Brown Butter & Miso Pecan Pie Bars

These pecan pie bars pair a buttery pecan shortbread base with a nutty, brown butter & miso pecan pie topping. They’re super gooey & packed full of flavour!

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If you’re a pecan pie fan, you’re going to love these pecan pie bars! They’re a quicker, easier version of a classic pecan pie but they’re just as delicious.

To make a batch of pecan pie bars, you make a shortbread biscuit base, which is baked on its’ own to begin with then top it with a classic pecan pie filling then bake again, until it is just set. Now, if you combine a biscuit base with a pecan pie topping, it’s always going to taste good. However, there’s a few things that we can do to take these dessert bars to another level!

First, we’re going to be making a pecan & vanilla shortbread for the base, to give our pecan bars an extra nutty flavour & crunchier texture. Then for the topping, we’re going to be making a pecan pie filling with brown butter, toasted milk powder, brown sugar, a small amount of lemon zest & a generous amount of white miso paste. This gives the topping a super nutty flavour that’s not too sweet yet full of flavour. We’re not being shy with the pecans either, the topping is absolutely jam packed with them!

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Qualities Of A Good Pecan Pie Bar

So what makes a good pecan pie bar? Well, as they only have 2 components, each one needs to be as delicious & as well made as possible. The shortbread base should be buttery & rich and the pecan pie topping should be gooey, perfectly sweet & super nutty. It’s all about balancing the flavours here, as well as the textures. There’s melt in your mouth shortbread, a fudgy pecan pie topping & crunchy, chunks of pecans.

Another non negotiable, is that the pecans need to be toasted before they’re used to make the topping (and the shortbread in this recipe)! If you want the best tasting pecan pie bars, you don’t want to skip this step. It’s definitely worth the extra it of effort & it only takes a few minutes to toast them in the oven!

Ingredient Notes

• Pecans – We’re using pecan halves in both the shortbread base & pecan pie topping. For the best flavour, we’re going to be toasting them ourselves.
• Toasted Milk Powder – For double the brown butter flavour, we’re going to be adding a spoonful of toasted milk powder into the topping (this is optional). For more info on this handy baking ingredient, check out our toasted milk powder guide.
• White Miso – White miso is a paste made from fermented soya beans. This has a nutty, unami flavour that helps cut through the sweetness in the pecan pie topping. You can get miso paste in most supermarkets. Make sure to use white miso, not red!
• Golden Syrup – Golden syrup is an inverted sugar syrup that has a buttery, caramelised flavour. In the UK, this is available in supermarkets but in other countries you might have to buy it online.
• Brown Sugar – For a rich flavour, we’re using dark brown sugar in both the shortbread base & treacle pie topping. The shortbread also uses a small amount of caster sugar, which I find gives it the best texture.
• Butter – It’s best to use unsalted butter for this recipe, as it allows to control the salt content. If you’ve only got salted butter, leave out the salt in the shortbread & topping.
• Eggs – You’ll need 2 large eggs for the pecan pie topping. These should weigh 50 grams each, out of their shells.
• Lemon – Adding lemon zest to the pecan pie topping also helps cut through the sweetness from the sugar. If you’re not a fan of lemon, feel free to leave this out.
• Sea Salt – I like to finish my pecan pie bars with a pinch of sea salt but feel free to leave this out if you’d prefer.

How To Make Brown Butter & Miso Pecan Pie Bars

The full, printable recipe card for these pecan pie bars can be found at the bottom of this post! Here’s a quick rundown of the recipe…

Toasted Pecans

Before we get on with making the shortbread base & pecan pie topping, we need to toast the pecans (we’ll be using them for both the base & topping). To do this, we place 230 grams of pecan halves onto a baking tray, bake at 175°c/347°f for 6-8 minutes, until they’re toasted & fragrant then let them cool completely.

You’ll need 30 grams of toasted pecans for the shortbread base & 200 grams for the pecan pie topping.

Pecan Shortbread Base

The base of our pecan pie bars is a buttery pecan shortbread. Here, we’re making a classic shortbread but with added brown sugar & finely chopped pecans – for double the flavour!

To make the pecan shortbread for the base, we use a stand mixer to mix softened butter with dark brown sugar, caster sugar & vanilla paste, until combined & smooth. Then we add in plain flour, table salt & finely chopped pecans then mix until a rough dough forms.

Once mixed, we tip the shortbread dough into a lined 8″ square tin then press into an even layer. I find that the easiest way to do this is to press the dough down with your hands then smooth it out with a palette knife. Next, we bake the shortbread for 16-18 minutes (at 175°c/347°f), until the edges are golden brown & the middle is set.

Brown Butter & Miso Pecan Pie Topping

We’re topping the shortbread base with a classic pecan pie filling. But for extra flavour, we’re going to be adding brown butter, toasted milk powder & white miso paste into the mix. This is similar to what I do in my brown butter & miso treacle tart recipe! This filling doesn’t contain breadcrumbs though like treacle tart, it’s actually a type of custard filling.

To make our pecan pie topping, we add unsalted butter into a saucepan then cook over a medium heat until it starts to foam, smells nutty & you can see that the milk solids in the bottom of the pan have turned golden brown. Then we whisk in toasted milk powder (for double brown butter!), white miso paste, golden syrup, brown sugar, double cream, eggs & a pinch of sea salt. Then to finish, we roughly chop up the remaining toasted pecans & stir them into the custard.

Next, we pour the pecan pie mix on top of the shortbread base, making sure that the chopped nuts are evenly distributed throughout the topping then we bake the pecan pie bars at 175°c/347°f for 30-35 minutes. Once baked, the topping will be set, with a very slight wobble.

Leaving To Cool & Portioning

Once our pecan pie bars are cooked, we need to let them cool completely in the tin before we cut them into portions, as this lets the topping set properly. Then once they’re cooled down, we can carefully lift the bars out of the tin, remove any baking parchment & cut into portions using a sharp serrated knife. To finish, I like to sprinkle some sea salt over the top of the bars but this is optional.

Tips & Tricks

• Toast the pecans! This is a simple yet effective way to elevate your pecan pie bars. Baking the pecans in the oven, until they’re toasted & fragrant gives the bars a richer, deeper flavour.
• For extra flavour, brown the butter for the pecan pie topping. Then for even more flavour, add a spoonful of toasted milk powder into the brown butter!
• For double the pecan flavour, mix toasted pecans into the shortbread dough as well as the topping.
• Roughly chop up the pecans for the topping, for extra texture. I like to use a mix of big & small pieces of nuts.
• Let your pecan pie bars cool down completely before cutting them into pieces, so that the topping has time to set completely.
• Finish your pecan pie bars with a pinch of sea salt, to enhance their flavour.

Frequently Asked Questions

Equipment Used

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• 8″ Square Baking Tin
• Large Saucepan

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