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Pecan Squares

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By Jenn Segal
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With a buttery shortbread crust and rich caramel-pecan topping, these pecan squares make a wonderful potluck dessert for the holidays.

Pecan squares on a counter top.

If you’re a fan of my bourbon pecan pie and candied pecans, you’re going to love these pecan squares. A buttery shortbread crust and rich caramel-pecan topping make them truly over the top—the perfect hostess gift, treat for your co-workers, or potluck dessert for the holidays. Bonus: they’re easy to make.

What you’ll need to make pecan squares

Pecan square ingredients including corn starch, honey, and butter.

Step-by-step instructions

Begin with the shortbread crust (which, by the way, is much easier than making a homemade pie crust). Combine the flour, cornstarch, confectioners sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times until combined.

Dry ingredients in a food processor.

Toss in the pieces of butter.

Butter in a food processor with dry ingredients.

Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal with pea-size clumps of butter within.

Coarse butter and flour mixture in a food processor.

Dump the mixture into a foil-lined pan.

Flour and butter mixture in a foil-lined baking pan.

Then press firmly with your fingers into an even layer.

Pressed layer of flour and butter mixture in a foil-lined pan.

Bake until set but not browned, about 17 minutes.

Foil-lined pan with baked crust.

In the meantime, make the topping. Combine the butter, brown sugar, honey, vanilla and salt in a saucepan.

Sauce pan of butter, sugar, and flavorings.

Boil gently for a few minutes.

Sauce pan of boiling sugar mixture.

Then stir in the heavy cream and chopped pecans.

Pecans in a sauce pan with a butter mixture.

Spread the pecan mixture onto the baked crust.

Pecan mixture in a foil-lined baking sheet with a crust.

Bake until bubbling and caramel-colored.

Caramel-colored pecan mixture in a foil-lined baking sheet.

Cool completely, then transfer baked bar to cutting board.

large pecan square on foil.

Cut into squares with a sharp knife.

Cut pecan squares on foil.

Serve an enjoy!

Pecan squares on a counter top.

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Pecan Shortbread Squares

Metric Cup Measures
By Jenn Segal

With a buttery shortbread crust and rich caramel-pecan topping, these pecan squares make a wonderful potluck dessert for the holidays.

Servings: 16 (2-inch) squares
Total Time: 1 Hour

Ingredients

For the Crust

  • ¾ cup all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
  • ¼ cup cornstarch
  • ½ cup Confectioners' sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces

For the Filling

  • 12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) unsalted butter
  • ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Generous pinch salt
  • 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
  • 3 cups coarsely chopped pecans

Instructions

For the Crust

  1. Cover a 9-inch square baking pan with heavy duty aluminum foil. Push foil neatly into corners and up sides of the pan, using two pieces if necessary to ensure it overlaps all edges (the overhang will help removal from pan). Spray foiled pan with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. Place the flour, cornstarch, confectioners sugar and salt in a bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Pulse a few times to mix. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal with pea-size clumps of butter within. It will seem dry; that's okay. Transfer mixture to the prepared pan and press firmly with your fingers into an even layer over the bottom. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. While the crust is in the refrigerator, adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350° F. Bake the crust until crust is set but not browned, about 17 minutes. Set on rack to cool. Leave oven on.

For the Filling

  1. In a heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat, combine butter, brown sugar, honey, vanilla and salt. Stir with a wooden spoon until sugar dissolves. Turn up the heat and boil gently for 3 minutes. Stir in heavy cream and chopped pecans.

To Assemble and Bake

  1. Pour pecan mixture over crust (it's fine if the crust is still warm). Bake until filling is bubbling and caramel in color, about 20 minutes. Cool completely on rack. To cut, use the foil overhang to lift baked square out of pan and onto cutting board. Loosen the foil from the edges, then cut with a sharp knife into 2-inch squares. Store finished pecan squares in air-tight container and serve at room temperature.
  2. Freezer-Friendly Instructions: These can be frozen for up to 3 months. After they are completely cooled, double-wrap them securely with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap with the layers separated by wax or parchment paper. Thaw overnight on the countertop before serving.

