This chewy recipe is for those delectable treats also known as Charleston Chewies or Pecan Chews. Whatever name they’re called, these simple sweet bars are well loved for their buttery pecan goodness and pure, simple ingredients.
What is a Pecan Chewie?
Simple ingredients found in most pantries are what you find in a Charleston Chewie. They’re made into golden brown bars that pair so well with a cup of coffee or a glass of milk. The predominant flavors are butter, pecans and brown sugar.
To keep it extra quick and easy we’ve used self-rising flour like we do in many of our recipes (most notably our signature 3 Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits). It simply allows you to skip a step when assembling these treats.
Some sources in the lowcountry give the Gullah community credit for these goodies. We couldn’t argue that case one way or the other, but we do love learning about the Gullah culture, and even have a Gullah Red Rice recipe and one for Sweet Potatoes here on our site.
In developing our chewy recipe I read the details of many others. The one thing I found in common is that the butter is melted before stirring the ingredients together.
All have brown sugar, though some do have a combination of brown and plain granulated sugar. I chose to use all brown sugar in this chewie recipe to give it a rich flavor.
Dust with powdered sugar or not?
That’s entirely up to you. They’re delicious either way, but a dusting of confectioners (or powdered) sugar does dress up lots of sweet treats and gives them a polished look.
Skillet Hot Fudge Pudding Cake is one of our most popular recipes and it is similar to this chewie recipe in that it is made with pantry ingredients. Chocolate lovers are crazy about it no matter what, but it does look especially appealing with that dusting on top. Another chocolate favorite of ours is Buttermilk Bars. They are delicious and beautiful when topped with powdered sugar. For those that love the powdered sugar look, but don’t want the chocolate, this Old Fashioned Cream Cheese Pound Cake is perfect.
See what I mean? Good looking enough to dive right into, but these pecan chewies are just a little prettier with that white sprinkle.
Pecans make the chewie recipe what it is
If you don’t love pecans, but do love walnuts you could certainly substitute them, but what you end up with wouldn’t be a “Pecan Chewie“. I’m sure it would be tasty, but here in Georgia, and in South Carolina where this recipe originated, pecans are the king of nuts!
And if you think chocolate and pecans are a match made in heaven you’ll want to try Homemade Chocolate Covered Pecans. They’re so easy and make a great little gift.
We love pecans so much and have so many recipes for them that we finally rounded them all up in one place. Just remember – they’re not just for desserts. Pecans are wonderful on salads, in breads, and even as a breading for protein. Our collection of pecan recipes can be found here.
For a really special treat serve your chewies with a cup of White Chocolate Mocha. It’s an easy Starbucks copycat that you’re going to love!
For a more detailed look at our favorite cuisine be sure to check out Southern Food: Then & Now.
On to the recipe for Charleston Pecan Chews…
Charleston Chewies with Pecans
Ingredients
Instructions
- Line a 9×13 inch baking pan with parchment paper or spray with non-stick spray.
- Melt butter over medium low heat.
- Mix brown sugar and flour in large mixing bowl.
- Pour melted butter into the large mixing bowl and combine. Add vanilla, eggs and pecans, stirring until well combined.
- Bake in prepared pan at 325 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Cool completely before dusting with confectioners sugar and cutting into bars.
Notes
Nutrition
More sweet treats to try
Cate says
Yum! I’ve never tried anything like this before, but it looks so delicious! Saving to make soon!
Pam says
Hope you enjoy Cate!
Beth says
This looks so delicious and tasty! I can’t wait to give this a try! My family is going to love this!
Pam says
Hope everyone loves them.
Heidy says
These Charleston Chewies were outstanding! I made a double batch, and they were gone in 60 seconds! I will be making them again for Thanksgiving–but this time, I will make 3 batches to ensure we have plenty. Happy Holidays!
Pam says
They do go fast. Thanks, Heidy!
kerri says
what a great way to surprise my father in law – he’s obsessed with pecan everything! these look great!
Pam says
I’m sure he’ll love them!
Tara says
These Chewies look absolutely incredible and I love how easily they come together! Such wonderful flavors and texture as well.
Pam says
Thanks so much, Tara!
Debi says
Have you ever made ahead and then froze them?
Pam says
No, Debi, we haven’t tested it, but I think they would be fine.
Kate says
This are delicious, I add at least an extra half cup of pecans, 👍🏻
Pam says
Thamks, Kate! It’s hard to get too many pecans, isn’t it?
Cate says
These are absolutely delicious! Love how simple they are and the pecan brown sugar flavor.
Heather Perine says
Oh my these look delicious!! Never heard of them before but can’t wait to make this holiday season. And I’m thinking dust with powdered sugar for sure!
sara Welch says
Adding these to my holiday baking line up! I love holiday treats with pecans! Looks too good to pass up, indeed!
Maria San Juan says
Yummy! My kids will surely love this! We love chewy desserts! Thanks for sharing! Will surely try this soon!
Anjali says
These chewies turned out to be so delicious!! They were perfectly sweet and were a great dessert for our family. My kids enjoyed helping to bake them (and then eat them after of course! 🙂 )
Shadi+Hasanzadenemati says
This was such a hit! Thank you for this awesome recipe
Chris says
We made these and followed the recipe to a T and for some reason some of mine look a little under cooked on the top towards the center. Are they supposed to look like that? We did everything the instructions said idk. But some of them turned out pretty good.
Pam says
No, ours have always been fine. You said they looked undercooked, but were they? I find cookies and bars will often look that way but when you cool and cut they’re fine. If you get a chance to try again we would really appreciate you coming back and changing that star rating if possible. Thanks!
kathryn says
These charleston chews made such a delicious treat! It was incredibly easy to make and loved how it requires only a handful of ingredients. I’m already craving these again so I may need to make another batch over the weekend! 🙂
Jenn says
Thanks so much for this recipe! I’ve never had pecan chews before and after reading through your tasty recipe, they’re right up my alley! Yum!
Caroline says
These are so tasty and easy to make too – yum!
soniya says
Wow! These chewies look and sounds so delicious.. Can’t wait to make it tomorrow… super excited!
Dave says
Moved to Charleston and had pecan chewies at a food truck and was instantly obsessed. Searched the web for a recipe and thought this one looked like the right mix to match that food truck goodness and sho nuff! So good!
Pam says
Yay! So happy to hear that Dave. We love them too1