I am so obsessed with maple syrup, I absolutely adore the stuff. I mean obviously it's sweet and delicious, but it's origin also fascinates me because it comes out of a tree! Maple syrup is primarily produced in Quebec, Canada and what they do is drain the sap from the tree then reduce it to a syrup, so it involves very little processing to create this gorgeous golden liquid. I just knew I had to use it in these Maple Pecan Pie Bars!
They have a buttery shortbread base, and are topped with a gooey maple caramel, plenty of pecans and a sprinkle of salt. Another great thing about maple syrup is that although it's a type of sugar, it much better for you than refined sugars as it is a natural product, has higher levels of antioxidants than other sugars and contains more minerals too like zinc and manganese!
How to make Maple Pecan Pie Bars
To make the shortbread base, mix together sugar and butter, then add vanilla extract and plain flour until a dough forms.
Press it into a lined square baking tin and baked it for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, add the maple syrup, light brown sugar and butter into a pan and melt them together.
Boil the mixture for 3 minutes, then very slowy, whisking as you pour, add the eggs and milk to the maple syrup mixture. Then stir in the vanilla and pecans.
Pour the topping over the cooked base and put it back in the oven for 30 minutes. Let it cool fully, then chill it in the fridge before slicing.
Tips for making the Maple Pecan Pie Bars:
- It is much easier to cut the bars when they've been chilled in the fridge as it sets the filling better. I recommend using a serrated knife to cut through the nutty topping using a gentle sawing action.
- If you don't have golden caster sugar for the biscuit base, you can use regular white caster sugar instead.
- The salt on top is optional, but trust me it adds such a great flavour dimension! Very similar to salted caramel!!
- I've never tried this with other nuts but I'm sure it would work well with walnuts, almond and hazelnuts.
Recommended equipment & ingredients*
*I earn a small amount of money if you buy the products after clicking on the links. You will not be charged anything extra for this. Thank you for supporting The Baking Explorer!
More pecan recipes...
Ingredients
For the shortbread base
- 80 g Golden caster sugar
- 200 g Butter
- 225 g Plain flour
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
For the maple pecan topping
- 100 g Maple syrup
- 125 g Light brown sugar
- 80 g Butter
- 2 Eggs large
- 1 tbsp Milk
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 250 g Chopped pecans
- 1 tsp Coarse sea salt for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 160C Fan/180C/350F/Gas Mark 4, line a 8" square tin with greaseproof paper. I grease the tin first with a little butter to help the paper stick to it
- To make the shortbread biscuit base mix the golden caster sugar and butter together into a bowl until creamy, using a spoon, or an electric mixer if you have one
- Add the plain flour and vanilla, and mix in
- Tip the mixture into the tin and press it down with your fingers until compact and even
- Bake the shortbread biscuit base for 20-25 minutes, until lightly golden
- For the topping, put the maple syrup, light brown sugar and butter into a pan and melt them together on a low heat
- Bring the mixture to a boil and boil for 3 minutes - stirring constantly - then remove from the heat
- In a bowl whisk the eggs, vanilla and milk together
- Add the egg mixture to the maple syrup mixture very slowly, add a little bit and whisk as you add it
- Then stir in the chopped pecans
- Pour the topping over the cooked base and put it back in the over for 30 minutes
- Let it cool fully before removing from the tin and cutting into squares, I also highly recommend chilling it in the fridge to make it easier to cut
- Store in an airtight container in a cool place and eat within 3 days
Kate Glutenfreealchemist
I'm with you Kat..... Maple syrup is divine! Your maple pecan pie bars sound too good..... next time make them with gluten free flour and send some over please! xx
Kat BakingExplorer
Thank you Kate!
Haf
I made these yesterday and they were so delicious! everyone loved them and I'll definitely be making them again! thanks for the wonderful recipe Kat !
Charlotte Oates
Maple and pecan danish is my favourite so I'm sure I'd love these bars!
Kat BakingExplorer
Oh if you like those danishes then you'd love these!
Colette Devereux
Hello! Looking to make these for a gluten-free friend...do I simply swap the plain flour out for gluten-free power?
Thanks so much!
thebakingexplorer
Hi Colette, I've never made these gluten free, but yes I think that doing a straight swap of the flours will be the best thing to do. Let me know how it goes!
Haf
i made these yesterday because i love maple and pecan and it did not disappoint! they were so delicious, I'll definitely be making them again ! thanks for the wonderful recipe Kat!
Jade
Hello! I’m out of maple syrup.. Am I able to use golden syrup?
thebakingexplorer
Hi Jade, I've not tried these bars with golden syrup, so I'm not sure if it will work. If you try it let me know how it goes!
Polly
I love pecan pie so I just had to make these bars. I made them with walnuts and they were delicious. They would be perfect for a picnic.
Gemma McMillan
WOW! I love pecan pie and this recipe is just amazing! Gorgeous maple caramel flavour and the sea salt on top just tops them off! Will definitely be baking again!! 😀 xxx
Clare hopkins
Hi can I freeze these? I’ve just made them and need them to hurry up and cool so I can have a taster!!!
thebakingexplorer
Hi Clare, do you mean to make them cool quicker? I've never tried this but you may run the risk of the outside being frozen and the inside still being soft/warm. They are best cooled in the fridge. Trust me they are worth the wait!
Lydia Downey
Having had a sudden craving for something maple-y and pecan-y I came across this delicious recipe whilst searching Pinterest, and it straight away looked and sounded like it would tick all my boxes. Now that I've made them I can confirm that these bars are truly divine and the recipe was incredibly easy to follow. The only problem will be trying not to eat the entire tray by myself...
thebakingexplorer
Hi Lydia! I'm so pleased you found my recipe and that you like it so much - I too struggle with not eating the whole batch 😀
Joy LUCAS
Can these be made ahead and frozen?
thebakingexplorer
Hi Joy, I haven't tried freezing them but I think it will be ok. You can freeze most things.
Liyana
I’ve made these a few times and always a crowd pleaser. I’m wanting to double the recipe using a larger baking pan. Do i double the baking time? Thank you
thebakingexplorer
Hi Liyana, I'm so pleased to hear you've made these a few times and enjoyed them! Unfortunately I've not made them in a bigger pan, so I can't be 100% sure on baking time. I would suggest checking them after the usual baking time, then checking in 5-10 minutes intervals depending how they look. Let me know how it goes!
Carm
Silly question but how big is your baking pan? I have several sizes.
thebakingexplorer
Hi Carm, it's not silly at all! I used an 8" square tin for this recipe. If you're ever looking for tin sizes again, I always detail them in the recipe card 🙂
Cassie
Great recipe! Made them with gluten-free flour, walnuts and added a little rum!
thebakingexplorer
Thanks so much for the lovely feedback Cassie!