Healthy Vegan Pecan Bars with a shortbread crust and loaded with nuts.
These healthy vegan pecan bars with a shortbread-style crust are perfect for your holiday feast. These are vegan, refined sugar-free, and loaded with nuts. These healthy vegan pecan bars are the perfect portion for a snack or dessert. They are pretty much a pecan pie but in the form of a bar. My coworkers and my family loved these bars so much. It’s amazing how you can twist a recipe to make it healthy and still enjoy some sweetness.
For these bars, I used monk fruit and replaced the corn syrup with agave syrup. I love using the Lakanto brand because you use the same ration and it won’t change the flavor. You can also check out my Apple Cider Sugar-Free Donuts recipe for another delicious fall dessert. These pecan bars are way heavier on the pecans than on the filling, so if you’re a big fan of pecans but not so much the super sweet pie filling, these are just for you.
These bars could not possibly be any easier to make. The crust is mixed by hand, pressed into the pan, just a whisk of the filling ingredient, folding in the pecans, and done. These bars are all about the pecans! To enhance the pecan flavor, roast pecan halves in the oven over 300 degrees F for 8 minutes. This step is optional but totally recommended.
These bars are:
- Easy to Make
- Delicious
- Ultra-nutty
- The Perfect portion.
- Great for the holidays.
- Refined Sugar-Free.
- Loaded with nuts.
- Great for a snack or dessert.
- It can be made with gluten-free flour.
Other Fall Recipes on My Blog:
Coffee Cake with Pumpkin Streusel
If you give this recipe a try, let me know what you think! Leave a comment below. Also, don’t forget to take a picture and share it on my Facebook page or tag it #thehungrydragonfly on Instagram! I love seeing your creations!
Healthy Vegan Pecan Bars
Equipment
- 9×13 inch pan
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour you can replace for gluten-free blend
- 6 tbsp monk fruit or granulated sugar I use Lakanto brand
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 cup vegan buttery spread or regular butter melted
For the Filling:
- 3/4 cup monk fruit, brown sugar blend I used Lakanto brand
- 2/3 cup agave syrup or corn syrup you can replace for maple syrup
- 1/2 cup vegan buttery spread or regular butter melted and hot
- 1 tsp organic vanilla extract
- 1.2 tsp salt
- 4 cups pecan halves roasted
Instructions
- Inside a baking tray bake pecan halves for 8 minutes under 300 degrees. Set aside.
Make the crust:
- Adjust oven rack to the lowest position and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line up a 9×13 baking pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and salt. Add the melted butter and stir using a wooden spoon until a dough begins to form.
- Using your hands continue to combine until no flour remains and a small portion of dough holds together when squeezed.
- Evenly spread spoons of dough over your baking pan. Using your fingertips, press and smooth dough into an even layer in the bottom of the pan. Set aside.
Make the Filling:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together brown sugar, agave syrup, melted butter, vanilla, and salt until smooth and well combined.
- Fold pecan halves into the sugar mixture until the pecans are evenly coated.
- Pour the pecan mixture over the crust, using a rubber spatula. Spread it working it to the edges and into corners. You will have bare patches and that's okay.
- Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, until the topping is evenly distributed and rapidly bubbly across the entire surface.
- Transfer pan to a wire rack. Let bars cool completely in the pan, about 1 1/2 hours. Cut into 20 to 24 bars and serve.
- Store bars at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Notes
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