Paleo Pecan Pie Bars (gluten-free, dairy-free)

Gluten-free pecan pie bars on a platter, with one cut in half, cut side facing up.

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Paleo Pecan Pie Bars (gluten-free, dairy-free)

These Paleo Pecan Pie Bars are just as good as a pecan pie and so much easier to make! A simple crust (no need to roll it out) is topped with a sweet, gooey filling and lots of crunchy, toasty pecans.

Plus these bars are gluten-free, dairy-free and refined sugar-free.

Prep Time15

Cook Time53

Total Time1 8

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 214kcal

Author: Don Baiocchi

Ingredients

1½ cups pecan halves see note
9 tablespoons honey, divided
8 tablespoons coconut oil, melted, divided
1 tablespoon vanilla extract, divided
1½ cups superfine blanched almond flour, not almond meal
½ teaspoon fine sea salt, divided
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup coconut sugar

Instructions

Heat the oven to 350℉.
Line an 8x8" baking dish with parchment paper, letting some come up the sides so it's easy to lift out later.
Add the pecans to a large skillet (12") and place over medium heat. Cook, tossing occasionally, until darkened in spots and smelling toasty, about 8-10 minutes. Transfer to a plate and let cool, then roughly chop.
In a medium bowl, whisk together 5 tablespoons honey, 4 tablespoons (¼ cup) melted coconut oil and 1½ teaspoons vanilla. Add the almond flour and ¼ teaspoon salt and stir with a spatula until completely combined.
Transfer the dough to the baking dish and use your hands to press it out into an even layer. Bake until slightly golden brown, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven - no need to let it cool.
While the crust is baking, in a medium bowl whisk the eggs, coconut sugar, 4 tablespoons (¼ cup) honey, 4 tablespoons (¼ cup) melted coconut oil, 1½ teaspoons vanilla and ¼ teaspoon salt until completely blended.
When you remove the crust from the oven, pour on the chopped pecans and spread to an even layer. Pour over the filling and use the spatula to spread it to an even layer. You might also have to move the pecans around again into an even layer. Careful as you do all this - the dish will be hot!
Bake for another 25-28 minutes, until the filling is puffy and set around the edges but just slightly jiggly in the center. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. If you want gooey bars, cut and serve them when they're at room temperature. If you want a cleaner, neater slice, once they've cooled to room temperature chill them in the fridge for at least an hour.
These are very sweet and rich, so I cut 2 down and 2 across to create 9 bars, then I cut each of those in half to create 18 bars.

Notes

Note: If you can only find smaller pecan pieces, you'll need about 1¼ cups.

Substitutions

I've made this recipe with maple syrup in the crust and filling instead of honey and it tasted great. Use the same amount.

Instead of coconut oil, I've tried palm shortening and ghee in my Paleo Pecan Pie and both worked well. I haven't tried either option in these bars but I think they would be fine.

Make ahead

The bars will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. Serve straight from the fridge or bring to room temperature.

Freezer info

Before cutting, you can remove the entire slab from the baking dish (with or without the parchment paper) and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Or you can wrap individual pieces in plastic wrap. Either way, transfer to a freezer-safe container or baggie and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.

Nutrition