This weekend has just been the coziest! It has been stormy, gloomy, and pouring rain non-stop, meaning I am taking advantage of this little glimpse of fall that Hawaii is giving us! Don’t get me wrong, I love the sunshine and the fact that I can swim in the ocean year round, but there is just something that I miss so terribly about not getting to experience the change of seasons.  So the coffee is hot, the AC is on (because its so hot outside) and my cinnamon sugar cookie candles are lit!

Thanksgiving is something I am really looking forward to this year—mostly because my husband will actually be in the house to celebrate, for the first time in our marriage, but also for the fact that I am not dreading going into the holiday season, because I have my cookbook to cook from this year, which is making everything so easy and tasty!

Ok now onto these scrumptious, sweet little pecan pie bars! These took me a few tries and tweaks to finally get perfect, but I got back into the kitchen multiple times the past few weeks to perfect them for you all!  This is one of those recipes that quite honestly is too good to be true!

True story: the other day I was sitting at my desk working when the husband came home and a few minutes later I heard some rustling in the kitchen, then “Babe these are the best thing you have ever created!”  I have this spot in the kitchen where I always keep sweet treats and snacks for him, and needless to say these pecan pie bars disappeared quickly!

But in all honesty I can’t even begin to tell you all how delicious these gluten free and grain-free pecan pie bars are!  Truth be told, I had to practice some major restraint when testing and photographing them because they pretty much just taste like a snickerdoodle, cinnamon roll and pecan pie all wrapped into one little morsel of happiness.  The base is a shortbread cookie crumb crust topped with a date-sweetened light layer of pecan pie filling.

I decided to make them into bar format rather than a whole pie, because sometimes you just want a simple dessert and this truly is that.  If you are new to grain-free or Paleo baking, don’t be intimidated, because this recipe is so so simple you can’t really screw it up! Well unless you leave it in the oven for too long, don’t do that cause no one wants burnt pecan pie.

For my complete Thanksgiving menu and what I will be cooking in my kitchen this year, check out my gluten-free and Paleo Thanksgiving menu and the Thanksgiving and Christmas chapters in my cookbook, All American Paleo Table!

I truly hope you have the best day, celebrating with family and giving thanks for all the countless blessings we have in our lives!

Date Sweetened Paleo Pecan Pie Bars

makes 9 squares | 24 g carbohydrates per serving

Shortbread Crust

• 1 cup raw macadamia nuts
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 3 tbsp coconut flour
• 2 tbsp maple sugar
• 1/2 tsp grass-fed gelatin
• 4 tbsp butter, softened
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Pecan Pie Filling

• 8 medjool dates, about 1 cup
• 4 tbsp butter, softened
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• pinch of sea salt
• 1 cup pecan halves, heaping full and divided

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and arrange the baking rack to the lower position.  Line an 8 by 8 inch baking pan with parchment paper.
• Add the macadamia nuts to the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times, then add in the coconut oil and blend until the texture resembles a thick nut butter like consistency.
• Add in the remaining shortbread ingredients and blend until the mixture begins to form a ball of dough.
• Press the dough into the parchment paper lined baking dish until it is evenly spread throughout the bottom.
• Bake the crust for 12-14 minutes or just until the edges start to turn golden brown, keeping in mind that you want to only partially bake this crust!
• Wash and dry your food processor before making the pecan pie filling.  Add the dates and softened butter to the bowl of a food processor and blend into a paste.  Add the eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, salt and half of the pecans and pulse several times until well incorporated.
• Pour the filling into the partially baked crust, using a spatula to smooth out the top.  Sprinkle the remaining pecans on top.
• Bake for 20 minutes or just until the center is set, keeping in mind that your bars will continue cooking even once removed from the oven and you want these more on the gooey side, so watch carefully at the end.
• Cool completely (about 1 hour) before slicing and serving!  We actually preferred the squares served slightly chilled from the refrigerator.

This & That

• You can make the bars up to 3 days in advance and store them in the refrigerator, I actually think they taste best, slightly chilled anyways!