These chocolate pecan pie bars have a simple shortbread crust and a corn syrup-free filling that’s sweetened with maple syrup and brown sugar. You may make them historically, with white entire wheat or gluten-free flour.
Right here’s an awesome Thanksgiving dessert that feeds a crowd. From a 9″x13″ pan, you may get 24-32 servings of those chocolate pecan pie bars.
They’re fairly candy however not obnoxiously candy like a variety of pecan pies. So you possibly can minimize them fairly small.
That is very true for one thing like Thanksgiving, the place there’ll be a lot of different desserts, and folks need to pattern a number of desserts.
I used the filling from my Gluten-free Pecan Pie, added a bunch of chocolate chips and poured that over a shortbread crust.
My photographer stated that these bars could also be her husband’s new favourite. I can see why! They’re certainly fairly addictive.
Components
For the crust
- Unsalted butter – I’ve solely tried this with butter, and that’s what I like to recommend sticking with. The butter taste is crucial!
- Mild brown sugar – darkish brown sugar additionally works. I haven’t tried it, however granulated sugar in all probability works in case you don’t thoughts a extra crumbly crust.
- Flour – all-purpose, white entire wheat and Bob’s Pink Mill 1:1 Gluten-free Baking Flour work right here.
- Vanilla extract and salt
For the filling
- Maple syrup – as a substitute of corn syrup, this recipe requires maple syrup. You’ll want a whopping cup of it, which is unlucky from a price perspective, but it surely provides nice taste and makes these bars half naturally sweetened.
- Eggs – no subs for these.
- Cornstarch or tapioca/arrowroot starch – identical as above.
- Pecans – you possibly can additionally use walnuts in case you’d want walnut chocolate chip bars.
- Chocolate – you need to use darkish or semi-sweet. Please don’t use milk chocolate. I’ve fairly a candy tooth, and even I feel these bars can be too candy with milk chocolate.
You’ll want among the elements above for the filling, plus:
The best way to make the crust
You simply beat collectively the butter and sugar, after which add in the remainder of the elements.
Pat it onto the underside of a parchment-lined pan (observe that it’ll be fairly skinny, however I promise – it’s sufficient!), bake and funky.
Do I’ve to pre-bake the crust?
Sure, it must be baked after which cooled for at the least 10 minutes. In any other case, you’ll have a soggy, messy crust.
The best way to make the filling
You simply stir the whole lot collectively, aside from the pecans and chocolate chips, after which stir within the pecans and chocolate chips.
Then you definately pour it over the pre-baked and cooled crust and bake.
Once they come out of the oven, they form of jiggle a bit, however they need to seem set.
For those who dig into them after taking them out of the oven, they’ll be a gooey mess. You gained’t see two distinct layers of crust and filling.
However as soon as chilled, two layers type. You’ll have a definite crust and filling!
Maple sub?
Sadly not. Honey, corn syrup, extra brown sugar, or the rest won’t work the identical as maple syrup.
Pies, particularly pecan pies and pecan pie bars, are so finicky. I urge you to not experiment in any respect with this recipe. 😉
Can I omit the brown/coconut sugar?
Please see the above reply. 🙂 You cannot omit it. You might want to use brown sugar or coconut sugar.
Can I cut back the sweetener quantity?
I do know that is annoying, however I’d actually, actually not suggest that.
Once you cut back the sweetener, it causes the fats to separate and float to the highest, after which you have got a nasty mess in your arms. And I don’t assume anybody needs to waste a cup of maple syrup (and all the opposite elements) and their time!
Do I’ve to make use of pecans?
You should utilize walnuts. I did as soon as, and the bars had been good, however we most popular them with pecans. However that’s only a private choice.
Are you able to freeze them?
Sure! They freeze completely. You’ll be able to both minimize them up and freeze or simply freeze the bars as a complete.
They in some way don’t freeze exhausting. You’ll be able to instantly minimize or eat them straight from the freezer.
The chocolate is difficult straight from the freezer, although, which I don’t love, so I like to recommend letting them sit for a couple of minutes.
How do I make them vegan?
There’s no sub for the eggs on this recipe, so sadly, there’s no solution to make them vegan.
I do have another tasty choices for you, although! I’ve received this Vegan Caramel Pecan Cheesecake and this Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake. You may make each now and defrost for Thanksgiving! Each are a few of my all-time favorites on the weblog.
How do I make this paleo?
You would need to discover a paleo pie crust. There’s no solution to make this shortbread crust paleo.
I don’t suggest a nut flour-based crust. Possibly one with cassava flour and/or starches, together with some nut flour. However not 100% nut flour, as these all the time appear to get soggy.
After which you want to use coconut oil within the bar filling. Use 3 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons (51 grams) refined coconut oil rather than the 1/4 cup of butter. Additionally, use coconut sugar as a substitute of brown sugar, arrowroot/tapioca starch as a substitute of cornstarch, and paleo chocolate.
I’ve tried all these subs and it labored nice.
I hope you’ll get pleasure from these chocolate pecan pie bars! Please let me understand how they prove in case you strive them. Thanks! 🙂
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- Prep Time:
- Cook dinner Time:
- Prepared in:
- Yield: 24 bars
Components
- 1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temp
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) gentle brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cups (156 grams) all-purpose flour, white entire wheat flour or for a GF model, use 1 1/4 cups (173 grams) Bob’s Pink Mill Gluten-free 1-to-1 Baking Flour
- 3/4 cup (150 grams) gentle brown sugar
- 1 cup (320 grams) maple syrup
- 3 massive (50 grams every, out of shell) eggs, room temperature
- 1/4 cup (56 grams) unsalted butter, melted and nonetheless heat
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 cups (285 grams) chopped pecans
- 1 1/2 cups (225 grams) semi-sweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
Crust:
Filling:
Instructions
- Line a 9” X 13” pan with a bit of baking paper and preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C).
- In a medium mixing bowl, utilizing an electrical hand mixer, beat collectively the butter and brown sugar at medium pace till fluffy and effectively mixed.
- Beat within the vanilla and salt at medium pace till mixed, after which beat within the flour at low pace. You’ll have crumbs and never a ball of dough.
- Evenly and gently put onto the underside of the ready pan. It’ll be fairly a skinny crust. You don’t have to press it down very firmly, but it surely shouldn’t be unfastened crumbs.
- Bake for 13-Quarter-hour or till frivolously browned.
- Place on a cooling rack to chill for at the least 10 minutes whereas making ready the filling.
- In a big mixing bowl, stir collectively all filling elements aside from the pecans, sprinkling on the cornstarch, slightly than plopping it down a giant clump. Don’t overmix! If there are any eggy bits that are not popping out when mixing, take away them or they’ll bake up ugly.
- As soon as mixed, stir within the pecans and chocolate chips.
- Pour the filling into the partially cooled crust and bake for 28-31 minutes. The filling ought to seem set and never liquidy, however the entire thing form of jiggles while you take away it from the oven. For those who had been to chop into them proper now, it’d simply appear like goo. However it separates into layers because it cools and chills.
- Let cool fully, about 2 hours, after which refrigerate for at the least 4 extra.
- Refrigerate in an hermetic container for as much as 5 days or freeze for as much as 3 months.
