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

Units Scale

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

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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