Vegan Maple Pecan Bars

Vegan maple pecan bars. Need i say more. If you’re not eating some sort of pumpkin dessert this time of year, may I recommend these? Gooey maple caramel, toasted pecans, brown sugar crust and a sprinkle of flaky salt. Basically pecan pie in bar form, but with maple. Which makes everything better really.

How to make vegan maple pecan bars

Pecan bars basically consist of a caramel mixed with pecans and poured over a crust. The caramel usually contains a good amount of liquid sugar like honey or corn syrup to prevent crystallization and add to the gooey texture. Some also contain eggs to set the filling. And lastly it contains butter and sometimes cream so you don’t end up with a hard caramel as you would if you just caramelized sugars on their own.

So to make the vegan version of that, some elements need to be replaced (clearly). For the crust, I made a basic shortbread-like base but with brown sugar and a hint of cinnamon to go well with the filling.

As for the caramel, I used brown sugar to add some toffee-like notes. Maple syrup replaces the honey or corn syrup for amazing flavour. What would normally be butter becomes refined coconut oil and a bit of plant based milk (I just try to avoid vegan butter when I can). And cornstarch helps set the filling.

Since butter usually emulsifies with the caramel and oil doesn’t, this maple pecan filling isn’t baked. Because that results in the oil separating in the oven, the sugar crystallizing and the bars being very crumbly. Yes I’ve tried. But because the pecans are toasted and the maple and brown sugar add great flavour, the taste is just as amazing. And the texture is as well!

You end up with delicious and addictive vegan maple pecan bars that you can enjoy cold if you prefer them firmer or at room temperature for a softer filling.

If you make this recipe please let me know in the comments! All feedback is very much appreciated and I would love to hear from you! You can also tag me on instagram @the.quaint.kitchen or use the hashtag #thequaintkitchen to share your creations!

Vegan Maple Pecan Bars

Tatyana

Gooey pecan bars made with a maple caramel filling poured over a brown sugar crust and sprinkled with flaky salt.

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Course Dessert

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Servings 16

Ingredients

  

Crust

• 90 g neutral oil, (grapeseed, canola, vegetable…)
• 80 g brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 200 g all-purpose flour

Pecan filling

• 110 g refined coconut oil
• 20 g plant based milk
• 100 g maple syrup
• 150 g brown sugar
• 2 ½ tbsp cornstarch
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract or paste
• 270 g pecans, toasted

Topping

• flaky salt or coarse sea salt

Instructions

 

Crust

• Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F and line a 9×9 pan with parchment leaving some overhang to easily pull it out after.
• Whisk together the oil, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt.
• Add the flour and stir with something other than a silicone spatula (i broke mine making that mistake). You’ll need to go in with your hand to finish combining.
• Press the dough into your lined pan starting with your hands then use something with a flat bottom like a glass cup to compact it. I like to go around the edges with a spoon to flatten them too.
• Bake for 15-18 minutes and set aside to cool while you make the filling.

Pecan filling

• Start by toasting the pecans on a baking sheet for 8-10 minutes also at 180°C/350°F.
• Once they’re out, start making the filling by combining the rest of the ingredients together in a saucepan.
• Place it over medium heat and bring to a boil, whisking constantly to avoid the oil separating too much.
• Let it boil for about a minute to activate the cornstarch then remove from the heat and stir in the toasted pecans, making sure they’re all coated.
• Pour the filling over the crust and spread it out, making sure it’s evenly distributed. Sprinkle the top with flaky salt or coarse sea salt. Place the pan in the fridge for about 1 hour for it to set.
• Then cut the square into 16 bars and enjoy!

Notes

• *Disclaimer: I have a tiny not-so-great oven, so your bake time may vary from mine.
  
• I strongly suggest making recipes by weight, if you make them by cups I can’t guarantee that you’ll get the same results.
• These can be kept in the fridge for at least a week (if not longer since there’s a fair bit of sugar in them) in a sealed container or 2 days at room temperature, but they’re best enjoyed the same day or the next as the filling loses its gooeyness and becomes more crumbly with time.