Nutrition Information

Powered by Edamam

  • Per serving (16 servings)
  • Calories: 357
  • Fat: 29 g
  • Saturated fat: 11 g
  • Carbohydrates: 26 g
  • Sugar: 18 g
  • Fiber: 2 g
  • Protein: 3 g
  • Sodium: 88 mg
  • Cholesterol: 41 mg
Nutritional Data Disclaimer

This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.

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Comments

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  • Hi Jenn! I don’t like using aluminum foil to bake. Can I use parchment paper instead?

    • Sure, Betty – that’s fine. 🙂

      • Thank you! I have tried at least 10 of your recipes and they are all delicious. Also, your cookbook is absolutely fabulous!

      • I do t have cornstarch could i skip it?

        • — Mackenzie Thomas
        • Reply

        • Yes, you can replace with more flour. Enjoy!

    • Has anyone used walnuts instead of pecans?

  • I really want to make this but do not have a food processor. Is it necessary or can I make it another way? Thanks!

    • Hi Angela, If you have one, a stand mixer will work, or you can mix it by hand. Just put the flour, corn starch, Confectioners sugar, and salt in a bowl and whisk to combine. Add the butter and, using a pastry blender or two knives, “cut” the butter in until the mixture resembles a coarse meal with pea-size clumps of butter. Hope you enjoy!

  • Absolute perfection, best pecan squares I have ever tasted…..and I made them!!

  • I made these for a pecan lover using a gluten free flour blend. She loves them. Her husband, who has a VERY HIGH standard for pecan treats, gave them his wholehearted approval. I like them too! Thank you Jenn.

  • Perfect for my Thursday afternoon bridge group! Everyone loved them and several people asked for the recipe. Super easy, too! Thanks Jen! Happy Holidays

    • — Judith Richardson
    • Reply

  • These are easy to make, and simply outstanding!

    • — Meredith Griffith
    • Reply

  • Make these every year. I love them, fast to make and all the guests enjoy them!

    • A very buttery and comforting carmel nut square. To lower calories and cost as pecans are expensive, I reduced the sugar in both the crust and filling along with pecans to 2 cups. Still very tasty.

  • I make these little slices of awesomeness a lot, and my friends adore them.
    I think they only invite me to their house so I will bring them!!
    The only thing I do differently to your recipe is, as I dont like honey, use maple syrup for the topping. Truly wonderful, thank you for the recipe.

  • Never made Pecan squares, never eaten one. I love Pecan pie though. I still wanted to make it. When I started searching for a recipe I stumbled upon your recipe. Reading all the reviews I decided to follow this recipe. Made it for Thanksgiving party. Everyone loved it so much, even my sister-in-law who doesn’t like sweets. It was a hit. Will always make it. Thanks so much for sharing your recipe. Jini

  • These were unbelievably delicious. Very bad for calorie counting but the best tasting pecan squares ever! Thanks for all your delicious recipes.

  • Hello Jennifer

    Would it make a difference In the end result to sub gluten Free flour in the base of this recipe? Has anyone tried it? Thanks
    Nancy

    • Hi Nancy, a number of readers have commented that they’ve made the base with gluten-free flour and have gotten good results. Enjoy!

    • I made it using cup for cup gluten free flour which has corn starch as one of the primary ingredients. I made the recipe as written, adding in 1/4 cup of corn starch and if I were to do it again I would skip the corn starch and use more flour instead. The shortbread came out very starchy. Otherwise it worked.

  • DELICIOUS! An absolute hit!! Its just perfect!
    xo
    Neha

  • These are DELICIOUS. I want to mix some cocoa powder in for a chocolate kick. How much powder would you recommend? TIA

    • So glad you enjoy them, Counselo. I’d probably just sprinkle some chocolate chips under the pecans, but if you want to go with cocoa powder, 2 tablespoons or so should do it.

      • Love this recipe! I made it last year for Thanksgiving and they were such a hit. I just made them again this year and they look great! Love them more than a pecan pie!
        Cynthia

        • — Cynthia MacMaster
        • Reply

      • Just reporting back. I used dark chocolate chips sprinkled on the warm shortbread which melted perfectly while I made the fulling. Unbelievably delicious. Everyone raved.

        But your original recipe is better without the chocolate. Thanks for all your work Jenn! You help make life yummy! 😋

        • Thanks for reporting back, Conselo! 🙂

        • Thanks for reporting back — glad everyone enjoyed them! 🙂

  • Questions:
    1. If I make these Pecan squares the day before Thanksgiving, should I place the storage container in the refrigerator, and take them out of refrigerator a few hours before they will be served?

