These gluten free maple pecan bars are just what you need for the holidays! They have an almond flour shortbread crust and a nutty maple and pecan filling. These healthy pecan bars are not only gluten free, but dairy free, paleo and vegan as well!
Apparently Trader Joe's has a maple pecan shortbread bar recipe that's pretty popular. But they've got nothing on these gluten free maple pecan bars.
My recipe consists of an almond flour shortbread crust that's topped with a sweet, maple and pecan filling. The crust is soft and tender and the topping has a delicious maple flavor.
If you love pecan pie, you're sure to love these maple pecan bars!
Why You'll Love these Maple Pecan Bars
- paleo and vegan friendly - made with simple, wholesome ingredients
- gluten free and grain free - made without oats and without wheat
- dairy free - no butter or cream
- lower in sugar than most pecan bar recipes
- refined sugar free - no corn syrup
Ingredients
These bars are basically a pecan pie in cookie bar form. They have a grain free shortbread crust and sweet maple and pecan filling. Here's what you need:
Shortbread Crust
The crust is a simple, paleo shortbread. It is lightly sweetened and has a soft, buttery texture. It's made from:
- blanched almond flour
- tapioca flour
- coconut oil
- maple syrup
- salt
For an almond free version, the almond flour may be substituted with tigernut flour. Arrowroot flour works in place of the tapioca flour. And lastly, rather than coconut oil you may use non-hydrogenated palm shortening.
Maple Pecan Filling
The filling is free of corn syrup, dairy and gluten. Instead, the following ingredients are used:
- pecan pieces
- coconut cream
- maple syrup
- tapioca flour
- cinnamon
- vanilla extract
- salt
Whole pecans can be used in place of the pecan pieces. Simply, chop them to desired size to use in the recipe. Again, tapioca flour may be substituted with arrowroot.
How to Gluten Free Make Maple Pecan Bars
These healthy pecan bars are super easy to make. Here's what you need to do:
First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper and set aside. (Double the recipe if you're using a larger pan.)
Make the Crust
Next, make the crust by combining all dry crust ingredients in a medium sized mixing bowl. Then mix in the wet ingredients. The dough should be crumbly, but moist and easy to press together.
Firmly press the crust dough into the lined baking pan.
Make the Filling
Next, on to the filling. In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine pecans, tapioca flour, cinnamon and salt. Mix until well coated. Set aside.
In a small sauce pan, combine the coconut cream, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Cook the mixture on medium heat for 8 minutes, stirring frequently. The mixture should start to simmer after a few minutes and continue simmering. Don't bring it to a boil.
Next, pour the coated pecans into the sauce pan and continue cooking on medium heat for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. It's important to constantly stir the filling so that it doesn't burn. While cooking, the filling should thicken.
Then, turn off the stove top and pour the filling onto the crust. With a spatula, smooth out the filling so that it is an even layer, coating the entire crust.
Bake
Place the bars in your preheated oven and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
Cool
Lastly, remove the pecan bars from the oven and cool them to room temperature in the baking dish. I recommend chilling them overnight prior to cutting so that they can fully set. After chilling, the bars are easier to cut.
Storage
These gluten free maple pecan bars are best stored in the fridge or freezer. I actually REALLY like them frozen. They don't turn out rock-hard, but completely edible.
Place the bars in an airtight container or baggie. They will last well up to two weeks in the fridge or 2 months in the freezer.
I'm not a huge pie person. Which, if you browse my site I'm sure you know! I prefer making bar recipes like these maple pecan squares because I find them easier to throw together. These would be a great Paleo Thanksgiving dessert addition, as they are similar to a pecan pie.
More Easy Gluten Free Desserts
Looking for more easy gluten free and paleo friendly desserts? Here are some great recipes to try:
Enjoy!
Print
Gluten Free Maple Pecan Bars (Paleo, Vegan)
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 16 bars 1x
Description
These gluten free Maple Pecan Bars have an almond flour shortbread crust and a creamy maple pecan filling. They are healthy, paleo and vegan friendly.
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 ½ cups blanched almond flour (140g)
- ¼ cup tapioca flour (30g)
- ⅛ tsp salt
- ¼ cup melted coconut oil
- 1 Tbsp maple syrup
Filling
- 2 cups pecan pieces
- 1 Tbsp tapioca flour
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp salt
- ⅔ cup coconut cream*
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- For the crust: combine almond flour, tapioca flour and salt in a medium sized mixing bowl. Mix in melted coconut oil and maple syrup. (Dough should be crumbly but moist.) Firmly press dough into a parchment-lined 8" x 8" glass baking dish and set aside.
- For the Filling: In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine pecans, tapioca flour, cinnamon and salt. Mix until well coated. Set aside.
- In a small sauce pan, combine coconut cream, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Cook on medium heat for 8 minutes, stirring frequently. (Mixture should be simmering but not boiling.)
- Pour the coated pecans into the sauce pan and continue cooking on medium heat for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. The mixture should thicken.
- Remove filling from heat and pour over crust. Smooth out so that filling is an even layer, coating the entire crust.
- Place bars in the preheated oven and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
- Remove from oven and cool to room temperature. Chill in fridge overnight**
- Cut and serve.
- Store in fridge or freezer.
Notes
*Use just the cream that rises to the top of a can of full fat coconut milk. One can of full fat coconut milk should be produce about 1 cup of cream.
**These bars cut best after chilling in the fridge overnight.
Erika
I made these this week. Very tasty! I wouldn't change anything. Just the right amount of sweetness.
Katie
Oh wonderful! So glad you enjoyed them 🙂
Julie in Setttle
These are awesome -- and no gluten or sugar! I've made them many times. Our favorite desert.
Katie
Yay! So glad you like them - they're a favorite of mine too. I need to remake them soon 🙂 Thank you for the review!
Katie
I've made these pecan bars many times and they're one of my favorite non-chocolate desserts! Hope you all love them.
Reggie
These were spectacular and I was doubtful! Totally delicious and well worth it. Thank you!
Amanda Davis
Delicious! Can I use this filling recipe and the pie crust recipe to make pecan pie? What would I bake the pie at?
Katie
So glad you like these bars 🙂 I've never made this recipe into a pie or used one of my pie crust recipes with this filling, so I'm not sure how it would turn out.
Lauren
Do you have a recipe for shortbread crust made with coconut flour instead?
Katie
I don't have any that use just coconut flour. You can swap the almond flour for tigernut flour though.