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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.
I think I overlooked so they came out more of a pecan chocolate blondie type thing but it was amazing! I gave some to my boyfriend and his roommates and they said it was one of the best desserts they’ve had in awhile! Thank you!
Hey Ali,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad you enjoyed! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Can’t wait to make these and share with family! Do you think these bars would work if I were to substitute maple syrup with light corn syrup?
Hey Sarah,
Yes, that would work well! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Just made this earlier today, and they turned out great! Deliciously decadent!
Hey Jenny,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it worked out for you! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
So tasty! My partner and I cannot stop eating them. I had the issue that another commenter had about the batter splitting when due to cold maple syrup. Luckily I caught it and warmed my maple syrup before making the topping! I would agree with some of the reviews that this recipe would benefit from more of a shortbread style “crust”. Mine came out rather cakey (more like a blondie than a cookie), and (because of the liquidy topping) soggy. I would make the topping again, but would probably choose a different base.
Hey Lucy,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad you enjoyed! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Looks delicious! Could you make the filling in advance and store it in the fridge for several days?
Hey Molly,
Yes, that would work. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Hi! I’ve made these twice and the flavor is amazing! But I can’t seem to get a solid crust. I added the additional four tablespoons of flour each time and baked it a little longer the second time I made them, but each time the crust was just a bit soggy. Which makes it a bit harder to eat in one bar-like piece. I’m not sure if it’s a crust problem or a filling problem. Any suggestions?
Hi Olivia, so sorry for any trouble! Try pre baling the crust long to help it firm up more. I would try 15- 20 minutes. I think this will help you a lot!! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! And Happy Holidays!! xTieghan ?
Hey! I’m so excited to make these for Christmas! Quick question – do you think these could be made without chocolate? Would it effect the recipe at all i.e. binding effect, cook time, etc. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance, can’t wait to try these!
Hey Alex,
You could skip the chocolate and do some extra pecans! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions. Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Really great flavor but I think I’d use a chocolate bars instead of chips next time. The chips held their shape too much and looks a bit more like granola than pecan pie.
Thank you so much Paul! xTieghan
I made these for Thanksgiving so that we didn’t have to choose between a chocolate chess pie & a pecan pie for this year’s smaller gathering. I made them with my Dad in mind, thinking I’d like a bite or two, but turns out I liked them just as much as him! Like most others, I did have to tweak the recipe a bit to make it work.
(1) I needed to add about 6 extra tablespoons of flour to the base. It was still very, very sticky, but I was worried about it drying out with more. And I’m glad I stopped because the texture ended up being PERFECT and was probably my favorite part of the bar (note #3 below was big for crust texture too).
(2) I sprayed my parchment with oil & took my time spreading the batter over the whole pan. It was a struggle, but doing a few plops all over the dish then connecting them eventually worked.
(3) I poked a few holes in the crust (after it was baked) to allow some of the topping goodness to ooze into the crust. I definitely think that helped the texture/moisture of the crust.
(4) I needed to bake the topping 10 mins longer because the chocolate chips weren’t melting, & even after 10 mins they weren’t entirely but I was concerned about overcooking the entire bars. So I removed from the oven & covered with foil to let the trapped heat do the melting. Not perfect, but worked well enough.
They are best served warm (popped in the microwave if need be) topped with a dollop of whipped cream!
Hi meg! I am glad this recipe worked for you with some tweaks! Thank you so much for trying these bars! I am glad you enjoyed! xTieghan
Oh my gosh. These were so amazing. The perfect holiday dessert. I knew these were going to be good but I really can’t even describe in words how good they were. These were a huge hit among my family for Thanksgiving.
I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you, Samantha! Thank you! xTieghan
These came out way more like a pecan/chocolate cake and after reading tons of reviews I think I know why…in the instructions you say the dough should form a ball and if it doesn’t, add flour. All the extra flour trying to form a ball makes the bottom into more of a cake and it’s also REALLY hard to spread in the bottom. I feel like if I’d just have made it according to the recipe and poured it in the pan it would have been easier and come out more like a cookie crust instead of a bland cake. As written, this recipe is a mediocre use of a LOT of ingredients. Disappointing. I may try it again some time without all the extra flour, though.
Hi McKay! I hope you love this with out the extra flour. I am sorry they did not work out! Please let me know if there is anything I can help with! xTieghan
These were good but turned out nothing like expected or described. The pecan filling was fine, but the bottom layer was cakey, definitely not a “bar”. Followed the recipe exactly, so not sure what went wrong but it does seem like I am having similar issues as most others in the comments.
Hi Madison! I am sorry about that. If there is anything I can help with, please let me know! I will look into this on my end! xTieghan
How do you make it more gooey and not so much like bars but more of a crumple? Sorry not good at baking
Hey Bina,
I would follow this recipe as is, it is not meant to be a crumble, but bars:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions. Happy Thanksgiving! xTieghan
Made these tonight and they are delicious but not at all what I expected. I’d call these chocolate chip pecan cookie bars. They don’t taste like pecan pie at ALL, much more of a soft yummy cookie bar with a pecan accent. The name is misleading because you expect more of a pecan pie taste. They also came out with a much thicker cookie base then what your photos look like. Not complaining too much though because like I said they taste great but definitely not the substitute for pecan pie I thought I was making!!
Hi Jessica! I am really glad you enjoyed these bars! Is there anything I can help with? xTieghan
So yummy!
Thank you! xTieghan