dough. Easy. Easy.
It’s important to pre-bake the crust before adding the pecan pie layer. So while the cookie crust bakes, make the filling.
And the filling is easy too. Mix everything together, add plenty of pecans and chocolate chips, then pour it over the pre-baked cookie crust. That’s it, simple as can be and turns out the gooiest, sweetest bars.
The key is all in the use of maple syrup. It keeps the bars sweet (with autumn flavor) and really gooey too. The chocolate chips end up melting into the maple syrup. The outcome is soft on the bottom, gooey on top…and so DELICIOUS!
Once the bars are out of the oven, let them cool a bit, then just slice and serve. Or if you’re like me…and have no patience at all, wait just a little bit, then cut while warm. They’re going to be a little messier, but that warm and gooey chocolate is so worth it.
I really shouldn’t recommend cutting the bars warm because it’s not the right thing to do…but I’m recommending it anyway. I’m also going to put it out there that a little flaky sea salt on top is not a bad idea either.
Buttery, sweet, hinted with brown sugar and maple, heavy on the pecans and chocolate. And extra gooey.
Pretty close to perfect. Also…if you bake these up this weekend, your house is going to smell a little bit like Thanksgiving. Yep, just a little teaser to get you excited for what’s to come.
Looking for other autumn pecan recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Slice n’ Bake Salted Chocolate Butter Pecan Cookies
Extra Sticky Maple Pecan Sticky Buns
Pecan Pie Cookies with Butter Pecan Frosting
Browned Butter Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Butter Pecan Frosted Fudge Brownies
Lastly, if you make this Brown Sugar Maple Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Brown Sugar Maple Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars
Servings: 24 bars
Calories Per Serving: 183 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 sticks (1/2 cup) salted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Pecan Filling
- 4 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup real maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon bourbon (optional)
- 2 cups roughly chopped pecans
- 1 - 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a 9x13 inch baking dish with parchment paper.2 In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar. Add the maple syrup and vanilla, beat until light and fluffy. Add the egg and mix until combined. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt, beat until combined and the dough forms a ball. If the dough feels too wet, add 2-4 tablespoons additional flour. Spread the dough out into the prepared dish. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until lightly golden on top. 3. Meanwhile, make the pecan filling. In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar. Add the maple syrup, vanilla, and bourbon (if using) beat until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix until combined. Stir in the pecans and chocolate chips. 4. Gently pour the pecan filling over the cookie crust, spreading the filling in an even layer. It will be thin. Return to the oven and bake another 20-25 minutes, until the bars are golden brown and just set in the center. They should wiggle a bit. Let cool, then cut into bars and enjoy!
Notes
To Make Gluten Free: Use an equal amount of your favorite gluten free flour blend in place of the all-purpose flour. I recommend Cup4Cup gluten free flour.
Storing: these bars keep well for up to 1 week at room temperature or in the fridge.
This post was originally published on October 23, 2020
Do yourself a favor and make these bars!!! Not only are they delicious, but your house will smell like heaven!! Xoxo
Thank you Samantha! So happy these turned out so well for you! xTieghan
I made these yesterday and they are just fantastic??. My new Fall favorite and so easy to make. Thank you for your inspiration. I follow you and have tried a few of your recipes. Truly a blessing.I
Autumn greetings from the other side of the ocean
I am so happy to hear that, Christina! Thank you so much for trying these recipes! xTieghan
They all look very very yummy!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you so much Patricia! I am really glad you like these! xTieghan
Disappointing. This recipe is similar to another recipe that is really delicious. Something called Lethal Layers. I would recommend you try it. First disappointment from HBH.
Usually, spectacular.
Hi Anne! I am really sorry that these bars did not turn out well for you. Is there anything that could have gone wrong while making these? I would love to help! xTieghan
Made these last night and oh boy! YUM!! I cut them super small because they’re so rich that a little goes a long way. I also had to add about 8-10 minutes into both cooking times, but I find this to be true for most of your baking recipes. I chalk this up to altitude? I just anticipate it now. These are bomb! Definitely would be great post-Thanksgiving meal.
Hey Michelle,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad you enjoyed! Yes that would be correct:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This was delicioussss. Random modifications: I ended up running out of maple syrup so used a weird combo of honey and molasses in the cookie base and it was awesome. Also didn’t have pecans so used walnuts, walnuts instead, which worked well.
Question: would these bars freeze/defrost well?
Hey Erin,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad you were able to use what you had on hand! Yes, you could definitely freeze these. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
These look amazing, but the first layer was very wet and extremely difficult to spread into the pan. I added the additional flour as suggested but I suspect that is what made the “cookie” layer very dry. Your instructions indicate that the dough will come together into a ball…..it was far too wet to form a ball even with the additional 4 Tablespoons of flour. The pecan topping is delicious, but the recipe needs some type of correction.
Hi Cheryl! I am sorry these did not turn out well for you. Is there anything that could have gotten changed while making this recipe? I would love to help! xTieghan
Is the crust supposed to be more cake or pie crust like? Mine came out cakey and I was thinking it would be pie crust like. It was wetter than expected but I didn’t want to add too much more flour than suggested, but maybe that is necessary. I also had to increase both baking times by about 5-8 minutes each.
Hey Katie,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try! The bottom Laye is similar to a cookie crust. Did you happen to adjust the recipe at all? Let me know how I can help! xTieghan
These are outrageous. The cookie portion was so fluffy and worked perfectly with the pecan pie topping.
Thank you Jourdan! I am really glad you enjoyed this! xTieghan
If I were to halve the recipe, could I bake it in an 8×8 pan? Thanks!
Hey Ellie,
Yes that would work. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
These are in the oven as I type this! They looked so good I had to make them immediately and happened to have all the required ingredients. One snag I ran into was that my batter split after putting in the maple syrup because the syrup was cold and the butter was room temp. It came back together for the base with the addition of the flour, but that wouldn’t work for the filling. I made a Bain Marie and whisked the filling like crazy until it finally came together after about 5 minutes, then added the chocolate and pecans. Definitely recommend warming the syrup if it is stored in the refrigerator.
Hi Kelsey! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you! Thank you so much for trying this! xTieghan
that’s a good tip, thank you Kelsey!
I made these today and after the 2nd square my husband said tell you they were top notch. He said they were a bit rich. Well, what can you expect? Haha! Mine does not seem to have as much gooey looking filling as yours. I wonder if it soaked into the cookie crust too much. I tried to do just what the recipe said. My kitchen smells real good.
I will not be eating any since I am on Weight Watchers. I know they would be high in points. Char
Hi Charlotte! I am really happy this recipe turned out so well for you and your husband! Thank you for trying it! xTieghan
It smells and looks so delicious but unfortunately the bottom is dry.
The topping is too thin to balance it out.
Hi Kathi! I am really sorry to hear that. Is there anything I can help with? xTieghan
The directions for cooling the bars quickly says to put them in the freezer for a few minutes before glazing. Where is the recipe part for glazing? Thank you!!!!
Hey Susie,
Sorry for the confusion, the recipe has been adjusted! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
These look amazing. I know this is a silly question but is there anything non nut that can used as a substitute. Like maybe oats? My daughter would love theses but she is allergic to nuts.
Thanks ❤️
Hey Deanna,
I guess I would try adding more chocolate chips. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan