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Gooey Salted Brown Sugar Maple Pecan Cookie Pie Bars — these are a little bit of everything delicious. Made with a buttery, salty shortbread crust, maple-candied pecans, brown sugar, maple syrup, eggs, and melty chocolate chips. Everything bakes together until golden on top, yet gooey and rich in the center. Each bar has the perfect mix of salty-sweet brown sugar, bourbon, and maple-toasted pecans, with swirls of melted chocolate throughout. They’re just so good — especially with a drizzle of chocolate and a sprinkle of sea salt before serving.
When I first started testing this recipe, I had so many directions in mind — shortbread cookies, cookie bars, cookie pies, caramel-layered bars… I couldn’t decide! But once I landed on this version, I knew it was the one. It’s a little decadent, a little nostalgic, and a lot delicious.
Think buttery shortbread crust, gooey maple-pecan cookie pie filling, and just enough chocolate to make them feel extra special. They’re perfect for Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving, or any holiday party — gooey and rich but not messy, and so fun for gifting too.
My mom’s been away for a few days and asked me to save her some — I already have a stash wrapped up and waiting for her!
These are the details
Our Ingredients
- pecans
- maple syrup
- bourbon (optional)
- brown sugar, my favorite is a dark organic brown sugar
- flaky sea salt
- flour
- salted butter
- eggs
- sugar
- heavy cream
- vanilla extract
- chocolate chips
Specials Tools
Nothing crazy here, you just need a mixing bowl, skillet, and your favorite baking dish! Plus, parchment paper.
Steps
Step 1: the pecans
When I made my pecan latte, I fell in love with soaking pecans in maple syrup. The maple adds such delicious flavor, and once you toast the pecans with brown sugar, they become even yummier—sweet, toasty, and perfectly caramelized.
In a small pot, mix the maple syrup and pecans. Simmer until the syrup is steamy and fragrant with that cozy maple aroma. This step infuses the syrup with the flavor of the pecans.
Remove from the heat, strain out the pecans using a fork, and stir the vanilla into the warm syrup.
Step 2: the shortbread
In a bowl, mix together the flour and brown sugar. Grab the cold butter from the fridge and shred it using a box grater—just like cheese. Mix the butter into the flour, then beat in a few splashes of water until the dough comes together and clings lightly to the bowl.
Cold, salted butter is the secret here. Cold butter keeps the crust flaky, while the salt brings out that rich, caramel flavor. Press the dough firmly into your baking dish, then pop it into the freezer to chill while you make the filling.
Step 3: the filling
Whisk together the brown sugar, eggs, maple syrup (the syrup from soaking the pecans), and the cream until smooth. Stir in the melted butter and vanilla, then fold in the pecans and chocolate chips. I love using large dark chocolate chips for big, melty puddles of chocolate in every bite.
Bake and enjoy!
Bake for about 25–30 minutes, until the top is golden and the center is just set. The longer you bake, the less gooey they’ll be—so I like to pull mine out on the earlier side for that perfect soft, rich center.
Let the bars cool before slicing. Once cool, they’ll cut cleanly into perfect, chewy, chocolatey squares.
Looking for other Thanksgiving desserts? Here are my favorites:
Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookie Pumpkin Pie
Chewy Brown Sugar Maple Cookies
Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie
Lastly, if you make these Gooey Salted Brown Sugar Pecan Cookie Bars, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love hearing from you guys and always do my best to respond to 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!
Gooey Salted Brown Sugar Pecan Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- 2 cups raw pecans
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup bourbon (optional)
- 2 tablespoons + 1/4 cup brown sugar
- flaky sea salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) cold salted butter, shredded
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 4 tablespoons salted butter, melted and browned
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a 9×13 inch baking dish with parchment paper. 2. In a pot, combine the pecans, maple syrup, and bourbon (if using). Simmer over medium heat, 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Strain the pecans away from the syrup and place in the baking dish. Set the syrup aside for the pie.3. Toss the pecans with 2 tablespoons of brown sugar. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with sea salt. Let cool, then scoop the pecans out of the dish, leaving a handful of nuts in the dish.4. Chop the pecans and set aside.5. In a bowl using an electric mixer, beat together the flour, sugar, and butter. Beat, adding 1-3 tablespoons water as needed until the dough is in small crumbs and packs together. Press firmly over the pecans. Freeze. 6. Whisk together 1 cup brown sugar, 2 eggs, and 1 egg yolk until well combined. Add the 1/3 cup of the reserved maple syrup and the cream. Whisk in the butter and vanilla. Fold in the pecans and chocolate. Pour into the crust.7. Bake for 25-30 minutes until puffed on top but still wiggly in the center. The longer you bake, the more set the bars will be. Remove from the oven and let cool. Slice into bars, drizzle with chocolate and sea salt. Let set.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
I am in the process of making these bars and wondering about when to add the “ pecans set aside in the dish”? Are they in the bottom ?And how much chocolate to drizzle over? Thank you
Hi Justine,
Yes, those pecans will remain in the bottom of the pan. I use about 1 bar of chocolate for drizzling. I hope you love this recipe!
What size chocolate bar? I’m not in the US so can you clarify the weight?
Hi Petra,
About a 2 ounce bar, you could also melt chocolate chips, it’s really up to you!
This recipe does not seem well thought out, and it did not turn out for me. I was excited because I love pecans, but this one was a miss for me.
Hi Danielle,
Sorry to hear these bars did not turn out for you. Please let me know if there is something that I can help with!
What does puffed on top mean? Nothing in these pictures looks puffed.
