Peanut Butter Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars

Chocolate pecan pie bars are delicious but so is peanut butter and chocolate so why not combine all three? Seems only logical.

Jump to recipe

Over the last 2 months about half of the new recipes I have shared involve peanut butter and chocolate. I apologize to anyone who does not like this combination but my primary motivation for this is the continuation of #PBchocSat in the post-season College Football Playoffs.

True, today is Friday not Saturday, but tonight Ohio State battles Texas in the Cotton Bowl semifinals! Depending on how tonight goes there could be one more unofficial #PBchocSat recipe until the 2025 season in the fall. I dislike that Texas is basically getting a home-team advantage but hopefully it won’t be a factor.

Continuing my trend of taking over the state desserts of the teams we are playing (Indiana/Tennessee/Oregon), today I am Buckeye-ing a pecan pie. Just like buckeyes and the buckeye trees on which they grow on in Ohio, pecans and pecan trees are the state nut and tree of Texas, respectively.

As expected, the state dessert of Texas is pecan pie. Unfortunately in Ohio we cannot make a pie out of buckeyes as they are poisonous, so instead the Ohio state dessert is buckeye candies. Hence my favorite cheer – Go killer nuts!

I have made pecan pie bars with nutella before, so it was a pretty easy swap to use peanut butter instead. Then I made the crust chocolate and added a little drizzle of both peanut butter and chocolate on top to really get the point across. You can’t be subtle if you’re going to live up to the name of peanut butter chocolate pecan pie bars.

Hopefully tonight the Buckeyes play as well as these pie bars taste!

Ten years ago: DIY Hair Ties

Twelve years ago: Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells

Thirteen years ago: Peanut Butter Fudge Brownie Bricks

Fourteen years ago: English Muffins

PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE PEACAN PIE BARS

Print

Yield: 2 Dozen Prep Time: 30 Minutes Cooking Time: 50 Minutes 50 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

CRUST

• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar

FILLING

• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 3/4 cups brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cups light corn syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cup pecans, chopped
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan.
2. For the crust, mix together the flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, butter and brown sugar until crumbly. Press into the baking pan and bake for 12-15 minutes or until lightly brown.
3. For the filling, melt butter in a metal bowl set in a skillet of water that is just below a simmer (or use a double boiler). Remove the bowl and from the water when butter is melted, whisk in sugar and salt. Whisk in eggs, corn syrup and vanilla. Place bowl back into the water and whisk until hot and the temperature of the mixture registers 130 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from the heat and whisk in pecan pieces.
4. Into the bottom of the pre-baked crust, smear the 1/2 cup of creamy peanut butter over the bottom evenly. Pour filling evenly over the baked crust and bake for 25-30 minutes or until set.
5. Cool in the pan on a wire rack. Cool completely and cut into bars. Store in an airtight container at room temperature (or in the refrigerator if you live in a warm/humid area with no air conditioning).

Did You Make This Recipe?

I want to see! Tag me on Instagram at @TheSpiffyCookie and hashtag it #TheSpiffyCookie.

Source: Adapted from my Nutella Pecan Pie Bars.