When I first started making healthier choices, I initially thought I’d have to say goodbye to having baked treats around the house because all of the recipes I used included the things I was trying to avoid – white flour, white sugar, dairy, etc. I have since discovered that for any conventional treat I used to make, I have been able to find a healthy alternative that I like even more. There is no need to miss out on delicious baking, folks! Take these chocolate pecan pie bars, for example. They are one of my favourite healthy baking recipes, they really make a statement. They include gooey caramel sauce, dark chocolate chunks and pecans, spread over a rich shortbread crust. Mmmm it’s all my favourite things in one dessert. And, of course, these beauties are gluten free, dairy free, and refined sugar free. Perfect for helping you stick to your healthy lifestyle goals, and the perfect treat for people with allergies.
We use almond flour in the crust to make it gluten free. You’ll see me using almond flour a lot in my healthy baking, I find it gives the best results and flavour of the gluten free flours when used in sweet treats. Full fat coconut milk is used in place of heavy cream (though you can use heavy cream interchangeably if you prefer and aren’t dairy free), and it performs just as well. I’ve made it both ways and I honestly don’t notice the difference. Coconut oil is used instead of butter for the crust and to finish the caramel. Honestly, I do notice a slight difference between using the coconut oil as opposed to butter, but it is still delicious both ways. With the butter you will get a firmer, crispier crust and a slightly deeper caramel colour, whereas the coconut oil will give you a bit “wetter” texture to the crust, kind of like a graham cracker crust. Both ways are absolutely delicious, but if I had to choose, I would personally go with the butter. Use whatever works best for your family! Trust me, no one will be disappointed either way.
The caramel portion of this recipe has become my go to caramel for all other times I am needing/wanting/craving caramel, so definitely feel free to double or triple it or just make it alone whenever you need it. It is absolutely delicious drizzled over a latte, cheesecake, ice cream, brownies… you name it! And it only has 4 ingredients (ok, 5 if you include salt) – coconut milk, honey, coconut oil, and vanilla. The process as is so satisfying – see how we start with a milky white colour? About 10 minutes later it’ll be a light brown, and at the 30 minutes mark we have a nice deep thick caramel sauce. While it’s simmering we prepare the rest of the bar so it really isn’t that time consuming after all, don’t worry!
These delightful bars were the perfect finish to our Father’s Day meal the other night. They are definitely husband approved 🙂 I hope you guys give them a try and love them as much as we do! Be sure to let me know how they went for you in the comments and tag me in your pics on instagram so I can repost them for us all to drool over. Talk to you soon 🙂
Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars
Ingredients
For the caramel:
- 1 400ml can full fat coconut milk or 1 1/2 cups heavy cream if you aren't dairy-free
- 1/2 cup honey or maple syrup
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 2 tbsp coconut oil or butter if not dairy-free
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
For the crust:
- 2 1/2 cups almond flour
- 1/2 cup coconut oil (not melted) or sub cold cubed butter if not dairy-free
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
Toppings:
- 2 cups pecan halves
- 1 cup dark chocolate chunks
- 2 eggs, whisked for the caramel
Instructions
For the Caramel:
- Begin the caramel first as it takes the longest. Add the coconut milk, honey, and salt to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low and simmer for about 30 minutes, until thickened and reduced so the mixture falls in drops from a spoon. It should have taken on a light caramel colour. Stir occasionaly with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula.
- Add the coconut oil/butter and vanilla (be careful, it will bubble up initially) and cook for another minute or two, stirring constantly until you get a nice deep caramel colour. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Do not attempt to taste the sauce until it has fully cooled or you will be badly burned! This makes about 1 cup of caramel sauce if you wanted to sub in a storebought sauce or another recipe you like to use.
For the Crust:
- Preaheat your oven to 350F. Add the crust ingredients to a food processor and pulse until mixutre comes together in a sandy dough form. You can also combine in a bowl with a pastry cutter.
- Dump dough into prepared pan and press into an even layer.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, until lightly browned. Set aside to cool.
Toppings, to finish:
- Reduce oven temperature to 325F.
- Taste the cooled caramel and adjust seasoning if necessary. I will often add a pinch more sea salt at this stage because I love a salted caramel flavour. Slowly add the eggs to the cooled caramel (make sure it is no hotter than warm room temperature or you'll end up with a scrambled egg situation), whisking constantly.
- Scatter the pecans and dark chocolate evenly over the crust and pour caramel overtop in an even layer.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until filling is bubbling and set.
- For best results, cool completely in the fridge before slicing and serving and keep stored in the fridge.
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Almond Flour – This is my favourite gluten free flour for baking. It is low in carbs and high in protein and fats, making it a great choice for low carb baking. I’ve always had great success baking with it, it doesn’t act up on me like the notorious coconut flour. The Kirkland brand is made from blanched almonds and finely milled which makes it my favourite brand to date. If you don’t live near a Costco, now you can get it on Amazon!
Yupik Coconut Sugar – Coconut sugar is my go to dry sweetener. It has about half as high of an impact on the Glycemic Index (how much it spikes your blood sugar) compared with table sugar, and contains many beneficial nutrients derived from the coconut palm. I don’t notice any sacrifice in taste or texture when I use coconut sugar in my baking. This brand is a great price and they have excellent customer service. One time I received a bag that had ripped open in the box and spilled everywhere and they sent a new one out right away, no questions asked.
Thai Kitchen Coconut Milk– This is my go to brand for making whipped coconut cream. The other brands just don’t seem to be as creamy or solidify when refrigerated – such a disappointment when you open the can in the morning ready to whip up some cream. This brand has never failed me!Â
Pink Himalayan Salt – I love that this salt is free from additives and contains 84 trace minerals, many of which we are unlikely to get from any other food source. Plus it tastes great! I use it in place of table salt in all of my recipes.
Kitchen Aid 11 Cup Food Processor – I’ve had this for years (literally 10+) so mine is an older model but this thing has served me so well, I can’t imagine going without it. I love the large size so I can make double batches of hummus, grind up my own almond and oat flour, whiz up fresh pizza sauce, etc. The game changing features are the cheese grating and vegetable slicing blades – I can grate up a whole block of cheese in seconds and slice up perfectly even and thin slices of potatoes or vegetables for scalloped potatoes and other casseroles. Dreamy!
These look so delicious!!! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks! These are definitely a favourite around here 🙂
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