Hi Jackson,
They will puff almost like a chocolate chip cookie once removed from the oven and then it will settle. I hope this makes more sense!
This recipe was not good & I will not be making it again.
Hi Susan,
So sorry to hear this! Is there something specific that I can help with? Please let me know!
Good morning Tieghan!
I am making these right now, I’m so excited to try them! Just curious if you put down fresh parchment after cooking the pecans before adding the crust?
Thanks so much, Barbie! Sure, you can put down fresh parchment:) I hope you love this recipe!
They were very good!
Thanks so much, Barbie!!
Hi Tieghan,
I made the Gooey Salted Brown Sugar Pecan bars yesterday , and wanted some clarity on your list of ingredients and instructions. For the dough the instructions say:” beat together the flour, sugar, and butter.” So I did this with the one cup of brown sugar in the ingredient list (although most shortbreads are made with white sugar I just thought this was a variation), the for the filling the instructions say “Whisk together 1 cup brown sugar, 2 eggs, and 1 egg yolk until well combined. Add the 1/3 cup of the reserved maple syrup and the cream. Whisk in the butter and vanilla.” In the ingredient list there is not another 1 cup measurement for the brown sugar-so I just added a cup of brown sugar to the filling. The bars came our extra gooey and didn’t hold together to well, but delicious. Just wondering about the shortbread dough if it is meant to have the brown sugar or if it is meant to have white sugar? Please clarify, the ingredient list doesn’t seem to match up with instructions. Thank you, Audrey
Hi Audrey,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback. There is no white sugar in this recipe. You are going to use 2 tablespoons of brown sugar in step 3, 1/4 cup of brown sugar in step 5, and 1 cup of brown sugar in step 6.
I hope this helps for next time! Have a great Sunday!
Oh man, I also struggled following this recipe, not sure how they’re going to turn out😬😬😬
So sorry Jennifer!
Hi
Can these be frozen for a couple of weeks?
Hi Cheryl,
Yes, that would be okay for you to do!
I hope you love this recipe! Have a great Sunday!
Can’t wait to try this!! Not sure why the brown sugar has everyone confused! Every step explicitly states where each ingredient is needed. If she put the total amount of brown sugar on top without separating it/ people would be more confused in the steps as to why it wasn’t separated!
Love all your recipes!!
Thanks so much, Michelle:) I hope you love these pecan bars, they are so good! Have the best Sunday!
Once you make them, you will realize that Step 5 is missing the amount of “sugar”. It is helpful to know that it should be 1/4 c brown sugar based on Tieghan’s reply to another comment.
Hi HBH, is it possible to post a few more pictures in good lighting so I can see what the finished product should look like? I’m having a hard time following. Thank you!
Hi Carrie,
So sorry, these are the photos that I have. If you need any clarification, please let me know, I am happy to help!
Hi! Can’t wait to try these! How would you recommend storing them? Thank you! I always love all your recipes 🤗 I’m a mama of 6 littles and spend lots of time in the kitchen baking and cooking your recipes! Thank you for all you do!
Aww thanks so much, Abigail:) I like to store these in an airtight container at room temperature. I hope your family loves this recipe!
In your stories you showed cubed not shredded butter, can we do either? If it isn’t correct, why did you do it that way in your stories?
Hi Anna,
Sorry for any confusion, you can do it either way, as long as the butter is super cold:)
I hope you love this recipe!
The “shortbread” crust turned out veryyyy dry & crumbly despite following the recipe exactly. Any suggestions?
Hi Angie,
Thanks for trying this recipe. It sounds like you may have needed a 1 tablespoon or two of water added to the dough.
Please let me know if I can help in any other way!
Decided to make these for my husband’s birthday celebration tomorrow since he isn’t a fan of cake and they turned out wonderfully! Instructions were easy to follow and the roasted bourbon maple pecans, oh my word, *chef’s kiss.* We love all your recipes!
Hey Courtney,
Amazing!! I appreciate you making this recipe and your comment, love to hear that it was a win!
Happy Birthday to your husband!
I printed the instructions and was confused about the sugar amount for the crust and the sugar amount for the filling. But now that I look at the recipe online I see 1/4 for the crust. I put in the 1C for the crust because it was listed right after the flour and butter. It is in the oven now and the crust is likely to be … not what expected. I am not sure if it is an issue with my computer or if it is how your print option reads from the recipe. Just wanted to give people a heads up about that.
Hi Jen,
I apologize for any confusion!
You are going to use 2 tablespoons of brown sugar in step 3, 1/4 cup of brown sugar in step 5, and 1 cup of brown sugar in step 6.
Thanks for trying the recipe, I hope they are still yummy!
I am having the same issue as Jen. Leaving this here in case it is helpful to your team in troubleshooting. When printing the recipe, the 1/4 cup brown sugar disappears:
2 cup raw pecans
½ cup maple syrup
¼ cup bourbon (optional)
2 tbsp brown sugar
flaky sea salt
I definitely get the confusion! Hopefully it’s an easy fix.
Hi Allison,
I am so sorry about that! We are working to get it fixed for you! Have a great Sunday!
Tieghan, please read your instructions above where you have two different amounts of brown sugar. Can you please clarify which one this is supposed to be? It seems like a lot of your recipes continue to have errors and it makes me hesitant to try them.
Hi Diane,
The recipe is correct as written:)
You are going to use 2 tablespoons of brown sugar in step 3, 1/4 cup in step 5, and 1 cup in step 6.
Please let me know if you have any other questions!