Keto Pecan Bars (Only 5 Ingredients)

These keto pecan bars have a sweet and crunchy pecan filling on a crunchy almond crust. Low carbohydrate and gluten-free.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 40 minutes | Cooling: 7 hours | Servings: 16 pecan bars | Calories: 170 kcal

Ingredients

Crust

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 tablespoons salted butter (57 g or 2 oz by weight), melted (I usually cut into small pieces and microwave until it is melted)
• 3 tablespoons sweetener swerve confectioners (28 g or 1 oz by weight)
• 1 cup blanched almond flour (113 g or 4 oz by weight)

Garnish

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 6 oz by weight. pecan pieces (not halves; pieces are 1/4 to 1 inch long, often found in the aisle of grocery stores, not in the snack or ready-to-eat nuts section)
• 5 c. Salted butter (71 g or 2.5 oz weight), cut into about 8 pieces
• 1/2 cup loosely wrapped confectionery sweetener (71 g or 2.5 oz by weight)

Instructions

Toast the pecans

1. Please don’t skip this step; toasting the pecans separately is important because it will bring out a lot of nutty flavors.
2. Place a rack in the lower half of the oven and preheat to 350 F.
3. Spread the pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet (I use a 17 × 12 inch sheet), without oil or parchment paper.
4. Bake at 350 F for 4 minutes, stir the pecans and spread them again in a single layer, then bake again until they are fragrant and toasted, about 4 minutes more.
5. Reserve the pan to allow the pecans to cool. Leave the oven on.

Make the crust

1. Line an 8 × 8-inch baking dish (I’m using a glass dish) with aluminum foil. Put aside.
2. In a mixing bowl, add the melted butter, swerve, and vanilla. Mix until everything is well mixed. Add the almond flour, stirring until incorporated. It should look like dough, and it’s fine if it’s crumbly.
3. Transfer the dough to the baking dish covered with aluminum foil, spreading it out. Use the back of a solid turner spatula to press to form a very thin crust. At first, it will seem like there is not enough to cover the bottom, but keep flattening and spreading until it covers the entire bottom of the dish. Put aside.

Make the garnish

1. In a saucepan (use stainless steel instead of non-stick so you can easily see when the butter is browning, I’m using a 7-inch 1.5-liter pan), add the butter over medium heat. Stir until it is melted, about a minute.
2. When the butter starts to simmer, stir almost constantly to avoid burning. In a few minutes, it should stop sizzling and quickly develop a caramel color with brown spots at the bottom, under the foam. Reduce immediately to medium-low heat and add a deflection. Mix for one minute until the sweetener is dissolved.
3. Cut the fire. Stir in the vanilla extract. Add the toasted pecans, stirring until well coated.
4. Transfer this pecan mixture to the prepared almond crust, spreading it evenly so that no crust is visible. Press lightly with the back of a solid flipper spatula to flatten the mixture against the crust, forming a uniform surface.

Cooking and cooling

1. Bake at 350 F for 20 to 25 minutes; the pecan bars should sizzle a bit and darken on top when you take them out of the oven.
2. Let cool to room temperature (without removing the pecan bars from the baking dish as they are too soft), about 1 hour. A grid is ideal for this. Cover and refrigerate overnight or for at least 6 hours.
3. After cooling, lift the aluminum foil to transfer the pecan bars from the baking dish to the counter. Use a solid knife to cut into 16 bars (it’s good if they crumble a bit), and serve fresh. Store leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator.

Source: savorytooth.com