Crisp, buttery shortbread topped with a pecan pie filling you don’t want to miss. These Honey Pecan Pie Shortbread Dream Bars are the perfect dessert for your fall table.

Honey Pecan Pie Shortbread Dream Bars

What’s a fall dessert table without a pecan pie of some sort? Not a table I want to be sitting at… I didn’t always love pecan pie, but as I’ve gotten older and my taste buds have become more… refined, pecan pie has found it’s way into my heart. For this recipe I’ve combined 2 of my favorite things, honey and shortbread. You guys know I love a classic pie crust and all, but when I was developing and testing this recipe I felt it was screaming to be paired with a dense, buttery, shortbread crust.

So here we have it, the perfect pecan bars with honey all piled on top of a perfect shortbread crust.

Why this recipe works

I’ll be honest with you here, pecan pie is pretty difficult to mess up. As long as you’re measuring your ingredients correctly, you bake it long enough, and you let it cool completely, it’s really not common for it to go wrong. BUT, I want to guarantee success for you guys here, so this recipe has been tested multiple times. Both the shortbread crust alone (I’ve used it in other recipes), and the filling.

You’ll notice that this recipe is a bit different than most pecan bars with shortbread crust because we’re using honey as the base for our filling. That’s right, we’re swapping out the corn syrup for honey! You’ll be amazed at how different the flavor profiles are when you make this change. Corn syrup is classically used in pecan pies, and you can absolutely opt for an equal amount of corn syrup in place of the honey, but I love the light texture and flavor the honey brings to the table.

Plus, if you have any leftover honey from the summer months, now’s your time to use it up!

Some equipment you may need…

• Stand mixer: if you’re new to baking, this is something I’d recommend saving up for. You can do so much with this one piece of equipment – I really couldn’t recommend it enough. This one from KitchenAid is the one I have in my kitchen and I don’t know that I’ll ever get a new one!
• 8-inch square pan: I love these square pans because they’re light in color and have sharp sides – which makes anything you’re baking look much more sophisticated!
• Mixing bowls: I love these glass mixing bowls from Amazon. They’re especially perfect for food photography.
• Wooden spoon: I only use wooden spoons and rubber spatulas when I’m baking, and I love these!
• Measuring cups/spoons: I’ve been linking these in all of my posts because I love them SO much! They are beautiful and look just like some other expensive ones on the market (but wayyy cheaper).

Ingredients for Honey Pecan Pie Shortbread Dream Bars

We’ll only need a few ingredients for this recipe, so be sure to grab these the next time you’re at the store!

• • All-purpose flour – I almost always use King Arthur flours, because I think consistency is important when developing recipes. Protein content can vary between brands, so I’d recommend sticking with King Arthur as well!
  • Kosher salt – Diamond crystal kosher salt is the brand I always use in my recipes!
  • Unsalted butter – we’ll be using butter in both the crust and the filling. The filling will use melted butter, so don’t forget that before you make it!
  • Light brown sugar – all brown sugar here people. Brown sugar provides more of a molasses flavor, and also leads to less browning around the edges than granulated sugar would. It creates the perfect texture and flavor for these pecan shortbread dream bars.
  • Large eggs – we’ll be using whole eggs this recipe.
  • Pure vanilla extract – this is a time you’ll want to skip the vanilla “flavoring.” It tastes incredibly artificial and you’ll wish you had used pure vanilla extract. Just look for the word “pure” on the label. Pro-tip: for extra flavor points try using vanilla bean paste. It’s a little bit more expensive but will combine with the brown sugar and brown butter in a beautiful way.
  • Honey – the star of the show. This will be the base for our bars, and I think once you make the jump from corn syrup to honey as your sweetener for pecan pie, you’ll find it hard to go back!
  • Pecan halves – probably the most critical ingredient. We can’t make pecan shortbread bars without pecans! I just use pecan halves, and there’s no need to toast them before you use them!

Possible ingredient substitutions

Light brown sugar vs dark brown sugar

Using dark brown sugar in place of light brown sugar is certainly an option for these pecan shortbread bars, though I will say I’ve tested it with both and far prefer the light brown sugar. Dark brown sugar can give almost a “molasses” flavor, and because this is the only sugar we’re using in the filling, it really stands out. I also went with light brown sugar in the shortbread crust just for some consistency throughout the recipe.

