Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars with Cake Mix

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Easy Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars start with a simple cake mix base and bake up rich, fudgy, gooey, and loaded with pecans. Perfect for fall and the holidays!

If you love pecan pie but want something a little easier to make, serve, and share, these Easy Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars might become a new favorite. They start with a simple chocolate cake mix crust and are topped with a rich, gooey pecan pie filling.

You get all of those flavors we love in a good Southern pecan pie—brown sugar, butter, vanilla, and plenty of pecans—over a buttery chocolate base. They're brownie-like in depth and texture, and so delicious you'll wonder where they've been all your life.

And because these are bars, they're perfect for holidays, church gatherings, potlucks, cookie trays, or packaging up and taking to someone who could use a little something sweet.

The Inspiration Behind These Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars

The idea actually came to me while I was working on another Backyard Texas Grill post about foods you can take to someone who's under the weather. If you haven't seen our Comfort Foods for Cold and Flu Season post, check it out!

As I wrote up that post, I kept thinking, Pecan pie bars would be perfect to someone who's ailing. They're easy to transport. You don't have to worry about carrying an entire pie. They can be cut into small portions, tucked into a container, and delivered to a friend or neighbor.

The recipe was also inspired by something I've already made over on my baking site, Out of the Box Baking.

I recently made Dolly Parton Pecan Pie Brownies, combining a chocolate brownie layer with a gooey pecan pie topping. I loved the chocolate-and-pecan combination and started wondering what would happen if I took that same general idea using a cake mix instead of brownie mix.

Making Bars with a Cake Mix

If you're new to the idea of turning a boxed cake mix into something other than cake, you're in for a treat. I've been doing this for years. In fact, my Out of the Box Baking site has turned cake mix recipes into an artform! I've devoted an entire post to it, in fact.

By reducing the liquid and combining a boxed cake mix with egg and butter, you can turn that loose cake batter into a slightly firmer base. Press it into a baking dish and suddenly you've got an incredibly easy foundation for dessert bars.

For this recipe, I used chocolate cake mix because chocolate and pecans are such a natural combination. The crust only requires three ingredients: Chocolate cake mix, Egg, Butter. That's it. Press the mixture into the bottom of the pan, add the pecan pie filling, and bake the two layers together. There's no need to make pastry dough, roll a crust, or even par-bake the bottom layer. Easy-breezy!

Ingredients

You will find a full printable recipe card at the bottom of this post but here's a glance at what you will need to make these delicious chocolate pecan pie bars.

For the Chocolate Cake Mix Crust

• 1 box chocolate cake mix
• 1 large egg
• 4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter, melted

For the Pecan Pie Layer

• ½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• ½ cup light corn syrup
• 2 large eggs
• ¼ cup butter, melted
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ cups chopped pecans

How to Make Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars

These come together so easily! And once you see how fun it is to use a cake mix as a foundation for a lovely dessert you'll want to do it again and again. The possibilities are limitless!

Step 1: Prepare Your Pan

Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray or line it with parchment paper for easier removal and slicing.

Step 2: Make the Chocolate Crust

Place the chocolate cake mix in a large bowl. Add one egg and four tablespoons of melted butter. Mix until everything comes together into a thick dough. It won't resemble ordinary cake batter, so don't add additional liquid.

Press the dough evenly across the bottom of the prepared baking dish.

Step 3: Make the Pecan Pie Filling

Melt the butter and let it cool. Add the brown sugar, corn syrup, extracts, and eggs. Mix thorough. You don't want any egg bits floating in there!

Sprinkle the pecans over the chocolate base then pour the pecan mixture evenly on top.

Step 4: Bake

Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake until the pecan pie layer is set around the edges and the center has only a slight wobble. 35 minutes was about right for me. Times may vary, depending on your oven and the size of your pan.

If the top or pecans begin browning too quickly, loosely tent the pan with foil for the remainder of the baking time.

Step 5: Cool and cut

This part matters! Allow the bars to cool completely before attempting to slice them. The pecan filling will continue to set as it cools.

