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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.
Made these today, they were so good! The gooey layer on top slightly soaks into the soft bottom layer. I loved the flavor of the maple syrup, chocolate and little bit of salt together. I will definitely remake these in fall!
Hey Eden,
Amazing!! Love to hear that this recipe turned out nicely for you, thanks for trying it! xx
What do you think about adding coconut to this recipe?
I think that would be super yummy! xT
Can they be frozen
Yes you can definitely freeze these! 🙂 xT
I wanted to hop in here and help the rating with so many naysayers in the comments. These were delicious and a hit both at a friends dinner party and my small group.
I think all of us (myself included) have been trained to expect a chewy crust with a pecan pie. This takes a twist with a cushiony cake-like crust, but still quite good.
I think my bigger complaint, personally is that I used dark chocolate and that dominated the flavor so much that I was missing the pecans. If I were to make it again I might reduce the chocolate or switch to milk chocolate to bring the pecans more forward.
As always, HBH is my go to resource for new recipes and I’m never disappointed. Thanks, Tieghan! 🫶🏻
Hey Jamie,
Thanks so much for your message and making this recipe! I love to hear that it turned out well for you and appreciate your feedback! xT
These bars are amazing! I read the comments about crust – this is definitely NOT a shortbread crust. I LOVE that about these bars. The crust is more like a soft cookie, which IMO, makes for the perfect pecan pie bar. But that is just personal preference. The addition of chocolate (and bourbon) just adds to the delicious flavor profile. They are a fan favorite. I may never make pecan pie again…
Hey Michelle,
Amazing!! So glad to hear that this dish turned out well for you, thanks for making it and your feedback! xT
Similar issues as other commenters, the crust if following the recipe is way too wet and can’t be spread in the pan. I added almost a cup of extra flour to to get it to form into a ball that could be pressed into the pan. At that point when it was baked the crust rose and was almost over half an inch thick with little flavor. Completely ruined the bars as it overpowered the lovely moist chocolate pecan layer. If making these would recommend finding a different crust recipe.
The crust dough did not form into a ball for me, even after adding additional flour. Once I baked it it had more of a bland cake flavor.
Hi Bridget,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear you had some issues with the dough! Did you use a stand mixer? How much extra flour did you use? Let me know how I can help! xx
Hi! I’m thinking of making these for an upcoming Friendsgiving. I have some Chinese 5 spice left over from a previous recipe I’ve been looking for ways to use. I thought adding a bit to the pecan mixture might be good. Do you think that would work in this recipe? Thank you!
Hi Jake,
I probably wouldn’t recommend that for this recipe:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Made these for a potluck, and followed the recipe (although I did double the vanilla extract in the base layer). They were delicious and everyone loved them! I would probably bake the bottom layer a little more (I did 10 min), as the pecan filling does soften the base, but other than that, they were wonderful!
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try! So happy to hear it was enjoyed! Have an awesome week! xT
If I were to add some corn flakes & marshmallows for even more fun texture & flavor would you change anything else to the recipe?!
Hey Jessica,
I’ve never tried adding these ingredients to this recipe so I’m not sure of the results. Let me know if you give the recipe a try! xT
I am a big follower of yours and I was not happy with the crust. It was very wet and very hard to spread. I added more flour. And after baking it it was not like yours. The filling tasted good, but cooked very fast. Not a fan of this one. I baked this for Xmas but after it’s done, I will have to look to bake a different one.
Hi Holly,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear you had some issues. I would have tried to just spread it as best you could without adding the flour. Again, sorry for any trouble! xT
These taste great but I have to say that I don’t like the crust. It is cake- like and is softened by the fulling. I think a shortbread like crust would have worked better. I’d leave out the egg and use maple extract rather than the syrup.
Thanks for trying the recipe and sharing your feedback Cathy! Sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy the crust! xx
Tieghan. Merry Christmas
Going to make as is for Hubby and family. They will love it. I cannot eat brown choc. And was gifted macadamia nuts.
Going to try using White choc and mac nuts for me. What do you think? Will chop Mac nuts in half. thanks.
Hey Leslie,
Sounds yummy!! Let me know how the recipe turns out, I hope it’s delish! xx
Can these be frozen after baking?
Hi Alex,
Sure, that would be okay for you to do! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx