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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.
The pecans get lost under the heavy brown sugar-load, making the bars overly sweet and lacking any real nutty depth or crisp texture. Not the balanced treat I was hoping for.
Hi Hope,
So sorry to hear these bars were not enjoyed, thanks for trying the recipe!
This recipe is a complete flop. Save your time, money & ingredients – steer clear of this one.
Hi Jamie,
Sorry to hear this recipe did not turn out for you. Please let me know how I can help!
What a disaster of a recipe. Please trust all the bad reviews. The instructions are unclear even for an experienced baker.
Hi there,
Thanks for trying this recipe, so sorry to hear it was not enjoyed. Is there something specific that I can help with? Please let me know!
This was so bad. I don’t know how a pecan bar recipe could go so far south but this needs a lot of reworking.
Hi Julianne,
So sorry to hear this recipe did not turn out for you. Is there anything specific that I can help with? Please let me know!
Hi Tieghan!
I think this recipe isn’t getting great reviews because the recipe is hard to follow.
It says to add sugar for the crust but not brown sugar. The list only has 1 cup of brown sugar but that 1 cup gets used later in the recipe. Then towards the end it says to fold in the butter and vanilla but the butter was used to make the crust.
I tried my best to go by the video you posted on IG. Love you lots!!!
Hi Dayna,
Love to hear this! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe and your comment!
Happy Sunday!
This was not working well for me – the crust didn’t fully cook even with extra time, and the taste was lackluster.
Hi Rosie,
Very sorry to hear this recipe did not turn out for you, thanks for giving it a try!
Hi.
Thinking of making these for Thanksgiving. How many days before could I make these and how would you suggest storing them so they are fresh.
Hi Tiffany,
You could make these 1-2 days in advance and store in an airtight container at room temperature.
I hope you love this recipe! Happy Thanksgiving!
I had the same issue as another commenter, the crust never fully baked & was soggy. I changed nothing in the recipe. Thoughts?
Hi Amanda,
Very sorry to hear this! Did you use a metal baking pan? Otherwise, I really am not sure what went wrong here. Please let me know if I can help in any other way!
I don’t see where you indicate that the pan should be metal or glass, could you point me to that info please? Is this recipe only for metal pans? Please reply!
Hi Amanda,
I did not note that anywhere, I just think that baked goods turn out better in a metal pan:)
This really was not good.
Hi Ashley,
Very sorry to hear this, was there something specific that I can help with? Please let me know!
Hello, I never saw an answer to my question unfortunately. About the vanilla, how much is added to the syrup, and how much is added to the filling? I’m only seeing one amount. Thank you!!
“stir the vanilla into the warm syrup”
‘Whisk in the butter and vanilla.”
Hi Liz,
So sorry about that! You are just adding the vanilla in step 6. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try!
Hi Tieghan, I still have a question. Please can you help me, my question is not showing up. What does this part mean? “stir the vanilla into the warm syrup”
Hi Liz,
Sorry about that, it’s a mistake, please follow the recipe as written on the recipe card:)
So so good. Perfect recipe. Thank you.
Hey Erika,
So kind of you to try this recipe and leave feedback—glad it was a hit!
Unfortunately this did not turn out for me. I followed the recipe exactly but the crust was very dry & crumbly, the filling didn’t fully set and the taste was lackluster. 🙁
Hi Elaine,
Thanks for trying this recipe and your feedback, very sorry to hear it did not turn out for you!
This recipe sounds delicious and gr!!! Can’t wait to make this for my son! He loves pecan pie, and this is very similar! Thanks for sharing your recipe 💞💞Debbe ‘ 💞💞
Thanks so much, Debbe! I hope the recipe is a hit! Let me know how it turns out:)
These look amazing for Thanksgiving! Do you really not pre-bake the crust before you add the filling though?
Hi Kirsty,
Yes, that is correct:)
Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it!
I’ve had amazing success with all HBH recipes … except for this one sadly 🙁
The filling was liquid and the cookie base did not cook completely despite adding an extra 8 minutes to the cooking time. The top was bubbly, golden brown and puffed up which gave the impression it was ready but the inside was raw. I’m going to freeze them to see if they can be salvaged.
Hi Sully,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, very sorry to hear it did not turn out for you.
Did you allow them to cool completely? You’re right, it sounds like they were perfectly set so I am wondering if they were just too warm when cutting into?
Let me know:)