With a crumbly shortbread crust & sweet, gooey pecan mixture, these Pecan Pie Bars are a great addition to your holidays. Low in added sugar, gluten free
Preheat oven to 350*F. Line an 8-inch baking dish with foil and grease foil. Set aside.
Make the crust by stirring together the almond meal, cornstarch, butter, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. It's easiest to use your hands to incorporate the butter into the almond meal. Pat mixture evenly into the prepared baking dish. Transfer to preheated oven and bake for 12 minutes.
Meanwhile, blend the dates and vanilla extract in a food processor until relatively smooth. Add to a saucepan with butter and maple syrup. Heat over medium-high heat. Whisk constantly, until mixture thickens a little (about 5 minutes). Stir in milk. Remove from heat and stir in chopped pecans.
Top the crust with the pecan mixture and bake for 12 minutes until the filling is bubbly and set. Let cool for about 10 minutes before removing from pan and cutting into squares. Enjoy!
Notes
*If your dates are not soft, soak them in hot water for 15 minutes before blending.*1 cup of almond meal was 98g almond meal.*Use dairy free butter and milk (unsweetened almond milk or coconut milk) for dairy free version.