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These Maple Pecan Bars are topped with Sea Salt and made in the Air Fryer. These bars will give you that pecan pie bite, but made in half the time it takes to roll out the crust for a traditional pie.
What Makes Maple Pecan Bars With Sea Salt So Good
- Fast. Done in nearly 30 minutes.
- Easy. Made in your air fryer for easy cleanup.
- Vegetarian. A great vegetarian-friendly dessert option.
- Delicious. The most decadent flavors you crave in a comforting dessert.
I wanted to make an indulgent Air Fryer Dessert Recipe because of the time it saves, and find a way to beat the heat! If you are hosting a holiday party or need a quick dessert to bring as a gift, these maple pecan bars will hit both the sweet and salty cravings.
Here in Texas, pecans are available year-round, so for me, this is a great base of a pecan pie recipe to make any time.
Maple Syrup or Corn Syrup?
While Pecan pies and tarts are typically made with corn syrup, I wanted to use maple syrup for its distinctive taste.
Corn syrup can sweeten—but it doesn’t provide the distinct flavor that maple does.
Corn syrup is basically just glucose, water, and no flavor. Maple syrup is sucrose with water, but there are a lot of other flavor compounds that add a complex, smoky sweetness to the finished dish.
There’s just something about maple syrup and sea salt together that is absolutely divine.
Watch the Video On How to Make Air fryer Maple Pecan Bars
How to Make Maple Pecan Bars in the Air Fryer
Step 1: Start with the crust. It couldn't be easier!
Mix together softened butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the flour and salt and mix until crumbly. Then place it evenly in the foil-lined baking pan. Press it down into the pan. Place the crust in the air fryer and cook first for 13 minutes.
Step 2: The delicious filling
In a saucepan, combine the butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, and milk. When it begins simmering, cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and pecans.
Place the filling on the par-baked crust, and spread into an even layer. Place back in the air fryer and bake for 12 minutes. When it comes out of the air fryer, immediately sprinkle sea salt on the top, and allow to cool completely.
Why Make Air Fryer Desserts?
The biggest advantage of using Air Fryers to make desserts is simply, they use less energy. If you were to translate an air fryer recipe to a regular oven, you'd want to increase the temperature by 25-50 degrees, and increase the time by 25%.
Not only is this more energy-efficient, but think of the energy you're saving by not having to cool down the house that got heated up when you ran a large oven at 400F--only to make a small little pecan tart in it.
Step by Step Instructions to Make Maple Pecan Bars
Step 1: Finely chop pecans.
Step 2: Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Then add in all-purpose flour and salt.
Step 3: Press the crust down into a square baking dish and place in the Air Fryer. Bake for 13 minutes. When you have 5 minutes left of cook time, start the filling.
Step 4: In a medium saucepan, melt the butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, and milk until simmering.
Step 5: Add the vanilla and pecans.
Step 6: Carefully pour the maple and pecan filling into the baking dish, and spread the filling with a spatula until evenly distributed. Bake for 12 minutes.
Step 7: Remove from the Air Fryer, and sprinkle the top with sea salt. Cool completely on a wire rack. I recommend refrigerating overnight if possible before cutting the bars.
Tips and Tricks:
- Finely chop the pecans small for easier cutting of finished bars
- Chill the bars before serving. It's a must!
- Leave extra foil to hang over the sides of the baking dish to create handles to easily remove the cooked tart.
- To make this in an oven, try 325F. You will likely have to bake for 3-4 minutes longer than specified in the recipe.
Need More Desserts?
- Keto Maple Pecan Blondies
- Air Fryer Eggless Farina Cake
- Pumpkin Spice Bread Pudding
- Instant Pot Mango Cheesecake
So the next time you get that craving for pecan pie, save yourself the time and effort and make these delicious Maple Pecan Bars instead! Make sure to share this recipe with your friends on Pinterest and Facebook if you enjoyed it!
Maple Pecan Bars With Sea Salt
These Maple Pecan Bars are topped with Sea Salt and made in the Air Fryer! The crust has a flaky and buttery crust combined with a nutty and sweet maple flavor for the filling. These bars will give you that pecan pie bite, but made in half the time it takes to roll out the crust for a traditional pie.
Print Recipe Rate Recipe
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes minutes
Course: Desserts
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Air Fryer Dessert Recipes, Maple Pecan Bars, Pecan Bars, Pecan Tarts
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 414kcal
Author: URVASHI PITRE
Click on highlighted ingredients or Equipment to see exactly what I use to make this recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Crust
- Non-Stick Cooking Spray
- 1/3 cup Butter , softened
- 1/4 cup Brown Sugar, firmly packed
- 1 cup All Purpose Flour
- 1/4 tea Kosher Salt
For the Filling
- 4 TBS Butter (1/2 stick), diced
- 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
- 1/4 cup Pure Maple Syrup
- 1/4 cup Whole Milk
- 1/4 tea Vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cup Pecans, Finely Chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon Flaked Sea Salt, for Topping
Instructions
For the Crust
Line a 8x8-inch square baking pan with foil, leaving a couple of inches of overhang. Spray the foil with nonstick baking spray.
In a medium bowl, combine the butter and brown sugar. Beat with an electric mixer on medium-low speed until light and fluffy. Add the flour and salt and beat until thoroughly combined. Transfer the mixture (it will be crumbly) to the prepared pan. Press it evenly into the bottom of the pan.
Transfer the mixture (it will be crumbly) to the prepared pan. Press it evenly into the bottom of the pan. (use the bottom of a coffee mug to help press it in the pan if needed.)
Place the pan in the air-fryer basket. Set the air fryer to 350°F for 13 minutes. When the crust has 5 minutes left to cook, start the filling.
For the Filling
In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, and milk. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. When it begins simmering, cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in vanilla and finely chopped pecans.
Carefully pour the filling evenly over the crust, gently spreading with a rubber spatula so the pecans and liquid are evenly distributed.
Set the air fryer for 12 minutes or until mixture is bubbling. (The center should still be slightly jiggly–it will thicken as it cools.)
Remove the pan from the air fryer and sprinkle with the salt. Cool completely on a wire rack. When cooled to room temperature, transfer the pan to the refrigerator. Use the foil overhang to remove from the pan and cut into 8 bars.
Serve at room temperature.
Watch The Video
- Finely chop the pecans small for easier cutting of finished bars
- Chill the bars before serving. It's a must!
- Leave extra foil to hang over the sides of the baking dish to create handles to easily remove the cooked tart.
- To make this in an oven, try 325F. You will likely have to bake for 3-4 minutes longer than specified in the recipe.
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Nutrition
Serving: 1bar | Calories: 414kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 27g | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 27g
Tried this recipe?Follow @twosleevers and Pin it!
Originally Published December 23, 2019
And don't forget to check out my air fryer cookbooks! Every day easy air fryer, and Air Fryer Revolution.
