Cheesecake Pecan Pie Bars

These pecan pie cheesecake bars blend the silky smoothness of cheesecake with a gooey, caramelized pecan pie topping that's sure to be a crowd-pleaser. Use traditional, whole wheat, gluten-free, or grain-free graham crackers.

Ingredients

Crust

▢ 12.7 oz (360 grams or 23-24 sheets of graham crackers, this will give you 3 cups of crumbs) graham cracker crumbs see notes
▢ 1/3 cup (67 grams) light brown sugar
▢ pinch of salt
▢ 3/4 cup (168 grams) unsalted butter melted, see notes

Filling

▢ 32 ounces (907 grams) full-fat cream cheese room temperature, see notes
▢ 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
▢ 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
▢ 1/8 teaspoon salt
▢ 3/4 cup (173 grams) sour cream room temperature
▢ 4 large eggs room temperature, 50 grams each, out of shell

Topping

▢ 1 cup (200 grams) dark brown sugar
▢ 1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy cream
▢ 1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter
▢ 1 tablespoon (20 grams) maple syrup
▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
▢ 1/2 teaspoon salt
▢ 1 1/2 cups (165 grams) pecans

Instructions

Prepare the crust:

Preheat the oven to 325 °F (167 °C) and lightly grease a 9”x13” (23 cm x 33 cm) pan.
Place the graham crackers in a food processor fitted with an S-blade and pulse until you have uniform fine crumbs, but not a powder.
12.7 oz (360 grams or 23-24 sheets of graham crackers, this will give you 3 cups of crumbs) graham cracker crumbs
Transfer to a mixing bowl and stir in the brown sugar and salt until combined.
1/3 cup (67 grams) light brown sugar, pinch of salt
Stir in the butter until well combined.
3/4 cup (168 grams) unsalted butter
Pat evenly onto the bottom of the prepared pan.
Bake for 10 minutes and then remove to a wire rack to cool for at least 10 minutes while preparing the filling.

Prepare the filling:

In a large mixing bowl using an electric hand mixer, beat together the cream cheese and sugar until fluffy.
32 ounces (907 grams) full-fat cream cheese, 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
Add the vanilla, salt and sour cream and beat on low until combined.
1 tablespoon vanilla extract, 1/8 teaspoon salt, 3/4 cup (173 grams) sour cream
Add in the eggs, one by one, until combined. Be sure not to overmix.
4 large eggs
Pour this into the crust, which has cooled for at least 10 minutes.
Bake at 325 °F (167 °C) for 35-45 minutes or until the middle appears set.
Remove from the oven, place on a wire rack, and let come to room temperature, about 2 hours, before chilling for 4+ hours. Since you already have the oven on, you can toast the pecans for the topping now. Increase the temp to 350 °F (175 °C). Place the pecans on a rimmed baking sheet and bake at 350 °F (175 °C) for 3 minutes, stir, and bake for another 2-6 minutes or until they smell fragrant and toasted. Cool, chop and store in an airtight container until ready to use.
1 1/2 cups (165 grams) pecans

Prepare the topping:

Note that once the topping firms up a lot and becomes opaque once it's been sitting for a while. The bars will still be delicious, but if you want gooey pecan topping, you need to add the topping shortly before serving. You can make the topping up to 4 days in advance and refrigerate in an airtight container until you're almost ready to top the bars. Very gently reheat over low heat until the topping is runny enough to spread over the bars.
To a medium saucepan over medium heat, add all the topping ingredients except for the pecans.
1 cup (200 grams) dark brown sugar, 1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy cream, 1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon (20 grams) maple syrup, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon salt
Bring to a full boil while stirring constantly.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the pecans. Let cool for about 30-50 minutes at room temperature or until firm enough to stay in place on the slices when you cut them. It should still be spreadable, though. If you're in a hurry, transfer the topping to a container with a large surface area and chill or freeze, stirring often. But keep a close eye on it so that the topping doesn't firm up too much.
Spread the topping over the top of the chilled cheesecake bars.
Cover and refrigerate for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Notes

If you're gluten-free, use gluten-free graham crackers. I tested this recipe with Honey Cinnamon Seed & Nut Flour Sweet Thins from Simple Mills (using 360 grams) and Pamela's Gluten-free Honey Grahams, and they came out great.
If you're in Europe, use 156 grams of butter instead of 168 grams and add 12 grams of water. Some, or all of the 12 grams, can be vanilla extract.
If you live outside of the US/Canada, you'll need to drain some of the whey from the cream cheese so your bars bake properly. The stuff at Lidl, Aldi, etc. works just as well as Philadelphia brand. You need to buy 1200 grams of cream cheese and squeeze out the liquid until you have 907 grams of cream cheese left. It's fine if it's a little more or less.
The nutrition information provided is calculated as a courtesy and is only an estimate. I am not a licensed nutritionist or dietitian. For the most accurate nutritional data, consult a professional or use your preferred calculator.