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These butter pecan bars are such a simple treat that starts with a box of cake mix and a bunch of tasty pecans!
My husband and I just celebrated our tenth anniversary. I know! Ten years! And I haven’t killed him yet!
Or, maybe it should be: Ten years! And he hasn’t killed me yet!
Or how about: Ten years! And we’re both still alive!
Yeah. I think that last one sounds about right.
How about a little engagement story? Oh, I know, you don’t care how I got engaged, but this is quick and it involves food. Kinda.
You see, my husband and I started dating when I was 16 and, well, I was pregnant not too long after I turned 17. A month or so after our sweet baby boy was born, my husband proposed.
We were driving home from somewhere and he just drove right past our apartment.
“Uh, honey? I think you missed your turn,” I said, ever so politely to him. And, okay, maybe I was irritated. How did he forget where we lived? Also, I was barely 18 with a newborn baby. Everything irritated me.
“I’m just heading to the store for some ice cream,” he replied in a weird tone of voice.
“We don’t have room in the freezer for anymore ice cream! We have lots of ice cream at home!”
“But we don’t have Butter Pecan ice cream! I want Butter Pecan!” he whined. And, okay, so maybe he didn’t whine. Maybe he just stated this in his manly voice.
I proceeded to go on about how Butter Pecan was the worst ice cream flavor ever. In the midst of my rant about ice cream flavors that were not chocolate based, he turned into the parking lot of a golf course that I had worked at the previous summer and parked right where I had told him I loved him for the first time.
“Uh, honey, what the heck are you doing?”
“I think we’ve got a flat tire.” he said in that weird tone of voice that I would one day come to realize was his LYING VOICE.
We both got out, he dropped to one knee, and he proposed.
The end!
I’m sorry. That was long and boring, wasn’t it? Well, let me make it up to you with these amazing Butter Pecan Squares. See? See how I tied it all together?
To see how to make this butter pecan bars recipe, watch the video below!
I have since matured a wee bit (both in terms of food and just in general) and I’ve come to realize that anything with the name Butter Pecan is pretty darn delicious. These bars are no exception. They are so buttery, so rich, so sweet, so full of delicious flavor that they will just blow your mind.
They might even have you running around sharing your engagement story with the internet! They’re powerful, is what I’m sayin’.
The original recipe called for a box of yellow cake mix, but while I was standing in front of hundreds of box mixes, the Golden Butter cake mix jumped right off the shelf and begged me to take it home. I think it knew that it would fit right in at my house full o’ butter.
Enjoy these at room temperature with a fork or eat ’em with your hands right out of the fridge. Either way, they’re amazing.
Check out my homemade brownies, Nutella brownies, and whipped icing for more dessert ideas!
Butter Pecan Squares
Ingredients
- 1 box Butter cake mix 18.25 ounces
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 2 cups chopped pecans
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, 1 egg, butter, and pecans. Mix well.
- Press into a greased 9x13 pan.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the cream cheese, 2 remaining eggs, and the powdered sugar until well combined. Pour over the crust.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the center is set. It should be gooey, but not runny.
- Cool completely before cutting, 1-2 hours. Store in the refrigerator.
Nutrition Information:
Pam says
Your second image is broken. It’s a shame since your pictures are always so pretty!
jodi says
i made these and they were GREAT, wonderful recipe!
Jessica says
Aww that is so sweet!
Congrats on 10 years!!
oh this receipe looks so good too!
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Lacey says
My family came over this weekend to see our new house for the first time. We had a nice lunch and then I served them your fabulous Butter Pecan Squares. They were quite a hit and everyone enjoyed your cure story too. My mom said this is her new favorite dessert.
Thank you for sharing this wonderful treat!
Natalie (The Sweets Life) says
what a sweet story for a sweet dessert! these look great! enjoy celebrating!!
Mrs. Jansson says
These bars look great. They seem to be very close to what we called “chess squares” growing up in TN. I’ll have to try these next time my mom comes out west to visit me (butter pecan is her favorite)! Thank you for your blog – I love it!
grace says
goosebumps. i have goosebumps. thanks for sharing your sweet story, and congratulations!
i’m all-too-familiar with other variations of this recipe. this butter pecan twist most definitely deserves a try!
Ashley says
Aw love the engagement story. ๐ Congrats on 10 years!! And these bars look delicious. I love the crackly top.
Beverly Earls says
I made these and they are incredible! I live 30 minutes from the nearest store but I bought all the ingredients only to find that I didn’t have enough powdered sugar. Ugh! So I drove back into town thinking these better be worth it! They certainly are!!!
Karly says
I’m glad they were worth it!
Joanne says
Congrats on your anniversary! Ten years is a LOOOONNNGG time…quite impressive!
I loved your butter pecan story. I hope I meet someone someday who I can manage to not kill in ten years. And have a child with. Maybe two.
DessertForTwo says
What a sweet story! Congrats!
Butter + pecans = delicious always!
Michelle says
You’re a good storyteller! We’re coming up on 18 years and I also think it’s remarkable that HE’S still alive! teehee
The bars sound really good and I think I’ll try them out the next time I need to take a dessert somewhere. Bookmarked!
Happy Anniversary!
JoAnn says
What a great story to go along with a yummy recipe. I think I really need to make these!
mommabean says
What a sweet story! And I can’t wait to get my hands on these butter pecan squares. Thank you for sharing both!
Julie @ Willow Bird Baking says
Aww, how sweet is that! Also, LOL at “his LYING VOICE.” ๐
Jessica @ How Sweet says
What a sweet story! Happy anniversary to you guys – 10 years is amazing and inspirational! And I’m not a huge fan of butter pecan ice cream, but I think I’d love these bars.
Steve Lee Parish says
If you put coconut on top would make it even better…..