Pecan Pie Cheesecake Bars

4.53 from 221 votes

Pecan Pie Cheesecake Bars

Pecan Pie Cheesecake Bars is what happens when you combine two of my favorite desserts, pecan pie and cheesecake. These luscious three layer bars are truly amazing!

Prep Time30

Cook Time1 20

Total Time1 50

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cheesecake, pecan pie, pecan pie cheesecake bars

Servings:

Calories: 429kcal

Author: Joanna Cismaru

Equipment

Ingredients

For the Crust

2 cups graham cracker crumbs
¼ cup sugar granulated
½ cup butter unsalted, melted

For the Cheesecake

16 ounce cream cheese at room temperature (2 pkg, 8 oz each)
¾ cup sugar granulated
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon salt

For the Pecan Pie Layer

1 cup light brown sugar packed
½ cup light corn syrup or dark
½ cup heavy cream
¼ cup butter unsalted
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups pecans chopped

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350 F degrees. Line a 9x9 inch baking dish with parchment paper, spray it first with some cooking spray so that the parchment paper will stick to it. Set aside.

For the Crust

In a food processor, pulse the graham crackers with the sugar until fine crumbs form. Add in melted butter and pulse until well combined. Press this mixture into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. You can use your fingers, but I find it easier to just use the back of a spoon to make sure it's pressed evenly. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 10 minutes.

For the Cheesecake

Add the cream cheese, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract and salt to the bowl of your mixer. Mix on medium using the whisk attachment until smooth, should take about 5 minutes.
Pour this over graham crust and smooth it out as much as possible with a spatula. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 20 to 30 minutes until the cheesecake starts to set a bit.

For the Pecan Pie Layer

Add the brown sugar, corn syrup, heavy cream, butter, salt and vanilla extract to a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Continue cooking for 1 more minute the remove from heat. Stir in the chopped pecans.
Pour over the cheesecake layer, and smooth it out with a spatula if necessary. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 40 minutes, the pecan layer should start to get golden. Cool completely then cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Cut the cheesecake into slices before serving.

Video

Notes

Use parchment paper. Line the baking pan with parchment paper to ensure that the bars don’t stick. And you should use enough so that it hangs over the edges, which also makes it much easier to remove the bars.
Room temperature cream cheese. The cream cheese needs to be soft, yet not melted, to make the cheesecake filling properly. It’s also important that you mix the cream cheese mixture for the full 4 to 5 minutes as instructed in the recipe.
Constantly stir the caramelizing pecans. In order to prevent the pecan filling from burning, you must stir it constantly as it cooks and then remove it from the heat immediately once it comes together.
The bars must set. These pecan pie cheesecake bites need to cool completely and then be placed in the fridge for at least 4 hours before you cut into them. If you skip this step you risk them falling apart.
The corn syrup can be replaced with ½ cup of sugar dissolved in 2 tbsp of water.
These little bars will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. Just store in an airtight container or wrap them up tightly before popping them in.
Cooked cheesecake also freezes really well, just place the bars fully cooled and uncovered on a pan in the freezer and allow to freeze entirely. Remove them and wrap fully in plastic wrap and aluminum foil till ready to eat. This method should ensure the cheesecake bars lasts 3 months.

Nutrition