Pecan Praline Bars
With a buttery crust topped with sweet, candied pecans these Pecan Praline Bars are perfection. These Pecan Cookie Bars are a great to add to your holiday cookie tray. Or just to eat… any other day of the year. This easy pecan bar recipe is low carb, keto, sugar-free, gluten-free, grain-free, and Trim Healthy Mama friendly.
We spent the last ten days in Minnesota visiting my husband’s brother, his wife, and their 4 children for Thanksgiving. Since we flew from NJ to MN I mailed a box of necessities (my sweetener, almond flour, coconut flour, and a few other things) ahead of time.
I wasn’t planning on making a ton of new recipes while we were visiting but I knew I’d want some sweets while we were there. I settled on making my Creamy Pecan Praline recipe into cookie bars. I knew that I’d be happy having a couple squares of this instead of traditional pumpkin and apple pie.
These filled my Thanksgiving sweet tooth and I’m planning on making another batch for Christmas. I may drizzle a little chocolate on top of them next time. There is always room for chocolate.
Ingredients
You only need seven ingredients to make these amazing bars.
- Almond Flour
- Coconut Flour
- Butter
- Heavy Cream
- Sweetener
- Pecans
- Vanilla
How to Make Pecan Praline Cookie Bars
These have an easy press-in crust topped with a basic pecan praline candy.
The crust only needs almond flour, coconut flour, butter, and water. It is simple but the one trick is to process it long enough in the food processor that the dough comes together in a ball. That is very important!
And then you need to cut the bars, and then chill them. The topping gets too hard to cut if you chill them before cutting. And if you try to take them out before chilling the crust can crumble. It is not hard to cut, chill, remove. Just do it in that order and you are good!
How to make Pecan Praline Topping
My tip here is to stir A LOT and make sure you arrive at a deep golden color before turning off the heat. If it seems to be taking too long turn up the heat a smidge and then keep watch. It is easy to burn cooked candies if you leave them unattended.
While you are at it use the same ingredients to whip up a batch of classic NOLA inspired Pecan Pralines!
More delicious Low Carb Pecan Desserts:
Cinnamon Crumb Cake Recipe w/ Pecans
Homemade Sweetener
One of the best parts of the trip was getting through security on our way home with a baggie of my sweetener in a carry-on. Since I make my own blend of xylitol, erythritol, and stevia I bring it with me when I travel.
But… that baggie of sweetener bought my husband a pat down and a thorough search of our luggage. The security man thought we were pretty funny. Mom, Dad, and 4 kids armed with baking ingredients needing to be searched. I guess I should’ve just mailed a box back home too!
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Pecan Praline Bars
Ingredients
Crust Ingredients:
- 1 1/3 cups almond flour
- 1 1/2 tsp coconut flour (TEASPOONS)
- 2 tbsp cold butter
- 1.5 tsp cold water
Pecan Praline Topping:
- 8 oz chopped pecans toasted (I toast nuts at 400 degrees for 4-6 min until they are lightly browned and fragrant)
- 6 tbsp salted butter divided
- 6 tbsp heavy cream
- 1/2 cup Joy Filled Eats Sweetener (or see alternatives in recipe notes)
- 1/4 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Combine crust ingredients in a food processor and pprocess until a uniform dough forms. This can take 2-3 minutes on high. Keep going until it forms a ball of dough.
- Press into the bottom of a 9 x 9 inch baking dish lined with parchment paper. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.
- Combine 5 tablespoons butter, sweetener, and cream over medium heat. Stir until the sweetener is dissolved. Cook until it is a deep golden brown. As soon as it reached that deep color (right before burning) remove from the heat and immediately add the other 1 tablespoon butter. Stir until smooth. Add the vanilla and toasted pecans. Cool for 10 minutes.
- Pour on top of the prepared crust. Refrigerate until firm.
Can you use another sweetener like regular sugar or honey instead of the others and if so, how much?
I have not tested it. You would probably need twice as much but it would be better to look for a recipe that calls for one of those.
Would you say this is comparable to the honey pecan bar from whole foods?
I haven’t tried that so I’m not sure. Sorry!
The recipe calls for 1/2 cup of your sweetener. Can you tell me how much I need if I am using Xylitol?? That is what I have on hand.
Thanks
I’d use 3/4 cup xylitol.
For the coconut flour – is it truly only supposed to be 1.5 tsp? or is it supposed to be cups?
thanks! looks delicious 🙂
Yes, teaspoons.
If I don’t have a food processor can the crust be combined by hand?
Yes, you can cut in the butter with a pastry cutter. It will take some elbow grease though.
What is the best way to cut these in the pan? Just with a knife or other tool? I am so accustomed to taking the bars out and then cutting so I am just curious. I can’t wait to try these – thanks!
You can take them out and cut them but you do need to cut them before they completely set. If you cut in the pan a knife works just fine.
ANyway to make a video I’m challenged in the baking department and my crust never turned had it stayed mostly in the flour content 🙁
I don’t have a video yet but take a look at this post: joyfilledeats.com/lemon-curd-tart
About halfway down is a similar crust in the food processor. You need to process until it comes into a ball.
My sister-in-law just shared one of these with me and I am in love with them….. I am just starting with THM and have so much to learn but for sure these are going to be one of my first baking treats made…..I just copied down the recipe and noticed that it does not show the serving amount….I am guessing that it would be just one bar but wanted to check…..would never have believed that healthy eating could taste so amazing….thanks for all you do here to help those of us who love to eat good tasting foods but are not creative so we rely on the kind hearts of others willing to share their love of cooking. Have book marked your site and expect to return here often. Once again just want to say THANK YOU!
Yes, nutrition facts are for one bar.
The BEST Keto/THM dessert recipe I’ve tried so far! This is definitely a keeper! I shared my cookie bars with a neighbor, and she thought she’d died and gone to heaven. I will definitely be making these again very soon!
Thank you Debbie!
Oh my, these are wonderful. the best low carb, keto treat that I have ever had and I have tried many over the past year. They are absolutely delicious. I have made them several times and today I used peanuts instead of pecans and they too are awesome! Great recipe thank you!
I have made this several times, always tastes great. Did double up once didn’t work out so well, but still yummy. A few of the times I’ve made it I’ve crumbled “failed” cakes as the base. Just mixed enough melted butter to dampen cake then press into pan and chill ready for topping. The cakes were chocolate , adding another dimension…Great!
I just need to add that…while I’m certain this will taste amazing, my cooked mixture never turned a “deep golden brown”…and I kept waiting for that…thinking I should take it off the heat. I should have. It SEPARATED! It was so gorgeous right up until then. I’ll know better next time…but dang!! It’s gonna be soupy lol.
Don’t worry. It will still be fine for this recipe 🙂 ‘deep golden brown’ is kind of a relative term but it was the way I had to describe it. Smelling caramel-y and coating the back of a spoon are other things to look for.
Anyone use golden Lankato by chance? I used it bc it’s what I had on hand. I boiled for several minutes but it’s getting grainy as it cools. Debated if baking after adding topping to crust would help…
I have read in other recipes that if you grind it to powder it won’t crystallize after it cools. Worth a try.
Made these for Thanksgiving, they were excellent! Definitely going to make them again sometime soon and they will be a great treat for Christmas as well!
My brother in law’s who are also sugar-free devoured them and asked if there are any more 😂 One of them couldn’t believe it was sugar free!
I made these last night for my husband (following recipe exactly as is). He absolutely LOVED them. I will definitely be making them again.