With a crumbly shortbread crust and a sweet, gooey pecan mixture, these Pecan Pie Bars are a great addition to your Thanksgiving spread
Dessert on Thanksgiving is probably the only time I don’t really want dessert. The only exception I’ll make is warm pecan pie with vanilla bean ice cream on top. I’ll save room for that fo sho!
Inevitably though I feel like a stuffed turkey if I have a big Thanksgiving meal plus my slice of pecan pie plus ice cream. That’s a little too much for me to feel like I don’t need to be rolled away from the dinner table. And being rolled away from the table is not my end goal, ever. [Be sure to check out these tips for eating healthy on Thanksgiving!]
But life without dessert is not one I want to live, so I make Pecan Pie Bars. I used to make these Maple Pecan Bars, but I wanted to try to make them without too much added sugar and gluten-free friendly.
Enter my favorite helpers for cutting back on the sugar: dates
I love using dates in desserts (brownies, cookies, more cookies, cookie dough dip) because they give the sweetness you want without a bunch of added sugar. Yes, dates are high in sugar compared to other fruit, but they are better than using added sugar (like granulated sugar, brown sugar, etc.). Plus, dates have fiber, potassium, copper, manganese, magnesium, and Vitamin B6. You definitely won’t find that in granulated sugar.
When I am adding sugar, I like it to be a more natural sugar like maple syrup or honey. No, I’m not under the impression that this makes it super healthy, but I do feel a little bit better about enjoying desserts that are made with natural sugars. Just my personal opinion.
Basically, I took my maple pecan bar recipe and made it gluten free and with only dates & maple syrup. I’m happy to report that the results were just as tasty!
There’s a crumbly shortbread crust, topped with a sweet, gooey (but not too gooey) pecan mixture. Baked to perfection and sliced into squares, these bars are a great addition to a Thanksgiving spread.
I’ll be bringing these Pecan Pie Bars to Meghan (from Cake ‘n Knife) and Susannah’s (from Feast + West) Blogsgiving Dinner! Since Thanksgiving is all about family, friends and delicious food, more than 60 blogs are sharing recipes this week for Blogsgiving!
The idea is based on an old-fashioned potluck dinner party. Each blogger is bringing one or more dishes to the party, so be sure to stop by each one and get some ideas for your own Thanksgiving meal. We’ll be posting to social media with the hashtag #blogsgivingdinner, but you can see all the whole menu in Part 1 and Part 2 of the recipe round-up.
- 1 cup almond meal or flour
- 3 TBSP cornstarch
- 3 TBSP cold butter, cut into pieces
- 1 TBSP maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup dates (tightly packed into measuring cup)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 TBSP butter
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 TBSP milk (not skim)
- 1 cup pecans, chopped
- Preheat oven to 350*F. Line an 8-inch baking dish with foil and grease foil. Set aside.
- Make the crust by stirring together the almond meal, cornstarch, butter, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. It's easiest to use your hands to incorporate the butter into the almond meal. Pat mixture evenly into the prepared baking dish. Transfer to preheated oven and bake for 12 minutes.
- Meanwhile, blend the dates and vanilla extract in a food processor until relatively smooth. Add to a saucepan with butter and maple syrup. Heat over medium-high heat. Whisk constantly, until mixture thickens a little (about 5 minutes). Stir in milk. Remove from heat and stir in chopped pecans.
- Top the crust with the pecan mixture and bake for 12 minutes until the filling is bubbly and set. Let cool for about 10 minutes before removing from pan and cutting into squares. Enjoy!
*1 cup of almond meal was 98g almond meal
Meme