    2. I can’t find chopped pecans (only pecan halves). I am hesitant to put them in the cuisinart because it is so uneven in its chopping. What do you suggest?

    • — Janet Rosenblatt
    • Reply

    • Hi Janet, You could refrigerate them and bring to room temp before serving, but it’s not necessary — they keep nicely in a covered container at room temperature for days. As for the pecans, I’d chop them with a knife. Hope that helps!

      • Re: chopping Pecans; you can put the pecans in a ziploc bag and bash them with a rolling pin!! This will produce a variety of pecan bits sizes

    • Love these and so much easier than making pecan pie! I did however use the Measure to Measure and Swerve ( gluten free and sugar substitute) I topping was perfect, but the crust was blah… but gluten free so expected. Ha. Next time I make, I will use larger baking dish or only use 2/3 of crust mixture. But it’s a win win!

      • — Kristen Buchanan
      • Reply

  • The recipe is delicious. I have made this several times, but can I double this recipe and what size pan should is use if doubled ? Thanks Nancy

    • Glad you like it, Nancy! You can double and divide the recipe between two 9-inch square pans. If you don’t have two 9-inch dishes, you can use a 9 x 13 dish, but the whole mixture won’t fit, so I’d only make 1.5 times the recipe. Hope that helps!

  • this recipe is a true winner.

  • These are delicious! I’ve made them a couple times already. I would like to make them ahead for Thanksgiving. Do you recommend freezing them without cutting and then cutting once thawed?

    • Glad you like these! You really can go either way, but I’d air on the side of cutting them before freezing.

  • Absolutely fabulous!!! I have made Maida Heatters Pecan Bars for years and your recipe is better! I made the recipe exactly as written. I made these to prep ahead for Thanksgiving this year and needed to wrap my cookie tin in plastic and packing tape to keep my husband from eating them.😂😂😂Thank you Jenn for this fabulous recipe!

    • — Nanci Hirschorn
    • Reply

  • I made this recipe twice back to back. The flavor is incredible! However these bars literally fall apart which makes it very difficult to serve at the potluck I had in mind. The first time I followed the directions to a T. The second time I cut back the filling butter by 2 Tbsp, boiled the filling mix on the stovetop for an extra 3 minutes and even increased the baking time at the end by 5 minutes, hoping for a more “set” bar to no avail. These are seriously so delicious that I still would not hesitate to make and serve at home, but would love to have some suggestions on how to make a sturdier bar that would be easier to bring along?

    • Hi Peggy, you mentioned that you’d like these to be a bit sturdier – – are they crumbly when you go to slice them or is the filling gooey/not set?

      • Both I’m afraid 🤦🏻‍♀️ What am I doing wrong? I even waited for an hour + before I cut them but still the same result. They were still delicious mind you! I just threw them in muffin liners so they could be easily handled and eaten but would love them to maintain their bar shape

        • Hi Peggy, That’s a bit of a head-scratcher as I’m not sure where you may have gone wrong. There’s a chance they were a bit underbaked, so next time you make them, I’d leave them in the oven a touch longer to see if you get better results.

          • Thank you Jenn for taking the time to respond! I will try that! I appreciate all the awesome recipes that you share, bought your cookbook and have spread the word 😉 your site has been my go-to for every potluck and special occasion for more than 3 years!

            • — Peggy Martin

          • Could the cornstarch be old?

            • — Carol Baran

          • Hi Carol, I don’t think it’s the cornstarch. If you’re using the exact ingredients and keeping the quantities the same as the recipe indicates, I truly don’t know what could be causing the problem. You mentioned that you let them cool for at least an hour. If you try them again, I would suggest letting them cool for at least several hours or overnight.

            • — Jenn

  • This was my first time making pecan shortbread squares and oh my lord, these are amazing ! Had to test them before giving them to my husband to bring to his work place, but they’re so good, now there may not be enough left for him to bring!
    I love that no matter what recipe I choose in Jenn’s book/blog, the dish is a success! Thank you Jenn! ❤️

    • — Frenchie cooking mom
    • Reply

  • If I brown the butter for the crust, should I wait until the butter re-solidifies and is cold to incorporate it into the flour mixture, or is it acceptable to use the melted butter in the crust? If it’s the latter, do you know how melted butter will affect the crust? Will it be less flaky? Thank you!

