Name: Pecan Pie Bars – Glutenfree Vegan
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 12
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 cup almond flour; 3 tablespoons tapioca starch; 2 tablespoons oat flour, certified Glutenfree if needed (or use white rice flour); 1/8 teaspoon baking soda; 1/8 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 tablespoon refined coconut oil (semi-solid); 3 tablespoons maple syrup; 9 soft Medjool dates; 2 tablespoons almond butter; 1/2 cup non-dairy milk such as almond milk or oat milk (or more, if needed); 1/8 teaspoon salt; 1 cup pecans halves and chopped (I use and 1/2 cup of halves and 1/2 cup chopped); 1 tablespoon maple syrup; 2 teaspoons coconut sugar (or brown sugar); 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

Looking for another Thanksgiving dessert? These Vegan Pecan Pie Bars have a lot going for them: Not only are they ridiculously easy to make. They are also way easier to eat after a rich Thanksgiving meal as they can be cut as small or big as you want them to. In addition, they are naturally sweetened with maple syrup and coconut sugar and gluten-free.

The pastry comes together in just minutes, you can make it by hand in a bowl or blitz everything together in the food processor. The middle layer is made from a quick date caramel and the topping is pecans. These have an incredible, addictive texture. The date caramel is gooey, the pecans are crunchy, and the cookie crust is crumbly, buttery and delicious

a stack of vegan glutenfree pecan pie bars

More Thanksgiving desserts:

Ingredients:

the crust is made using a gluten-free blend of almond flour, tapioca starch, and oat flour
baking soda is added for rise
salt helps bring out the sweetness
vanilla extract
to get that crumbly rich texture we use coconut oil for the crust
the date caramel is made from Medjool dates blended with almond butter and non-dairy milk such as almond milk
the bars are topped with pecans halves tossed with maple syrup, coconut sugar and cinnamon

Tips & Substitutions:

For best results, I recommend Medjool dates. They blend easily
You can use store-bought oat flour or you just grind your own oats into on flour in a blender . Or use all purpose flour or rice flour
Refined coconut oil is best if you don’t want your crust to taste a bit coconutty

ingredients for vegan pecan pie bars on a marble counter

How to make Vegan Pecan Pie Bars:

dry mix for vegan pecan pie bars in a white bowl

Make the crust: In a bowl, add the almond flour, tapioca starch, oat flour, baking soda, and salt and mix well.

coconut oil being added to dry mix to make base for vegan pecan pie bars

Then add in the wet ingredients – vanilla extract, melted coconut oil, maple syrup and mix and make a dough. Press and mix to combine.

Line a 9×9 or 8×8 inch brownie pan with parchment. Then press this dough into the pan and even it out with a spatula.

Preheat the oven to 345 degrees Fahrenheit (170c) and bake the crust for 11 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the date caramel: Blend dates, almond butter, 1/4 cup of non dairy milk, 1/8 teaspoon salt. Then add the milk 1 tablespoon at a time until the mixture is a smooth thick cream. Depending on your dates, you might need all of the half cup or a tablespoon less non dairy milk.

ingredients for date caramel in a blender

If your dates are really hard, soak them in hot water and drain and then blend. You can also use up to 3/4 cup non-dairy milk total to help the mixture break down.

In another bowl, add the pecans and maple syrup and toss well. Then sprinkle in the coconut sugar and cinnamon in the pecans and toss again.

Remove the crust from the oven then spread out the date caramel and even it out.

vegan date caramel being spread on top of cookie crust

Top the date caramel with the pecan mixture and even it out and then place this pan back in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes.

shortcrust pastry topped with pecans and maple syrup

Once the top is not liquid anymore, take the pan out. Let it cool for 15 minutes then carefully remove from the pan and let it cool for another 10 minutes before slicing and serving.