Granulated sugar

You can also use granulated sugar in place of the light brown sugar, using an equal amount. Again, I love the slight molasses flavor the brown sugar lends to, but don’t run out and grab a bag of brown sugar if it’s the only thing you need, just use granulated!

Salted butter

If you don’t have unsalted butter on hand or you’d just rather use salted butter, feel free. Just reduce the salt amount to 1/8 tsp kosher salt in the crust and 1/4 tsp kosher salt in the filling.

Corn Syrup

If you don’t have honey on hand or you’d rather just use corn syrup instead, you can swap an equal amount of either light or dark corn syrup in for the honey in the recipe. I do recommend you try it with the honey first, just so you can experience something slightly different! I’m so curious to see what you guys think of the honey, so let me know in the comments below!

How to Make Honey Pecan Shortbread Bars

Step 1 – line your baking pan

I typically grease my pan with cooking spray, then line the entire pan with parchment paper. Especially when it comes to something more on the sticky side like these bars, making sure you properly line your pan is key!

Step 2 – Add your crust

You can make your crust in the stand mixer for this recipe, then you’ll simply pour it into the bottom of the pan. You’ll notice that it’s rather crumbly when you first make it, but it’ll come together.

Step 3 – pat your crust into the corners and edges

This part is so satisfying! I my hand at first to pack down the crust, then I’ll switch to the bottom of a measuring cup (just something with a flat bottom) to get into the edges and the corners. Being sure you really pack everything down is key to a great shortbread crust!

Step 4 – Mix your filling

Now you’ll simply gather all your ingredients for the filling together and mix them all in 1 bowl! No fuss necessary, just be sure you add the pecans last.

Step 5 – Pour the filling in the hot crust and bake

Once your crust has baked for about 10 minutes, you’ll pour your filling into the hot crust. Then you’ll place the entire thing in the oven for roughly 40 minutes.

My Kitchen Tips:

Make sure the bars cool COMPLETELY

I’ll let you know, from personal experience, that there’s truly not a lot worse than thinking your pecan pie bars are finished cooling completely, only to slice into them and find that they are definitely not. The filling will ooze out of the center if they aren’t cooled properly, and this will also happen if they didn’t bake completely on the inside. You want the entire bar, from outer edge to center, to be completely set.

Serve with ice cream

If you want to eat these pecan shortbread dream bars the *right* way, you’ll want to serve them up with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Warm pecan pie that slowly melts vanilla ice cream is the most beautiful combination!

FAQs

Do I have to use honey?

The base of the filling for these honey pecan pie bars is honey, so I do recommend using the honey, but if you want to use either light or dark corn syrup instead you’re more than welcome to!

Can I use granulated sugar instead of brown sugar?

Yes, you can use granulated sugar. I’d use an equal amount of granulated sugar in both the shortbread crust and the pecan pie filling.

How to store honey shortbread pecan squares?

I keep these bars in the refrigerator in an airtight container. When I’m ready to serve them I just warm them up in the microwave.

Can I make these in advance?

Yes! I make these pecan shortbread bars in advance often. I’d recommend letting them cool completely at room temperature, then covering the entire pan with plastic wrap or foil, then placing them in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to serve them, pop them in the microwave or a 180°F oven for them to warm back up.

How to know when pecan shortbread dream bars are done

Like I said above, you want to be extra sure your bars are baked all the way through. When you touch the center of the bars it should be firm. There may be a slight jiggle in the middle, but it shouldn’t wobble too much.

How long do they need to cool?

I let my bars cool completely to room temperature. If I’m serving them that day I’ll just leave them at room temperature, but if I’ve made them in advance I’ll stick them in the refrigerator, covered, until I’m ready to serve them.

I hope you all love this simple pecan pie bar recipe as much as I (and my family) do. I hope they put you in the fall mood and I hope you (like me), also eat them year round – you’ll be hooked once you bake them once 🙂

If you make this recipe, be sure to tag me on socials @sarahsdayoff so I can see them! I love seeing what you guys create in your kitchen, it truly brings me so much joy. If you have a question about this recipe or any others on my site feel free to email me at sarah@sarahsdayoff.com and I’d be happy to chat with you.

Happy baking 🙂

Love,

Sarah

“For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.” -Psalm 30:5-