Bourbon-Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars are a perfect addition to your holiday baking. A crisp shortbread crust topped with a crunchy bourbon pecan filling and dark chocolate makes these bars irresistible.

A few days ago I was talking about how busy life had been, and while I may have sounded dramatic, the hectic stretch did keep me from baking — and then eating — every holiday treat I saw. These bars, though, quickly became my favorite. They’re similar to my Mom’s nut cups: shortbread, a buttery, bourbon-scented pecan layer, and plenty of dark chocolate.

My kids gorge on candy for a few days around Halloween and come out fine, so I figure enjoying a cookie or a bar (or five) during the holidays is totally justified.

Now that my second book is finished, I feel less frazzled and more present with family. Last week was big for us: Jack turned three and moved from early intervention speech services into a three-year-old preschool program. He was nervous at first, and I’ve been his cheerleader at drop-off this week. It seems to be easing up, slowly but surely.

While he was at school, Andy and I baked cookies together — a little one-on-one time I hadn’t had much of since Jack’s therapy started. I caught up on laundry and some holiday baking, and I have a few more cookie and appetizer recipes lined up for the coming weeks. So when I joked about missing the chaos, I was mostly being sarcastic.

On a serious note, if someone doesn’t help me eat these bourbon-chocolate pecan pie bars, I may have to show up to every holiday gathering rolling them out in my arms. Any takers?

Bourbon-Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars

Yield:
24 bars

Prep Time:
10 minutes

Cook Time:
45 minutes

Total Time:
55 minutes

Crunchy bourbon and dark chocolate pecan pie filling on top of a buttery shortbread crust.

Ingredients

• crust:
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 tsp salt
• filling:
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 3 large eggs
• 2 tbsp bourbon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups toasted pecan halves
• 1 cup dark chocolate chunks

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with butter, line it with parchment, and butter the parchment so the bars lift out easily.
2. To make the crust, combine the flour, confectioners’ sugar, butter, and salt in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low until the mixture is crumbly but holds together when pressed.
3. Press the crust mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
4. Bake the crust for 12–15 minutes, until the edges are just starting to turn golden. Remove from the oven but keep the oven on.
5. For the filling, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, eggs, bourbon, and salt until smooth and glossy. Fold in the toasted pecans and dark chocolate chunks.
6. Pour the filling over the baked crust and spread it to the edges so the nuts and chocolate reach the corners.
7. Bake the bars for 25–30 minutes, until the center no longer jiggles. Cool completely before slicing into bars.

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