Gluten-Free Salted Caramel Pecan Bars
With a brown sugar shortbread crust and salted caramel pecan filling, these yummy gluten-free pecan pie bars are as delicious as they are gorgeous.
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Servings: 16 servings
Ingredients
For The Gluten-Free Brown Sugar Shortbread Crust:
- ½ cup softened butter (113 grams/1 stick butter)
- ¼ cup packed brown sugar (50 grams)
- 2 Tablespoons sugar (25 grams)
- 1 ½ cups gluten-free measure-for-measure flour, (scooped & leveled or weighed) (180 grams)
- ½ teaspoon salt
For The Salted Caramel Pecan Filling:
- 5 Tablespoons butter (71 grams)
- 6 Tablespoons packed brown sugar (75 grams)
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 Tablespoons coconut cream heavy cream, or half-and-half
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups roughly chopped pecans (163 grams)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- To Garnish: 1/4 tsp. or so flaky sea salt like Maldon
Instructions
To Make The Gluten-Free Brown Sugar Shortbread Crust:
- Preheat & Prep. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8x8" baking dish with parchment paper.
- Cream Butter & Sugars. In a stand mixer (or large bowl with a hand mixer), combine together the butter, brown sugar, and sugar. Beat 1-2 minutes, or until light, creamy, and fluffy.
- Add Dry Ingredients. Add flour and salt and mix on low speed just until the flour is moistened and there are small crumbly pieces of dough. (Don't over-beat to make the mixture come together--it should be crumbly)
- Pat The Crust Out. Pour the crumbly crust mixture out into your prepared baking dish. Using the back of a flexible spatula, your fingers, or the bottom of a glass or measuring cup, pat out the shortbread crust mixture until it's smooth on top, making sure the crust extends all the way to the borders of the pan. (So the filling doesn't seep through later).
- Prick The Crust. Use a fork to gently prick the crust 9-12 times or so to allow air to escape as it bakes (so it doesn't puff up in the oven).
- Bake the crust at 350 degrees 18-20 minutes, or until the edges are just golden and the center looks set. Set aside to cool for a few minutes while you mix up the salted caramel pecan filling.
For The Salted Caramel Pecan Filling:
- Combine. In a medium saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar, honey, cream, and salt.
- Cook. Whisk over medium heat until the mixture comes to a boil. Boil just 3 minutes, whisking regularly. (The surface should look foamy and slightly lighter in color than before.)
- Finish. Remove from the heat and stir in chopped pecans and vanilla, stirring well to coat the pecans fully in the salted caramel mixture. (You'll notice the caramel mixture has thickened)
- Pour Filling Over Crust. Carefully pour the salted caramel pecan filling out over the baked shortbread crust. Gently use a spatula to spread the mixture (be gentle so the pecans don't dent or scrape the crust!).
- Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are just set and the center is still slightly wobbly. (This wobbly center is important, since the bars will continue to cook for a few minutes once you pull them out of the oven. If your center doesn't have any wobble at all, the bars may set up more stiff and chewy than soft and gooey.)
- Serve & Store. Sprinkle with flaky salt if desired, and let the gluten-free pecan bars cool completely before cutting into squares so the filling doesn't drip. (You can put them in the refrigerator to help speed up this process.)
Notes
- Use The Right Pan! I only recommend a metal baking pan for this recipe, since glass & ceramic pans conduct heat differently. They'll take longer to bake, which can cause an uneven set to the topping, AND the crust can "climb" the sides.
Video
Find the recipe:
sweetsandthankyou.com/gluten-free-salted-caramel-pecan-bars/