Caramel Pecan Bars
Easy to make & even easier to eat! Starting with a shortbread cookie base the cooked caramel pecan filling gets poured over top, everything gets baked together to an ooey gooey caramel delight!
Ingredients
For the Shortbread Cookie Base:
- 1¼ cup COLD Vegan Butter 280g
- ¾ cup Granulated Sugar 150g
- 2¾ cup All Purpose Flour 345g
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract 5ml
For the Caramel Pecan Filling:
- ¾ cup Vegan Butter 170g
- 1 cup Vegan Hon-ee 237ml
- 1½ cup Light Brown Sugar 310g
- ⅓ cup Granulated Sugar 67g
- ⅓ cup Plant Milk 80ml
- 2½ cup Pecan Halves or Pieces *NOT TOASTED 300g
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract 5ml
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F & prepare a 9"x13" baking pan with grease & parchment paper *I did not do this in the video, but you can also make the parchment paper drape over the sides of the pan and this will help tremendously with the un-molding of the entire bar later.
- First prepare the shortbread base by combining the flour & sugar together in a mixing bowl. Add the salt if using & blend to mix well.
- Add the cold diced vegan butter & blend on low speed until it resembles course meal.
- Add the vanilla extract & continue mixing until it starts to come together but it is still crumbly. You can grab a handful and see if it stays together in your hands and you will know it is done.
- Turn the crumbly shortbread dough into the prepared pan & press it firmly into the bottom & sides.
- Bake in a preheated 305°F oven for 20-30 minutes or until it is starting to get lightly golden brown.
- Meanwhile prepare the pecan filling by combing the vegan hon-ee, both sugars & the vegan butter in a heavy bottom 6 qt pot.
- Cook over medium -high heat while stirring often to dissolve the sugars & melt the butter.
- Once the mixture comes up to a boil, stir it down to avoid it bubbling over & let it boil for about 1 minute.
- Add the plant milk slowly and carefully so it does not boil up & over this mixture is very hot and can burn you!
- Stir it down again then add the pecans.
- Bring the entire mixture back to a rolling boil then remove from the heat. Add the vanilla extract
- By this time your cookie base should be just coming out of the oven. Pour the hot caramel pecan filling over the cookie base & then carefully return it all to the oven for another 20 minutes bake time at 350°F
- The entire surface will be bubbling so be careful when you remove it from the oven to cool completely on the counter.
- Once cool to the touch, refrigerate for about 30 minutes to set & then cut into desired portions (I do bite sized portions since these are so rich)
Video
Notes
Storage Caramel Pecan Bars can stay at a cool dry room temperature for up to 1 week For longer storage or for hotter humid temperatures, refrigerate for up to 2 weeks Frozen for up to 2 months, they may get slightly sticky from condensation on the thaw though.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!