These gluten free pecan pie bars an an easy holiday dessert made with just 10 ingredients. They have a tender, buttery shortbread crust topped with a gooey, soft pecan filling made with maple syrup and brown sugar instead of corn syrup. The crunchy pecans on top add the perfect contrast to these dessert bars that can be made ahead of time for easy holiday entertaining!
Gluten Free Pecan Pie Bars that are Perfectly Gooey Without Corn Syrup!
Pecans are by far my favorite nut so it’s not a stretch to imagine how much I love a good pecan pie! The only thing I don’t like about pecan pie is that a lot of recipes use corn syrup. I don’t ever have this on hand and don’t particularly like using it so I decided to develop these with maple syrup and brown sugar instead! They yield a soft and gooey texture with a natural maple sweetness that is incredibly delicious!
These gluten free pecan pie bars are honestly so easy to make since you only need 10 ingredients and there’s no fancy kitchen equipment involved. They’re make-ahead friendly since they have to cool to room temperature before being served and can be kept in the fridge if you feel like making them more than a day ahead of time. I love that these feel special enough for a holiday meal yet they’re easy enough for a weekday bake. I hope you try them!
JUMP STRAIGHT TO
- Key Ingredients for a Corn-Syrup Free Pecan Pie Filling
- My Best Tips for Avoiding a Gritty Texture in the Gluten Free Shortbread Base
- How to Make These Pecan Pie Bars in About an Hour
- More Gluten Free Desserts for Your Holiday Table
Key Ingredients for a Corn-Syrup Free Pecan Pie Filling
Traditional pecan pie has corn syrup in the custard filling because it prevents sugar crystals from forming during baking and ensures a gooey filling. BUT, you can achieve the same thing with a combination of pure maple syrup and brown sugar! I don’t ever have corn syrup on hand but I almost always have brown sugar and maple syrup.
Aside from the sweeteners, you’ll need large eggs to make the base of the custard, melted butter to add a little richness, nutmeg for a hint of cozy warmth, and of course pecans! I prefer using pecan halves instead of chopped pecans and I don’t toast them beforehand because they will get nice and toasty in the oven while the bars bake.
My Best Tip for Avoiding a Gritty Texture in the Gluten Free Shortbread Base
Most gluten free flour blends contain at least one type of rice flour. Rice flours takes longer to hydrate so they can often lead to that characteristic gritty texture in gluten free baked goods if not allowed to hydrate properly before baking. The easiest way to avoid this is to let the shortbread dough rest for 10 minutes before you press it into the pan. The allows the rice flour to hydrate and yields a tender and buttery texture rather than a gritty one!
Curious which gluten free flour blends work best here? Check out the notes section of the recipe card below!
How to Make these Pecan Pie Bars in About an Hour
Mix together all of the ingredients for the gluten free shortbread base then let it sit for at least 10 minutes to allow the flours to properly hydrate. While that happens, you can preheat your oven and line an 8-inch square metal baking pan with parchment paper. After 10 minutes, press the dough into the bottom of the lined pan in an even layer. Don’t worry about what the top looks like!
Bake the crust in the preheated oven until it is just set. It should look pale in color and no longer glossy (see below). While that happens, you can mix together the pecan pie filling so that it’s ready once the crust comes out of the oven!
As soon as the crust comes out of the oven, you can pour the pecan filling over the top, then pop the bars back in the oven. Bake them until the filling is set. It’s okay if there is a slight wobble to the filling but it should not still look jiggly or liquidy. The bars need to cool to room temperature before they’re ready so that the filling can fully set.
Have leftover pecans? Try these spiced pecans with rosemary or sprinkle them on this warm kale salad with creamy lemon rosemary dressing!
More Gluten Free Desserts for Your Holiday Table
If you need another gluten free friendly dessert, I really love these cranberry crumble bars! They’re made with fresh cranberries and are so perfect for a holiday meal. If oven space is at a premium and you want something that doesn’t take up any valuable oven or stovetop space, go with this 5-minute pumpkin pie dip! Want something with apples? Try this 9-ingredient maple cinnamon apple crumble that comes together with just 10 minutes of prep time.
Gluten Free Pecan Pie Bars
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 9 1x
- Diet: Gluten-Free, Vegetarian
Description
These gluten free pecan pie bars an an easy holiday dessert made with just 10 ingredients. They have a tender, buttery shortbread crust topped with a gooey, soft pecan filling made with maple syrup and brown sugar instead of corn syrup. The crunchy pecans on top add the perfect contrast to these dessert bars that can be made ahead of time for easy holiday entertaining!
Ingredients
For the gluten free shortbread crust
- 1 1/2 cups (180 grams) gluten free measure for measure flour
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 6 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste, or vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
For the pecan pie filling
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 heaped cup pecan halves
- Flaky sea salt, optional for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease an 8-inch square metal baking pan then line with parchment on all sides leaving an overhang. I like to secure the parchment with binder clips to help keep it in place.
- Mix together all of the ingredients for the shortbread crust in a bowl until fully combined and it looks like soft cookie dough. Let it rest for 10 minutes to properly hydrate the flour. Press the dough into the lined pan in an even layer. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes until the crust is just set and pale in color.
- White crust bakes, make the pecan filling. Slowly whisk the melted butter into the eggs then whisk in the maple syrup, brown sugar, salt, and nutmeg until smooth. Mix in the pecans. Once the crust comes out of the oven, carefully pour the filling over the crust.
- Bake the bars in the preheated oven for 30-35 min until the filling is set. It can have a slight wobble but should not be jiggly or look liquidy.
- Cool the bars in the pan set on a wire rack. Let them cool completely before removing, slicing, and serving. For super clean slices, you can chill bars in the fridge for about an hour first.
- I like to sprinkle a pinch of flaky sea salt on top before serving but it’s completely optional.
- If you are planning on eating the bars the same day you bake them, you can leave them out at room temperature until you’re ready to serve them. Keep any leftovers in the fridge and enjoy within 3-4 days.You can eat leftover bars cold or allow them to come to room temperature first.
Notes
I used King Arthur’s measure for measure gluten free flour blend. The 1 to 1 Gluten Free Baking Flour from Bob’s Red Mill also works great. I recommend measuring the flour with a scale (180 grams) or filling your measure cup with the spoon and level method to ensure accuracy.
I’ve tested these bars with an equal amount of all-purpose flour (1 1/2 cups) and it works perfectly! Simply omit the 10 minutes of waiting time for the flour to hydrate.
I don’t recommend using a pan larger than 8-inches as the layer of filling will be way too thin.
There’s no need to use roasted pecans as they will get nice and toasty in the oven.
The nitmeg adds a cozy, subtle warmth. You can swap in cinnamon if you don’t have any nutmeg on hand.
Ensure you’re eggs are at room temperature before using them in the recipe or they will cause the melted butter to solidify when it is added to the filling.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Dough Resting Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 45-50 minutes
- Category: Dessert
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