Food and Recipes Desserts Bars Charleston Chewies 5.0 (1) 1 Review These chewy, sugary bars are delightful—and great for a potluck. By Amanda Stanfield Amanda Stanfield Amanda Stanfield is a chef and recipe developer in the Dotdash Meredith Food Studios. She's an expert in menu development, intimate and high-volume dinner services. She's versed in food safety, restaurant management, testing, tasting, and dietary restrictions. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Published on April 23, 2023 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Stacy K. Allen; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely Active Time: 20 mins Total Time: 1 hrs 15 mins Servings: 12 Charleston chewies are a South Carolina original recipe that comes from the Gullah Geechee cuisine. The common dessert or snack staple can be found at many bakeries in the lowcountry of South Carolina. Many recipes have been passed down over generations from their enslaved ancestors and are coveted by each family. This version of the recipe requires just seven main ingredients (all readily available at any grocery) and requires only 20 minutes of active prep time to whip up. The result is sweet, chewy, decadent—and intoxicatingly delicious—without all the work. What Are Charleston Chewies? Charleston chewies, or pecan chewies, taste just like their name implies: They are chewy confections served for dessert or a snack, made with pecans along with butter and sugar. They are easy to make and come together quickly. 33 Pecan Recipes You'll Love To Make Charleston Chewies Ingredients To make Charleston chewies, you’ll need light brown sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, pecans, self-rising flour, unsalted butter, and baking spray with flour. Powdered sugar is optional in this recipe. All of the ingredients are widely available and easy to find. Stacy K. Allen; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely How To Make Charleston Chewies The full recipe is below, but here's a brief recap: Melt butter and sugar: First, preheat the oven to 350°F, and coat a baking dish with baking spray. In a saucepan, melt butter and brown sugar, cooking and stirring until smooth. Then transfer the butter mixture to a large bowl and cool. Add remaining ingredients: Whisk the eggs and vanilla into the brown sugar mixture. Fold in the pecans and flour until evenly combined. Now spread the batter into the baking dish and bake for about 35 to 40 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Cool the bars, cut, and dust with powdered sugar: Invert the bars from the baking dish onto a cutting board and place another cutting board on top of the bars, inverting the bars top side up. Use a fine mesh strainer to dust the bars with powdered sugar and cut them into squares. Stacy K. Allen; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely 51 Sweet Pecan Desserts That Are Southern Favorites What Do Charleston Chewies Taste Like? This treat is chewy, nutty, and unfussy, with a flavor reminiscent of a combination between a cake and a blondie. As the bars cool to completion, they get slightly chewier—hence their name. How To Serve Charleston Chewies Serve chewies while they are still warm out of the oven, or let them cool completely first. They’re just perfect on their own with a glass of ice-cold milk. Or serve with slow-churn vanilla or butter-pecan ice cream to round out the treat and elevate it for company. Editorial contributions by Alesandra Dubin. Ingredients Baking spray with flour 3/4 cup (6 oz.) unsalted butter 2 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar 3 large eggs, at room temperature 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract 2 1/2 cups pecans, chopped 2 cups (8 oz.) self-rising flour 2 Tbsp. powdered sugar (optional) Directions Prepare pan: Preheat oven to 350°F. Evenly coat a 13- x 9-inch baking dish with baking spray. Gather your ingredients. Combine butter and sugar: Melt butter in a medium nonstick saucepan over low. Add brown sugar, and cook, stirring constantly, until smooth, about 1 minute. Stacy K. Allen; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely Transfer to a large heatproof bowl, and let cool slightly, about 5 minutes. Stacy K. Allen; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely Add remaining ingredients: Whisk eggs and vanilla into brown sugar mixture until well combined and smooth. Stacy K. Allen; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely Add pecans and flour, folding in with a rubber spatula until evenly combined (batter will be thick). Stacy K. Allen; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely Spread batter evenly into prepared baking dish. Stacy K. Allen; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely Bake: Bake in preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool on a wire rack 15 minutes. Stacy K. Allen; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely Cool and cut: Invert bars from baking dish onto a cutting board. Stacy K. Allen; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely Place a second cutting board or platter on top of bars, and invert so bars are top side up. Using a fine mesh strainer, dust bars with powdered sugar; cut into 24 squares. Serve warm, or let cool completely. Stacy K. Allen; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely Frequently Asked Questions Do you have to use powdered sugar on pecan chewies? Powdered sugar traditionally tops Charleston chewies; it adds both a pop of white color for dimension as well as some additional sweetness. But it’s not a requirement. Leave off the powdered sugar if you so choose. Can you use a different type of nut in Charleston chewies? While these chewies are typically made with pecans, you could substitute for a different type of nut if you prefer. Give these a unique twist by substituting walnuts or macadamia nuts in the recipe, for instance. Rate it Print Additional reporting by Alesandra Dubin