Pecan Pie Bars (paleo)

~Jaclyn~

I’m not really one for diets or food restrictions (especially during the holiday season – please), but the paleo diet has always been of interest to me. I have no plans to starting eating paleo, but I thought it would be fun to experiment making a paleo dessert – and bonus Amanda can eat these too since they are gluten free! In case you don’t know much about paleo (like I didn’t), the diet typically includes lean meats, fish, eggs, fruits, vegetables, nuts/seeds – basically any food that is presumed to have been available during the Paleolithic era. And on the flip side it limits dairy products, legumes, and grains.  I’m not quite sure why anyone would want to limit themselves to only food eaten 2.6 million years ago, but hey you do you. I’m also curious how Paleoites feel about eating something that’s made with paleo allowed ingredients, but we can probably all agree that no one was making these bars during the Paleolithic era. If you eat paleo I would really like to get your thoughts on this. Anywho – these bars are so delicious and a really fun twist on the traditional pecan pie. I might even go as far to say they are a healthy dessert, just to make me feel better about the two I already ate tonight. 

The ingredients for the bars might seem a little strange (coconut sugar – what the?), and they can be a little expensive, but I hope that doesn’t deter you from making these because they are totally worth it, and you can use the leftover ingredients in a lot of our other recipes. Almond and coconut flour can be used to make the tastiest gluten free scones, or holiday lace cookies, and even in treats for your dog! Coconut sugar is a great alternative to regular sugar, and it even contains small amounts of minerals, antioxidants, and fiber. And most of us already have maple syrup in our refrigerators because we need it for our french toast and waffles on the weekend.

My bars have a slight twist, but the original recipe for these bars can be found here. There are two parts to the dessert similar to a regular pecan pie – a shortbread crust and a pecan filling. To make the crust preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a 9×9 glass baking pan with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine almond flour, coconut flour, cinnamon, coconut oil, maple syrup, and salt and stir by hand until well combined. Press the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan and bake for 16-18 minutes, until the edges are slightly brown. Sprinkle pecan halves on top of the crust and set aside. You can make the filling while the crust is baking by combining coconut oil, coconut sugar, molasses, and salt in a large saucepan. On low heat, continuously stir the mixture while the sugar melts and starts to combine with the coconut oil. The coconut oil will naturally separate, so keep stirring to try and combine best you can. This will be frustrating (trust me I know from experience), but just keep stirring. Once the sugar has melted, take off the heat and add in vanilla and almond milk. Use a whisk and all your ingredients will finally come together nicely. Finally add in two eggs and give everything a final mix. Pour the filling mixture over the pecans and bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes. Let the bars cool to room temperature then cut and serve. Enjoy!!