Gluten Free, Dairy Free Pecan Pie Bars
Gluten Free, Dairy Free Pecan Pie Bars – delicious without the sugar!Pecan pie was always my favorite dessert at Thanksgiving. I know pumpkin and apple pies are universal favorites, but for me it was all about the pecan. Of course the ingredients were sugar, brown sugar and corn syrup (more sugar!), compounded by butter and flour (gluten) in the crust. As someone who was sensitive to all of those ingredients, no wonder I felt so terrible after eating it. But I was unaware of my food sensitivities and all I knew was that a Thanksgiving without pecan pie was no Thanksgiving at all. I well remember the fateful Thanksgiving where our large long-haired German Shepherd got up on the counter where the pie was cooling, pulled it on to the floor and licked it clean. All that remained was the crust. We begged my mother to make a new one as it was still the night before Thanksgiving, but she refused. My siblings consoled themselves with the other available pies but I was so disappointed. Fast forward to gluten-free, dairy-free years and I have tried to adapt to new and healthier dietary habits while still offering a version of my favorite. When we added sugar-free to the roster of dietary exclusions, pecan pie seemed impossible. I have made a few attempts the past couple of years, but they were met with disappointment. This year I decided to prepare early and I was on a mission to find a “pie” (a bar in this case) that would be healthy, plant-based, gluten-free and sugar-free. Quite a tall order, but I found one and it’s delicious. The source of the recipe is from foodfaithfitness.com; I made some changes but the foundation of it was inspired by her and I thank her for the ingenuity in elevating a holiday favorite to a new level. Much as my mother did, this recipe is best prepared the night before Thanksgiving or at least first thing in the morning Thanksgiving day. It needs to set for about 6 hours – just keep it away from any tall dogs!Please let me know how you enjoy this and remember you can prepare this dessert whenever you wish; you don’t need to save it for Thanksgiving!Enjoy!
Ingredients
“Shortbread” crust:
- 1/3 cup organic coconut oil at room temperature – it’s not melted just at room temperature. It will be thick but soft, like room temperature butter.
- 3 Tbsp organic maple syrup
- 3/4 cup organic coconut flour sifted – if you don’t have a sifted just put it through a fine sieve with a spoon. That will remove any lumps and add some air to it.
- Pinch of Himalayan sea salt
Pecan topping:
- 2 flax eggs How to prepare: take 2 Tbsp organic flax meal or simply grind flax seeds in a coffee grinder and add 5 Tbsp of warm water. Mix together and place in refrigerator for about an hour or until well thickened. You’ll have time for this while the crust is cooling.
- 1 cup organic pecans roughly chopped – don’t make them too small because you want to “see” them and have a crunch to the topping.
- 1 1/2 Tbsp organic coconut oil
- 3 Tbsp organic maple syrup
- 1/2 Cup organic date sugar
- 1/4 tsp Himalayan sea salt
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees and line an 8×8 inch baking pan with parchment paper. Grease the sides of the pan with coconut oil.
- In a large bowl, beat the maple syrup and coconut oil together until creamy. Stir in the coconut flour and salt until it forms a dough.
- Press the dough evenly into the bottom of the pan and bake until the edges are a deep golden brown, and the middle is lightly golden, about 14-15 minutes. If the crust cracks, use the back of a spoon to press down on it and “seal” the crack. Let cool for 1 hour. You want the crust to be firm so the topping doesn’t make it soggy.
- Make the flax egg as described above and refrigerate; this will allow it to “gel”.
- Place the pecans onto a cookie sheet in a single layer and bake them into the oven until they darken a bit and you can smell their aroma, about 8-10 minutes. Let cool and roughly chop.
- Combine coconut oil, maple syrup, coconut sugar and salt in a large sauce pan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Boil for one minute, stirring frequently and then remove from heat. Let it cool for 5 minutes at room temperature.
- Add the chilled flax eggs to the cooled mixture and combine well. Lastly, stir in the chopped pecans until they are well coated.
- Pour the topping over the crust, using a spoon to spread it out evenly over the crust. Press extra roughly chopped pecans lightly over the top so they lay flat and have the “look” that reminds you of the pecan pie of your youth!
- Bake until the filling looks set, about 20 minutes. Remove from the over and let stand until it’s no longer warm to the touch. Now place in the refrigerator for about 6 hours or overnight. This allows the bars to fully set.
- Slice and enjoy! For the holiday, consider preparing some coconut whipped cream as a topping.
Notes
Is Your Health At Its Optimum?If you are suffering from any of the problems listed above—contact us for a consultation. Call (727) 335-0400 to schedule. Our medical clinic is located in Clearwater, FL. If you are not local to us, our medical team treats patients from across the country and internationally via telemedicine consultations. We help you find the underlying root cause of your health issues. To your health,
Dr. Vikki Petersen
DC, CCN
IFM Certified Practitioner
Founder of Root Cause Medical Clinic
Author of the books:
“The Gluten Effect”
"Hiatal Hernia Syndrome",
and of the e-book “Gluten Intolerance – What You Don’t Know May Be Killing You!”
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!