Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie Bars

Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie Bars. Say what?!?! These bars have the best of all worlds. A buttery, flaky crust? Check! Heaps of chocolate? Check! A yummy filling good enough to eat before it makes it to the oven? Double-check! Oh, and loads of pecans. Yes, please!

I’m admittedly not the biggest fan of pecan pie. If there were several pies laid out, it would not be my first (or even second) choice. But, we had chocolate chips, pecans, and a crap ton of butter, so I thought, ‘eh, why not. It’ll be something different.” I’m all about trying different recipes and avoiding going to the grocery store in the process if it’s last-minute baking going down.

PREPARING CHOCOLATE CHIP PECAN PIE BARS

I found this recipe on the Taste of Home website. Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie Bars are pretty easy to make but do require a little preparation. First, you’re going to be baking the crust from scratch, and it has to set in the refrigerator for at least an hour. The recipe states, “an hour or overnight,” but who has time for that? I, for one, wanted to try one of the bars the night I started them. Hey, I never said patience was my strongest quality!

To cut the butter into the flour, it is recommended to use a pastry cutter. I must confess that I didn’t have one of these. I started to use a fork, grew increasingly frustrated, and ultimately started just squishing it all together with my hands. It was sticky and very messy. The Amazon Fairy is now in the process of getting my shiny new pastry cutter out for delivery.

Once you start adding the ice water, you will want to add slowly. It calls for ¼ – ½ cup. For me, ¼ cup was perfect, but I poured it in small amounts and mixed it in until the dough had the consistency that I wanted. After the dough was complete, off to the fridge it went. And the waiting began. The next time you touch the dough, it will be to spread it into your baking pan.

Making the filling is extremely easy. I used my much loved KitchenAid Stand Mixer for beating the sugar and eggs together, but using a hand mixer will do the job as well. After mixing the eggs and sugar, it is merely stirring in the remaining ingredients by hand, pouring over the crust, then adding the pecans.

THE FINISHED PRODUCT

The top does tend to get very golden in color. I did the toothpick test several times despite the top getting a little dark. I ultimately took it out of the oven when the toothpick came out mostly clean.

The recipe states to wait until the bars are cool before cutting. By the time the bars finished baking, it was already 9 PM. I let them cool for a half-hour before diving in with a knife and fork.

The result? A flaky, buttery crust, a deliciously chocolate-pecan filling, and enough to give hubby and me dessert for the entire week. For an added dose of YUM, try bars warmed up and crumbled over ice cream. You can thank me later!

Print Recipe

Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie Bars

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Dessert

Serves: 36

Prep Time: 30 minutes + 1 hour chill time – Cooking Time: 50 minutes

Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie Bars are the best of all worlds. Buttery, flaky crust. Chocolatey pie filling, and heaps of pecans. Hard to resist and stop at one!

Ingredients

• CRUST
• 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup cold butter
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water
• FILLING
• 4 large eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup butter, melted and cooled
• 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2-2/3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1-1/3 cups chopped pecans

Instructions

1

In a small bowl, mix flour and salt; cut in butter until crumbly. Gradually add ice water, tossing with a fork until dough holds together when pressed. Shape into a disk; wrap in plastic. Refrigerate 1 hour or overnight.

2

Preheat oven to 350°. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to fit bottom of a 13x9-in. baking pan; press into pan. Refrigerate while preparing filling.

3

In a large bowl, beat eggs, sugar, and salt on high speed 2 minutes. Stir in flour, melted butter and vanilla. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour over crust; sprinkle with pecans.

4

Cover loosely with foil. Place on a lower oven rack; bake 20 minutes. Bake, uncovered, 30 minutes longer or until top is golden brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

5

Cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into 36 bars. Refrigerate leftovers.