This post may contain affiliate links. Read disclosure policy
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:
Karen says
Hi, true love story is so sweet. I need help. I do not have a stand mixer for the butter pecan bars. Can I use a hand mixer?
Karly says
Yes, that should be fine.
Sandy says
I met my husband when I was 16 and he was stationed at the near by Air base. When I was 17 he was sent to another base for 6 weeks for special training. The night he left he gave me an engagement ring. While he was gone I have him a call to let him know he was going to be a father….We were married the week he returned and 54 years and 3 daughters later I’m still looking for sweets he would like. (And they said it wouldn’t last!) Thanks for this recipe, will be trying it tomorrow.
Karly says
Love it!! Thanks for sharing, Sandy! Hope you both enjoyed the recipe.
Patsy Nicholson says
How sweet, he was awesome. Happy Anniversary to you both wishing you many more!! Me and my husband just celebrated 40 years on the 2nd.
Karly says
Congrats on 40 years! That’s amazing! 🙂
Brooke Eskind Mulkey says
How much carbohydrates & sugars are in those
Karly says
I haven’t calculated the nutrition for this, but you’re welcome to plug this recipe into any of the free online nutrition calculators if you’d like.
Pam Krandle says
I have all the ingredients to make this. Hate to turn on the oven in summer, but these looks amazing. Love anything with pecans. I buy big bags at BJ’s and always have them on hand. Thanks. Congrats on anniversary. Just celebrated our 45th last February
D Hall says
Enjoyed your little story.
Will try the recipe. Damn the diabetes. Full speed ahead.
Mike says
Ok a..What is the recipe for the squares that you have pictures on your blog. I made this as listed and never got the nice brown pecan bottom of the squares pictured. What I got was a blonde cake thick mess not at all like in the picture.
Karly says
I’m sorry you struggled with this one, Mike. This is the recipe that I used. The cake mix is very thick and sticky before baking, so you just press it into the pan. The topping should set up a bit like cheesecake after baking. You do need to let it cool completely before cutting as well.
peachbudess says
There is a butter pecan flavored cake mix. Have you ever tried that with this recipe?
Karly says
I haven’t, but I’m sure it’d be great!
Roma says
Ya I also search for butter cake mix it was a moist cake mix , but there was nothing of this name but yes there was one she mention can you plz tell the name exactly which one you Used? Thank you
N if we can’t go out n buy a cake mix and we are craving for this so which ingredients can we use from home?
Thank you so much. I like your recipes
Karly says
Hi Roma! Betty Crocker and Duncan Hines both make butter cake mix. If you can’t find it, just use a yellow cake mix. Hope you enjoy!
Roma says
Thank you
Dawn Parris says
My husband LOVES these. I add in a handful of butterscotch chips.
Pecans DO get expensive! Lucky for me, my Dad planted a grove of pecan trees several years before he passed. I am now reaping the benefits And the trees are beautiful at the “old homeplace”. A little work to crack the nuts and “pick them out”. But not so bad on long winter evenings, something to do. Thanks for the recipe!!
Keyonne S. says
What a great story! Happy Anniversary…In New Orleans we make this and call it Ooey Gooey Cake…It is a staple there and you can do so many variations of it using different cake mixes and add in’s such as nuts and chocolate chips.
Joanne says
A wonderful and delicious recipe! I ordered your cookbook for my son; he is the breakfast cook in his house. So many mouthwatering pancakes!
Karly says
Oh, thank you! 🙂 Hope he’s been making you lots of pancakes!
Overhead garage door repair says
Whats up this is kinda of off topic but I was wondering if blogs use WYSIWYG editors or if you
have to manually code with HTML. I’m starting a blog soon but have no coding skills so I wanted to get advice from someone with experience.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Nana says
These sound delicious but I am finding the cost of pecans in my area to be prohibitive. A small cellophace pack is around $6.99 and I don’t think it would measure the two cups listed.
Linda says
I loved your story, not boring at all, and I love the recipe, making it again tomorrow.
shelly (cookies and cups) says
How in the world did I miss these??!! Holy shoot ~ these sound amazing!