Name: Salted Caramel Pecan Pie Bars (Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 2 h
Cuisine: Paleo
Ingredients: 2 1/4 cups full fat coconut milk; 1 cup organic coconut sugar; Pinch Celtic sea salt; 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract; 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted (74 grams); 1 1/2 cups almond flour; 1/4 cup coconut flour, (28 grams); 1/4 cup pure maple syrup; 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract; 1/4 teaspoon Celtic salt; 1 1/2 cups pecans, roasted (optional) and chopped; 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup; Pinch Celtic sea salt; 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract; caramel filling cooled for at least 1 hour; 3 pastured eggs; 32 of the best-looking pecan halves for the top

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These paleo pecan pie bars are made with a simple shortbread crust and a dairy-free caramel filling. It’s a creamy, sweet dessert that tastes just as good as traditional pecan pie but much healthier. You’ll love this rich, gooey, buttery treat for the holidays or any special occasion!

What makes these pecan pie bars healthier?

Traditionally pecan pie is made with lots of butter, refined sugars and corn syrup. I wanted to lighten these bars up so they feel good in our body.

Here is what makes them healthy and delicious:

Grain & gluten free shortbread crust made with almond flour and coconut flour.
A dairy-free caramel filling made with coconut milk instead of butter.
All unrefined sugars, only pure maple syrup and coconut sugar.
Healthy fats from the coconut milk, almond flour and pecans prevent blood sugar spikes!

This is not a difficult recipe to make but there are quite a few steps. I will outline them here and provide tips for baking and cutting them.

I recommend making these pecan pie bars the day before you’re going to serve them. They need a few hours to cool and chill.

Steps To Make The Best Paleo Pecan Pie Bars

Step 1: Make the caramel filling: Whisk together the coconut milk and coconut sugar over medium heat. Bring to a boil and turn down to medium/low. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally to avoid burning, for 15-20 minutes or until mixture is reduced and a deep caramel color. Stir in the salt and vanilla extract.Set aside to cool for 1 hour.

Step 2: Make the Shortbread Crust: The crust is made with almond flour, coconut flour, maple syrup, coconut oil and vanilla. Instead of rolling it out like a pie crust, simple mix and press into a parchment lined 8 x 8 baking pan.

Melt the coconut oil. In a small bowl, mix together the almond flour, coconut flour, maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla, and salt until well combined. Press into bottom of pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until slightly golden brown. Let crust cool completely.

Roast the pecans for the filling in the oven at the same time you’re baking the crust .

Chop the roasted pecans and mix with maple syrup and vanilla.

Whisk the eggs into the cooled caramel.

Add the chopped nuts and pour into the crust.

Arrange the pecan halves on the top to make it look pretty and for easy cutting (directions below).

Bake

Tips For Making Paleo Pecan Pie Bars

When lining your 8 x 8 pan with parchment paper, spread a strip of coconut oil along the sides and on the bottom to hold the parchment in place. You’re not oiling the pan, just using a strip of oil like glue.

To press the crust into the prepared pan, spread it out with your hands then use a piece of parchment and bottom of a metal measuring cup to press it evenly into the pan.

I recommend roasting the chopped pecans before adding them to the caramel filling. Raw pecans taste sweet but faintly waxy. Roasting gives them a rich toffeed flavor before they even hit the caramel filling. It’s an optional step.

In order for the filling to bake into a custard, we whisk eggs into the cooled caramel, along with the chopped, roasted, maple flavored pecans.

Arranging The Pecans on Top

Pecan halves make a beautiful topping when you take the time to arrange them in a pattern that makes it easy to cut. You don’t want to mash those pecan halves down into your squares, making your cut slices look like scoops of mush.

Don’t roast the pecan halves you’re using for the top in advance.

Since your knife won’t cut through the whole nuts, arrange them to allow the knife to cut through easily.

We cut these squares into 16 pieces. Arrange 4 groups of 2 pecan halves close together with a little space between, across and down, so there are 16 groups of 2 pecans. Each square will have 2 pecan halves on the top.

The rest of the magic happens in the oven and as it chills.

Chilling is not an optional step. Waiting for them to chill might be the most challenging part of the recipe. The sweet aroma will make you want to eat them right away, but don’t, they won’t taste right.

First let them cool for about 1 hour to room temperature. Then lift up the sides of the parchment to remove them from the pan. Put them on a plate and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, overnight is even better.

Cut into 16 squares when ready to serve. I love adding a sprinkle of Maldon sea salt for that delicious sweet, salty flavor.

These paleo pecan pie bars are my favorite healthy Thanksgiving dessert. Great for the holidays.

I love the rich, creamy, caramel filling and toffy nutty taste. They’re perfectly sweet and super satisfying. The shortbread crust is ideal for the filling and is super easy to make.

This is one of the best desserts for your holiday, whether you have guests or not. The first day I ate 2 pieces right away. Then my family came and ate the rest. You know it’s good when everyone can’t keep their hands off it.

Please let me know how you like this recipe in the comments! I appreciate your feedback so much. Let me know what desserts you’re making for the holiday. ♥

If you like this recipe you may also enjoy these other healthy holiday desserts:

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Recipe adapted from Paleo Running Momma.