Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with foil, crisscrossing two pieces so they hang over the sides. Spray with nonstick cooking spray.
Prepare crust: Place flour, rolled oats, brown sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade attachment. Run the machine on medium speed to roughly chop oats and mix ingredients. Add butter and pecans then pulse until the mixture resembles a pea-sized coarse meal. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and tamp it down to an even layer. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Remove from fridge and bake for 15 minutes until set but not browned. Remove from oven.
Prepare the filling while the crust bakes: Place butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla and salt in a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat to dissolve sugar. When the mixture begins to gently boil, stir constantly for 3 minutes. Add heavy cream and pecans. Stir together and remove mixture from heat.
Pour mixture over crust. Transfer to preheated oven smoothing it out to an even layer. Bake for 20 minutes or until filling is bubbling and caramelized.
Remove from oven and cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
To serve: Gently lift square out of pan, pull foil sides down from edges. Cut into 2-inch squares. 2-inch square pieces can also be quartered into smaller bite size treats.
Pecan Pie Squares
Ingredients
For the crust:
¾ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
½ cup rolled oats
¼ cup packed dark brown sugar
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup butter (1 stick), cubed
½ cup pecans, finely chopped
For the filling:
1 ½ sticks butter
¾ cup packed golden yellow sugar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons 35% cream
2 cups pecans, roughly chopped
1 cup whole pecans, if preferred
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with foil, crisscrossing two pieces so they hang over the sides. Spray with nonstick cooking spray.
Prepare crust: Place flour, rolled oats, brown sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade attachment. Run the machine on medium speed to roughly chop oats and mix ingredients. Add butter and pecans then pulse until the mixture resembles a pea-sized coarse meal. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and tamp it down to an even layer. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Remove from fridge and bake for 15 minutes until set but not browned. Remove from oven.
Prepare the filling while the crust bakes: Place butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla and salt in a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat to dissolve sugar. When the mixture begins to gently boil, stir constantly for 3 minutes. Add heavy cream and pecans. Stir together and remove mixture from heat.
Pour mixture over crust. Transfer to preheated oven smoothing it out to an even layer. Bake for 20 minutes or until filling is bubbling and caramelized.
Remove from oven and cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
To serve: Gently lift square out of pan, pull foil sides down from edges. Cut into 2-inch squares. 2-inch square pieces can also be quartered into smaller bite size treats.
Pecan Pie Squares
5 / 5. 2
A caramel-flavoured pecan pie topping baked over a shortbread base that’s studded with pecans…
These PECAN PIE SQUARES may very well be the essential weekend treat.
This recipe is for everyone needing a sweet treat for family and weekend guests. In a way, it’s like a mash-up of two favourite types of confections – homemade pie meets dessert squares. It ranks top on our list of must-make desserts because the recipe is easy to prepare, serve and enjoy. Yup, these PECAN PIE SQUARES are pretty and perfect!
Now, on to the good stuff. Here are the details on PECAN PIE SQUARES:
PECANS
You say “pee-cans”, I say “pe-cahns”… LOL! Let’s face it, no matter how you say it, PECANS are delicious. Unconvinced? Try our SPICY CANDIED PECANS or these pecan-studded CINNAMON BUNS.
But they’re not just tasty – pecans are good for us too. Many of the health benefits from pecans come from their unsaturated fat and fibre content, as well as their healthy fat content and low carbohydrate levels, preventing spikes in blood sugar. They really shine in this recipe where we use them in both the base and the filling. Yup, it’s all about pecans!
SHORTBREAD BASE
We originally tested this recipe using the same shortbread crust from these LEMON SQUARES. Don’t get me wrong, that base is fabulous, but we really wanted to highlight the nutty flavouring of these treats. Working finely chopped pecans, dark brown sugar and rolled oats into the dough (think pie crust), gave this recipe the perfect flavour.
Please make sure to watch the attached VIDEO to see how we put our food processor to good use. It made crafting this part of the recipe a breeze.
PECAN PIE FILLING
The filling for this homemade squares recipe contains the usual suspects; butter, sugar and a pinch of salt. We purposely left out corn syrup, large eggs and molasses from the recipe and worked in golden yellow sugar partnered with pure Canadian maple syrup and vanilla extract instead. Bringing those ingredients to a soft boil with the melted butter nailed those caramel notes we were after.
Adding the pecans and cream rounds out the pecan pie vibe. Note: I add two cups of pecan pieces plus another cup of whole pecans. I think seeing the pecans on the top of the finished squares makes them more visually appealing. It’s not necessary, but if you like the look of our version, add that little extra step.
THE BAKE
Baking this snack/dessert requires a bit of vigilance. Ideally, we are looking for the pecan filling to be bubbling vigorously at the 20-minute mark. If it starts to dome, the squares will be overdone.
Let the bubbling centre and aroma of toasted nuts be your guide. We found the total time of 20 minutes in the oven is spot on.
TO SERVE
Repeat after me; I will not try to lift the giant square up and out of the pan until it’s completely cooled. We know it’s tempting, but don’t. Lifting it too early may result in misshapen squares, a crumbly base and weepy filling. Perfectly shaped squares are your goal. Patience and keeping your cool on this one is your friend.
Once you have successfully removed the large cooled square from the pan, simply give the foil a gentle pull along the edges and cut into 2-inch squares, 16 in total. If you’re looking for something closer to a pecan pie bars recipe, just cut rectangles instead.
Preparing a holiday baking tray? Quarter those 2-inch squares into tiny 1-inch squares to make a perfect bite-sized version. You can also get a head start on Thanksgiving or Christmas because these squares freeze well too. Prepare them in advance, freeze them, and they’re all set to go for the holidays.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with foil, crisscrossing two pieces so they hang over the sides. Spray with nonstick cooking spray.
Prepare crust: Place flour, rolled oats, brown sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade attachment. Run the machine on medium speed to roughly chop oats and mix ingredients. Add butter and pecans then pulse until the mixture resembles a pea-sized coarse meal. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and tamp it down to an even layer. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Remove from fridge and bake for 15 minutes until set but not browned. Remove from oven.
Prepare the filling while the crust bakes: Place butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla and salt in a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat to dissolve sugar. When the mixture begins to gently boil, stir constantly for 3 minutes. Add heavy cream and pecans. Stir together and remove mixture from heat.
Pour mixture over crust. Transfer to preheated oven smoothing it out to an even layer. Bake for 20 minutes or until filling is bubbling and caramelized.
Remove from oven and cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
To serve: Gently lift square out of pan, pull foil sides down from edges. Cut into 2-inch squares. 2-inch square pieces can also be quartered into smaller bite size treats.
