These chewy toffee pecan bars are part blondie, part cookie bar, and full on ooey-gooey delicious. The buttery pecan flavor is outrageous!
toffee pecan cookie bars are the perfect fall bake
Calling all toffee, caramel, butterscotch, blondie, butter pecan dessert lovers out there, this bar delivers it ALL and more. And it’s an easy one bowl recipe ~ wahoo! Make them now and enjoy them all fall. Make them for friends, family, co-workers, and then be sure to add them to your holiday sweets assortment, they’ll fit right in (and probably be the first to go.)
simple list of ingredients for chewy toffee pecan bars
- pecans ~ start with pecan halves, they’re freshest, and we’re toasting them for really robust flavor.
- butter ~ unsalted.
- brown sugar ~ I always use light brown unless otherwise stated. You can use dark brown sugar for a deeper caramel flavor.
- eggs ~ I always use large eggs for baking.
- all purpose flour
- vanilla extract ~ you can also use half vanilla and half almond, or all almond extract if you like.
- salt ~ it’s essential in this recipe to bring out the nutty caramel flavors. If you use salted butter, don’t add any extra.
where is the toffee in these bars?
Toffee is a hard candy made by cooking butter and brown sugar to a high heat. These bars have the flavor of toffee, without any bits of candy. If you like you can add toffee chips to the batter, I like Heath brand for that. You can use plain toffee bits, or chocolate toffee in these bars. Add about a cup.
how to tell when your bars are done
It’s a little tricky! Just like brownies and blondies, these chewy bars should not be over baked, but how to tell when they’re actually done? I look first at the edges: they should be set and just barely pulling away from the sides of the pan. The center may look slightly shiny (but not wet) and undone, but that’s ok. Check with a toothpick ~ if there’s wet gooey batter on it, bake a little longer. Otherwise, pull them out, they’ll continue to set up as they cool. The slightly under done texture is what these bars are all about!
toffee pecan bars freeze well
Wrap the bars in plastic, then in foil and they’ll stay fresh for 3 months in the freezer.
can I add chocolate chips?
Go for it! Add white, milk, or dark chips (I’d choose dark.)
can I use a different nut?
Sure, use walnuts or almonds.
more nutty dessert recipes
The BEST Maple Walnut Blondies
Chewy Toffee Pecan Bars
Equipment
- 9×13 pan
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups pecan halves
- 2 cups lightly packed brown sugar (plus a little more for sprinkling.)
- 1 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract. Alternatively use 2 teaspoons vanilla and 1 teaspoon almond extract.
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups all purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F Grease and flour your 9×13 pan, or line with parchment paper for easy removal and slicing.
- Spread the nuts out on a baking sheet and toast for 10 minutes. Let cool, then chop.
- In a large mixing bowl whisk together the brown sugar and melted butter until smooth.
- Whisk in the eggs, vanilla, and salt.
- Fold in the flour until almost fully incorporated, then fold in half of the chopped pecans.
- Turn the batter into your baking pan and spread out evenly.
- Top the batter with the remaining chopped nuts, and an extra sprinkle of brown sugar.
- Bake for about 24 minutes, or until the edges are set and the center doesn't jiggle. The bars will look slightly underdone, and that's good. You don't want to over bake these.
- Cool on a rack before slicing into bars. Note: you can slice them into 12 or 16 pieces. I recommend the smaller size because they are rich.
Nutrition
I was disappointed in the outcome. I am a very experienced baker, & because I normally make cakes and brownies, followed the directions *exactly* using metric measurements & weighing my ingredients. I did not expect the grainy texture produced, so whisked more vigorously. This did not result in the outcome of a smoother product. I will try this recipe again, but when I do, I will cream together the butter and brown sugar until very light and fluffy to see if that gives me more of the finished texture I am anticipating.
These bars are meant to be more of a chewy blondie texture Eileen, maybe you were looking for something fluffier or more cake like?
I made these for a ladies’ lunchen yesterday and they were such a hit!! Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe!
These are the absolute best. I did add a cup of Heath toffee bits and didn’t adjust any of the other ingredients or baking time. They were perfect!
Thanks for the review Arlene <3
Made these on the weekend and they are phenomenal! Husband inhaled them.
If I wanted to cut this recipe in half, what size pan should I use? There is only my husband & I, & I don’t want to eat the whole pan!! Thank you!
Just halve it and make in a 9×9 baker, that should be fine.
I just bought pecan flour; could I sub one cup or all the flour with pecan flour? I imagine it would take this recipe to the next level — even more pecan flavor! What do you think?
I would try subbing 1/2 cup of the flour Lorri, I think any more than that might make the bars not hold together very well.
Hi Sue, if I was to use almonds instead of pecans would I use chopped (that I chopped myself) or slivered or sliced? And same amount as pecans? These look so decadent!! Thanks!
Yes, almonds would be great, and I’d use the same amount. I would go with sliced, but any will work.