Sweetened with maple syrup and not corn syrup, these Maple Pecan Pie Bars are the perfect addition to your holiday dessert table! Plus, there’s no tricky pie crust to roll out!

Don’t have time to make a full pie for the holidays? These Maple Pecan Pie Bars are a great alternative to getting your taste of pecan pie in without all of the work!

Based off of our Honey Pecan Pie Bars, these bars get a maple twist. Pure maple syrup and a hint of maple extract give an extra boost of fall flavor to a traditional pecan pie.

Since these are bars, there is no tricky pie crust to roll out. All you have to do is press the crust into the pan. Super simple.

While these maple pecan pie bars still have some brown sugar and butter in them, you won’t find any corn syrup and the amount of butter is significantly less than your typical pecan pie.

And guess what? You won’t notice the missing butter or corn syrup.

These bars are still rich, sweet, and full of nutty pecan pie flavor!

How to Make Maple Pecan Pie Bars

To make these bars, start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Next, line an 8×8 inch baking dish with aluminum foil. Butter or spray with non-stick cooking spray the bottom and sides of the foiled pan.

You don’t want to skip this as the bars will stick and make it really hard to remove them from the pan!

The crust is really simple. In the bowl of your stand mixer, cream together the butter and brown sugar.

Add in the all-purpose flour and the salt. Beat until crumbly. It will look dry, but will hold together when pressed.

Firmly press the mixture in the bottom of your prepared baking dish. Use the bottom of a glass to press the mixture into the baking dish if you want to keep your hands from getting dirty. Bake for 15 minutes.

Prepare the filling while the crust is baking.

Combine the butter, brown sugar, pure maple syrup (not pancake syrup!), and half and half in a small saucepan over medium heat.

Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly to prevent scorching. The mixture should be simmering evenly across the bottom of the pan.

Allow to simmer for one minute, and remove from the heat to a cooling rack. Stir in vanilla extract, maple extract (if you are using it), and chopped pecans.

Remove the crust from the oven to a cooling rack. Spread pecan filling over the crust.

Return to the oven, and bake for an additional 17 minutes.

Carefully (the filling will still be boiling!) remove the baking dish from the oven to a wire rack to cool.

I like to let the bars cool for 30-40 minutes and then cover them, stick them on a trivet, and put them in the fridge to finish cooling and setting up.

Lift cooled bars out of baking dish. Cut into pieces, and enjoy! You don’t want to try cutting the bars before they have cooled and set up as the filling with be somewhat runny.

Store leftovers tightly covered.

Tips for Success

• Don’t skip the step of buttering or spraying your aluminum foil. The bars will stick.
• I like to lightly spray the bottom of the baking dish before lining the pan with foil just in case any of the filling boils over the edge. This ensures that you can still lift the bars out of the pan.
• If you don’t want to get your hands dirty, use the bottom of a glass to press the crust into the bottom of your baking dish.
• When bringing your maple syrup mixture to a simmer, start the one minute count down when the mixture is evenly simmering across the entire bottom of the pan.
• I like to let the bars cool for 30-40 minutes and then cover them, stick them on a trivet, and put them in the fridge to finish cooling and setting up.

Love easiness of pie bars? More pie bar recipes to try!

• Swirled Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Bars
• Raspberry French Silk Pie Bars
• Coconut Cream Pie Bars