Use the parchment paper to lift the bars from the pan and then cut. For particularly neat slices, you can chill the cooled bars before cutting.

What to Expect from These Bars

These aren't cake, and they're not quite brownies, (though they're certainly close). The bottom is a thick buttery chocolate layer that's sturdy enough to hold the filling without becoming a thick, cakey base.

On top, you've got that classic gooey pecan pie filling loaded with toasted pecan flavor. Together, you get chocolate, butter, brown sugar, vanilla, and pecans in every bite. They're beyond delicious!

And can I just say. . .

Chocolate and Pecan Pie Were Made for Each Other

Traditional pecan pie is already rich, buttery, and almost caramel-like, so adding chocolate takes those flavors in an even more decadent direction.

The chocolate base also gives these bars a little more structure than a slice of pie, which makes them particularly good for sharing.

If you're a pecan pie purist, don't worry. We've got you covered there, too. Check out our Cast-Iron Skillet Pecan Piefor a more traditional version of this Southern favorite.

And if you really love the chocolate-and-pecan combination, you'll also want to visit Out of the Box Baking for my Fudgy Pecan Pie and Dolly Parton Pecan Pie Brownies.

Perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas

I can already see these becoming a holiday recipe around here. Pecan pie is practically made for Thanksgiving, but bars have one big advantage when you're feeding a crowd: portion control and portability.

You can cut a 9x13-inch pan into generous dessert bars or smaller bite-sized squares if they're going onto a holiday dessert tray with several other sweets.

They would be terrific for:

• Thanksgiving
• Christmas parties
• Church potlucks
• Cookie exchanges
• Tailgates and football gatherings
• Fall parties
• Holiday dessert trays
• Gifts for neighbors and friends
• Taking a meal or treat to someone who isn't feeling well

Taking Pecan Pie Bars to a Friend

One of my favorite things about cooking and baking is being able to share what I make.

A pan of bars is especially handy because you don't have to give away the whole batch. Cut several, put them into a disposable container or bakery box, and you've got an easy homemade gift. That's exactly where some of this batch is headed.

Sometimes you don't need a special occasion to take somebody something good to eat.

Variations

Use a different chocolate cake mix: Devil's food, chocolate fudge, or a traditional chocolate cake mix should all work nicely.

Add chocolate chips: Sprinkle semisweet or dark chocolate chips over the crust before adding the pecan filling for even more chocolate flavor.

Make smaller pieces: Cut these into small squares for Christmas cookie trays or dessert buffets.

Add a finishing touch: A light drizzle of melted chocolate would dress these up beautifully for the holidays.

Serve them warm: Once the bars have completely set, gently warm an individual serving and add vanilla ice cream.

Storage

Store completely cooled pecan pie bars in an airtight container. For longer storage, refrigerate them and allow individual bars to come closer to room temperature before serving if you prefer a softer texture.

These should also be excellent candidates for freezing, which makes them especially handy for holiday baking. Wrap individual bars well and place them in an airtight freezer-safe container.

Final Thoughts

Sometimes a recipe starts because I need something new for the site. Sometimes it starts because I'm craving a particular flavor. And sometimes one idea simply leads to another.

In this case, thinking about foods we make for other people reminded me how perfect a simple pecan pie bar can be. That thought collided with my long-standing habit of turning cake mixes into just about everything imaginable, and these Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars were born.

It's still hot outside here in Texas, but I've decided I'm not waiting on the weather.

Pecan season has officially begun in my kitchen. And if these make it all the way to church tomorrow without me eating too many of them first, I'll call that a win.

Thanks for Stopping By!

If you make these delicious bars and love them please leave a comment or review. And before you go, please pin some photos to your Pinterst boards.

About the Baker

Meet Janice Thompson, resident baker on the Backyard Texas Grill team. Janice runs the Out of the Box Baking site, and spends her days baking up sweet treats. . .usually for others. She's especially fond of anything-pecan-pie.