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Gooey Pecan Pie Bars

All the gooey caramel pecan goodness of pecan pie, none of the pie crust stress. A yellow cake mix does double duty as the buttery crust and the filling thickener.
Print Recipe
Total Time 1 hour
Servings: 24 bars
Course: Dessert
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 box yellow cake mix 15.25 oz, divided
  • 1/2 cup butter 1 stick, melted
  • 4 large eggs divided
  • 1/2 packed brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups dark corn syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

Equipment

  • 9x13 inch baking pan

Method
 

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
  2. Measure out 2/3 cup of the dry cake mix and set it aside for the filling.
  3. Stir the remaining cake mix with the melted butter and 1 egg until a soft dough forms. Press it evenly into the bottom of the pan.
  4. Bake the crust 15 minutes, until just set and lightly golden.
  5. While it bakes, whisk the reserved 2/3 cup cake mix, brown sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, and the remaining 3 eggs until smooth.
  6. Pour the filling over the warm crust and sprinkle the pecans evenly on top.
  7. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling is set around the edges with just a slight jiggle in the center.
  8. Cool completely in the pan before slicing into bars.

Notes

Cool completely in the pan before slicing.
One pan, zero pie drama.