Maple Pecan Pie Bars (vegan) – SRC

It’s Secret Recipe Club time again! For this month’s Secret Recipe Club assignment, I was paired with Bean from Without Adornment. This was a match made in heaven for me! Bean blogs gluten free and sometime allergen free so I had SO many things to choose from. I wanted to make everything on her recipe page and I’ve already made a list of things to make in the future.

After much deliberation (after all, it’s a big decision), I chose her Pecan Pie Bars for this month’s recipe. These bars are HEAVENLY!!!! Pecan pie in bar form 0 Wow. Just saying…they will be replacing pecan pie on Thanksgiving. I give Bean all the credit 🙂

The recipe was already grain-free, vegan and gluten free, so I only made a few tweaks based on what I had on hand. To start, I cut the recipe in half so I wouldn’t have a ginormous pan of these goodies lying around tempting me 🙂 I used all coconut oil in the crust along with powdered xylitol and xanthan gum in place of the honey to reduce the sugar a bit more. I used coconut butter along with coconut oil in the filling since I love that ingredient, used all maple syrup, added a touch of maple extract for a bigger maple punch and increased the arrowroot and flaxseed a touch.

Make these – and make them soon…you will not be disappointed! Thanks Bean for this scrumptious recipe!

Maple Pecan Pie Bars (vegan) (slightly adapted from Without Adornment)

Ingredients

Shortbread Crust:

2 c. blanched almond flour
3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
2 Tbsp xylitol, powdered or coconut palm sugar
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
dash of salt

Pecan Filling

1 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 1/2 Tbsp coconut butter
2 Tbsp coconut oil
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp maple extract, optional
1 tbsp flaxseed meal
1/2 tsp arrowroot starch (could use tapioca starch too)
1 tbsp nut milk (or whatever kind of milk you want)
Sea salt for pecans

Directions

1. To make crust, turn oven to 350F and line with parchment paper or grease a loaf pan.
2. Mix crust ingredients in a medium sized bowl until combined.
3. Press into prepared pan and bake for 15 minutes or until the crust starts to turn brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
4. For the filling: In a small-medium sized pot, mix together the coconut oil, coconut butter, maple syrup and extracts.
5. Bring pot up to a boil and simmer for about 5 minutes, whisking it frequently. (The coconut oil and sweeteners will not mix very much as one is polar and the other is not. Don’t worry as the nut milk slurry will act as an emulsifier.)
6. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. (I stuck mine in the fridge for 10 – 15 minutes, giving it the occasional stir to prevent any coconut oil from hardening.)
7. Meanwhile, toast the pecans in a pan on medium heat for about 5 – 8 minutes or until they smell like roasted pecans, stirring frequently. Once toasted, remove from heat and sprinkle with salt.
8. In a small bowl, mix together the flaxseed meal, tapioca starch and nut milk. Let it sit for a few minutes.
9. Once the sugar-oil mixture is cooler, whisk in the nut milk mixture until combined and smooth.
10. Mix in the chopped pecans and mix until combined. Pour onto the cooled shortbread and distribute evenly.
11. Bake at 350F for about 20 minutes or until the filling begins to set and loses its shine. Remove from oven and place on cooling rack.
12. Before serving, chill in the fridge for at least an hour – the colder they are, the easier they are to cut and serve!
13. Enjoy!

For other SRC recipe this month: