Healthy Thick Pecan Pie Bars Recipe

Made without corn syrup, these thick pecan pie bars are healthy and free from dairy, grains and refined-sugar too! If you love pecan pie, then my friend, you’re in for a real treat! Keep reading…

This post is kindly sponsored by Just Bee.

Once upon a time, way back into my university days, I had a part-time job as a barista at one of my favourite local cafes. Every day I would turn up and drool behind the counter at the cafe’s famous pecan pie that everyone went nuts over. The caramel, the sweetness, the shortbread crust, the nuttiness! Oh boy, just thinking about it makes my taste buds come alive.

So when I learnt that I could take my favourite pie recipe and turn it into something a little healthier, yet just as tasty, you could only imagine my delight.

These pecan pie bars are nutty, thick, sweet, sticky and bursting with the beautiful taste of caramel. While they make look a little complicated to make, they’re by far one of the easiest kind of ‘layered’ recipes I’ve made by far. Just keep on reading to find out how…

How to make thick pecan pie bars

To make your shortcrust layer you’ll need to combine coconut flour, almond flour (I use ground almonds), coconut oil, honey, salt and a little vanilla together until a dough forms.

I’ve used raw vitamin honey from Just Bee to ensure my honey isn’t packed with added sugar and other nonsense ingredients that simply aren’t needed.

Just Bee’s honey is natural, raw, high-quality and supercharged with vitamins to help look after your immune system. I personally find a massive difference in the taste between raw honey and regular, ‘cheap’ honey found in the supermarkets. It’s smoother, less artificial and more natural tasting – just nature’s delight. So if you want to make sure you’re getting the most out of your honey, make sure it’s raw!

To shop Just Bee’s Raw Vitamin Honey range, click here and use my discount code ‘HANNAH20’ for 20% off everything!

Once you’ve combined the shortbread ingredients, you’ll then flatten it into a square baking tin before popping in the oven to bake for 15 minutes and leaving to cool.

While your shortbread cools, you can start to make the mouth-watering pecan caramel-like filling. Start by melting the honey, coconut oil, coconut sugar and vanilla together and bring to a boil for 3-4 minutes whilst constantly stirring. The liquid should start to bubble and go a little crazy. As soon as it’s boiled for 3-4 minutes, take the pan off the heat and stir in the coconut milk and pecans until covered. Leave to cool before pouring onto your cooled shortbread crust.

Pop in the fridge to set and remove when ready to serve. Don’t forget to slice them into bars with a slightly warm knife (to prevent cracking the topping)!

I keep my bars in an airtight container in the fridge. These will keep well for up to a week… if they can last that long anyway! Mmm, mmm. Enjoy!

Healthy thick pecan pie bars

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Serves: 8 Prep Time: 20 minutes Cooking Time: 15 minutes 15 minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

Ingredients

• SHORTBREAD
• 145g ground almonds
• 30g coconut flour
• 85g Just Bee's raw honey
• 50g coconut oil, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla (or 6 vanilla drops)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• PECAN FILLING
• 100g coconut oil, melted
• 85g Just Bee's raw honey
• 110g coconut sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla (or 6 vanilla drops)
• 1 tbsp coconut milk
• 200g pecans

Instructions

Begin by preheating your oven to 175c and line a square baking tin with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine your shortbread ingredients and mix well into a dough. Flatten the dough into the baking tin (making sure it's even) and pop in the middle of the oven to bake for 15 minutes until golden.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

While your shortbread cools, you can start to make your pecan caramel-like filling. Start by melting the honey, coconut oil, coconut sugar and vanilla together and bring to a boil for 3-4 minutes whilst constantly stirring. The liquid should start to bubble. As soon as it's reached 3-4 minutes, take the pan off the heat and stir in the coconut milk and pecans until covered. Leave to cool before pouring onto your cooled shortbread crust.

Cover the shortbread crust completely with your pecan filling and then place in the fridge to cool and harden before cutting into bars.

Serve when ready and keep any leftover bars in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Enjoy!

PS, if you love this recipe then I’m certain you’ll love my healthy pecan carrot cake banana bread recipe too!