    • Grace, these squares have so much flavor that it’s really not necessary to brown the butter. That said, if you do choose to brown it, I think you can add it to the flour still in its melted form. I don’t think the crust will be as flaky with the melted butter but will still be good. Hope that helps!

  • I made these for Easter. Everyone was taking seconds. Very easy recipe😀

  • I made these for Christmas and everyone raved about them! Can these be frozen? I’d like to make them ahead for an Easter dessert.

    • Sure, Pam, they freeze well. 🙂

  • Delicious! I decided to use half & half and it was still great. A little rich for me so next time I might cut down a little on the honey + sugar. But overall – a hit!

  • These were absolutely divine. I don’t like overly sweet desserts, and I thought the filling was perfect. The only thing was the crust seemed almost too buttery. When the bars were very cold it was not quite as noticeable, but I almost got a greasy , overly buttery taste. I wondered if I cut the butter amount. I see you told someone else to cut back about 2 Tbsp. when her butter leaked from the crust. I think I will try that. Even with the crust issue, this recipe is a keeper. I can see a scoop of vanilla ice cream over the bars, and if they last to get to the freezer, that is a big plus.

    • — Laura Migliore
    • Reply

    • My butter leaked too, but it doesn’t seem that it affected the taste. The squares were swimming in butter on the bottom, even after cooling. I laid paper towels underneath them before I cut them to absorb the butter, and that seemed to work.

  • The flavor on these were absolutely amazing! I had a problem with how hard they came out though. Almost like a Brittle texture versus a pie. Is that how they are supposed to be or did I perhaps over cook it?

    • Hi Kathy, Sounds like maybe they were a little overcooked — they are a definitely sturdier than a slice of pie but not hard like brittle. Hope that helps!

  • Made these today, used walnuts instead of pecans, asked my husband to cut them into squares, and freeze them. He felt then need to “trim the edges off”, I’m lucky there were any left to freeze! He says they are absolutely delicious.
    This is one of about 10 of your recipes, that I have tried, all have been so very good. I’m doing your cranberries, gravy, mashed potatoes and Thai coleslaw for Christmas this year, really helps, that I can do so many dishes ahead of time. Have a tenderloin in the fridge, waiting to be used with your wine sauce. Thanks for all of these recipes, they
    are amazing!

    • — Barbara Heatherington
    • Reply

  • These are awesome. I added a bag of dark chocolate chips on top in the last 5 minutes of baking and the spread out the chocolate when I took them out of the oven. Delicious!

  • WOW! These were delicious, and so easy! I have a gluten and milk allergies and making a great pie dough without gluten – for me- is impossible. Problem solved with these yummy pecan shortbread squares, they’re like having a mini pecan pie! Substituted Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 baking flour, Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free cornstarch and soy creamer for the heavy cream. Yay! Thanks so much Jen for yet another knock-out recipe. (For some reason it’s not letting me select any stars…but it’s 5 star!)

  • Hi Jenn,
    Thank you for sharing so many delicious recipes! I made 3 pans of these bars recently and they all came out perfectly, but then I made it again and it seemed like butter leaked out and puddled under the shortbread crust while it was in the oven the second time with the topping on it. I followed the recipe both times and didn’t do anything differently the second time around, I have no idea why it wasn’t as successful. Any idea what might have happened?

    • Hi Lesley, sorry to hear you had a bit of a problem this time around. It sounds like maybe the crust “weeped” a little butter. If you try them again, try cutting the butter back (for the crust) buy 2 Tbsp.

  • My family loved these! They freeze well:)

  • These pecan bars are the best. I’ve tried several different recipes and this one wins.

  • My family loves pecan pie and these squares are fantastic! I have 3 teenage boys and a husband who loves to eat every 2 hours, so I always have to have treats and snacks available. This is on my weekly rotation of baked goods. Jenn your recipe is so easy to follow and as always comes out perfect. Thank you.

  • I love these. I make them ahead of time and freeze them.
    I have found if I put them in the refrig for a few hours or even overnight , they cut cleaner and easier. Love these.

    • What would the measurements be like if I make this in a 9×13 pan?

      • Hi Lauren, you’ll need to make 1.5 times the recipe, so just multiply all the ingredients by 1.5. Hope that helps!

  • Easy to make and delicious.

  • LET ME TELL YOU, THIS RECIPE IS OH SOOOO AMAZING. VERY EASY & THEY TURNED OUT PERFECT!!😉 THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR A FABULOUS RECIPE, THEY WERE A HUGE HIT! WILL DEFINATELY FOLLOW YOU TO TRY MORE❤❤❤

  • I have made these bars several times! Always a big hit, love that you get a hint of honey in each bite. Great sweet treat, it is easy to cut and serve in smaller bites for times when you may have several desserts to be sampled.

  • I just finished my 3rd batch of these. They are a huge hit with everyone. I’m never going to serve traditional pecan pie ever again. Thanks for the great recipe!

  • I have made these three Thanksgivings in a row. They are always a hit! This year, 2 days before Thanksgiving, there was not a pecan to be found in my town, so, I made them with walnuts instead. Still fabulous! Thanks, Jenn!

    • — Roberta Richardson
    • Reply

  • I made it yesterday and it was so good. I used granulated sugar instead of confectioner for crust and it still turned out really good. If you love love love pecans, this is the recipe for you.

    Thank you Jenn for the wonderful recipe.

  • Hi Jenn, thank you for another wonderful recipe. I made this as one of our desserts during our thanksgiving dinner, every one loved it, particularly my stepmom and my dad, sadly they’re both diabetic, if I lessen the amount of sugar used in this recipe, would I have to alter the rest of the ingredients as well? Thank you.

  • I made these last minute as an addition to our thanksgiving menu! They were OUTSTANDING! The only thing I did differently was I used only 2 cups of pecan because that was all I had. They still turned out amazing! This is a recipe that I will be copying down on a recipe card to go in my box. 5 stars!! Thanks for sharing!!

  • Thanks for your immediate reply. I did venture out the day before Thanksgiving to get the Heavy Cream. I hit it at the exact perfect time. No lines, no shoppers and was in and out in 15 min. The bars were just as I remembered them from the party. Really wonderful. A southern bell at the dinner thought they were better than her pecan pie recipe that was handed down from her grandmother. She complemented me numerous times. I used “Non Stick Reynolds Wrap”. I really love that product. Your web sight is the best sight I have ever seen. Very easy to get recipes and the pictures are great. Then to have you answer questions is really above and beyond. Very exceptional and thanks.

    • You’re so welcome, Diane – glad they were a hit!

  • I made these today–for Thanksgiving tomorrow–and half of them are already gone! Oh no! They are too fantastic; we just couldn’t resist! These bars are better than the traditional pecan pie in that the ratio has much more pecans than “goo”, and the filling/binder is not as sweet and mushy. The bars are easier to serve than pie slices, too. Thank you for another outstanding recipe. Wishing you (and all your readers) a fabulous holiday season!

  • Love these!

  • I HAD THESE LAST YEAR AT A FLOWER ARRANGING AND LUNCHEON EVENT. THEY WERE WONDERFUL. I WILL MAKE THEM THIS YEAR TO TAKE TO THANKSGIVING DINNER. I HAVE EVERYTHING EXCEPT THE HEAVY WHIPPING CREAM. SINCE IT IS ONLY 2 TB. IS THERE A SUBSTITUTE I COULD USE? DON’T WANT TO GO TO A STORE TOMORROW!

    • Glad you like these! The cream helps bind the topping together. I’ve never omitted it, but my guess is that it should be fine. Please LMK how they turn out!

  • Hi Jenn, I will make this for Thanksgiving. Can I refrigerate the crust more than 15 mins (overnight) and bake next day? I want to do as much as possible the day before and want to bake the fresh one on Thanksgiving day. Thanks!

  • These were super easy and super delicious! If you love pecan pie consider baking these instead! Holy moly delicious! On to the perfect pumpkin pie!

  • Hi ~

    Can I line the pan with parchment instead? I don’t like cooking with foil.
    Can’t wait to try!
    Thank you-

    • Sure, Linda – that’ll work well. 🙂

  • Hi Jenn
    Can this recipe be made in a 8 inch square glass Pyrex dish lined with heavy duty foil.
    Thanks
    Lynn

    • Yes, that should work. Enjoy!

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