Pecan Pie Bars11/24/2015 Pecan Pie Bars
When I was in the 4th grade, I had a Southern teacher who always explained to us that "Pee-cans are kept under the bed, and puh-cahns are baked in a pie." She hated when if you said otherwise, and she would tease anyone who disagreed. I hated standing out, so I just agreed. And now that I'm older, I think she was right. Because really, who wants to think about urine when they're talking pie? Anyway, it's something that always stuck with me, something I remember every time I see pecans in any form. And yes, I pronounce it 'puh-cahn'. Because it seems right. But however you pronounce them, you probably like them. Pecans are a rich, earthy nut that pairs well with all kinds of fruit - but like most things, tastes best drowned in a sugary syrup and baked on a crust. Pecan pies are great, but things in mini-form are cuter and easier to share. Plus, at our age we're mostly celebrating Friendsgiving's and less formal family dinners, and pre-sliced goodies are easier to pack into doggy bags for your friends. These bars are super easy to whip up and are as equally as delicious as their round cousin, but better because there's more crust - and that's my favorite part. You're friends will be impressed when you bring these to the table, and even more impressed if you get fancy and top 'em with a bit of homemade coconut whipped cream. But you get it, so I'll shut up while you preheat the oven. Let's bake!
INGREDIENTS
Crust: 1 cup vegan butter (we used Earth Balance) 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour 1/2 teaspoon salt Topping: 1/2 cup vegan butter 1 cup packed brown sugar 1 tablespoons coconut cream* 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 cups chopped pecans Whipped coconut cream, for serving sprinkle of ground cinnamon, for garnish DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 350 degrees. To make the crust, cream together the butter and brown sugar in a stand up mixer or with beaters. Add flour and salt and mix until crumbly. Press into a parchment-lined 9x13 inch pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden. While the crust bakes, prep the pecan topping by whisking together butter, brown sugar, coconut cream, and vanilla in a medium saucepan over medium heat until everything melts and combines, about 5 minutes. Once the mixture comes completely together, add the chopped pecans and mix them in. Continue cooking over low heat, stirring occasionally until the crust is finished cooking. When the crust finishes, remove it from the oven and pour the pecan mixture over the crust. Return the pan to the oven and bake for an additional 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, let cool completely, then slice into 12 (or more) equal squares. Enjoy! NOTES Makes 12 3x3 in. squares. Coconut cream is the thick white cream layer from the top of a can of full fat coconut milk. We also like using Trader Joe's brand coconut cream. Leftover bars can be saved in an airtight container on the counter for up to a week. 
Summer came and went...and we had leftover bananas. So we froze 'em! This recipe is a perfect call to summer and tastes delicious with fresh bananas or thawed frozen ones. And it doesn't require any gums or binders, since the bananas do such a great job all on their own. This is our go-to dessert, breakfast, and party host gift. Its moist, flavorful, and you'd never know it was gluten-free. Just one bite, and you'll be hooked- we promise.
Ingredients:
3 medium bananas, mashed (about 1 1/2 cups) 1/3 cup softened coconut oil 1/2 cup organic sugar 1/2 cup non-dairy milk 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 teaspoon vinegar 2 cups GF flour (we used a blend of almond & teff- nutty & delicious!) (*OPTIONAL* If you like xantham gum and you want to guarantee NO crumbing, add a 1 teaspoon to the mix here.) 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup chopped pecans, for topping Instructions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mash your bananas. Set them aside. In a different mixing bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, sugar, milk, vanilla, and vinegar. Let sit for 3-5 minutes, while you grab a third bowl and combine the flour, baking soda & powder, and salt. Once the wet ingredients are ready, slowly add in the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Once the two are completely combined and a batter has formed, add the mashed bananas. Stir again. Pour into a greased, lined or non-stick loaf pan. [We used a non-stick pan with a little parchment paper, for easy removal.] Sprinkle batter with the chopped pecans, place in the oven and bake for 45-60 minutes, depending on your oven. Bread is finished when a toothpick comes clean. Remove from the oven and let cool at least 30 minutes before enjoying a piece. Cover and save up to a week, or freeze indefinitely.
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Baked Apple Pecan Oatmeal
I know Thanksgiving is right around the corner and your Pinterest is just FULL of recipes for the big day. But surprise- you still have to wake up and cook breakfast before you can even start the undertaking of cooking for everyone else that day! I bet you'd totally forgotten about that. Me too. And last year, I decided to make it easier on myself THIS year. So I came up with this delicious oatmeal bake that you can make the night before and just reheat for morning. Simple, easy, and another great way to use up all of those end of the season apples.
As usual this recipe is vegan, gluten-free (when GF oats are used), and pretty low in sugar content. This also makes a really wonderful any-other-day-of-the-week meal, but makes the best I-can't-sleep late-night snack. Full of cinnamon, this dish screams FALL and COZY...and a warm bowl of apple-y pecan pie goodness would give anybody something pleasant to dream about. 
Ingredients:
3 flax eggs (3 tablespoons ground flax+1/2 cup water) 3 cups GF (or regular) oats 2 tsp baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 3 cups diced apples 3/4 cup chopped pecans, divided 3 cups hemp milk (or your fave non-dairy milk) 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1/4 cup turbinado sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Begin by mixing together the ground flax and water (flax eggs) in a small bowl; Set aside to let mixture gelatinize and turn to ‘egg’ like consistency, about 5 minutes. While you wait, chop your apples and pecans. Set these aside, too. In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, baking powder and salt. Add the chopped apples and 1/2 cup of the chopped pecans. In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients: the flax eggs, milk, vanilla, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Pour into dry mixture, stirring to combine and uniformly distribute the apples and pecans. Once well mixed, pour into (minimum) an 8x8 glass baking dish. Top with the remaining 1/4 cup of chopped pecans & bake for 25-30 minutes, until the mixture is bubbling and edges have slightly crisped. Serve with a drizzle of maple syrup or agave and a little warm milk. Keep covered in the fridge for about a week. Serves at least 6-8 people. Reheats well in the oven or microwave. Let's eat!
Maple Pecan Blondies
This recipe has been a long time in the making. Four tries, at least, until I was happy enough to share. The other couple tries ended in me smuggling ziploc bags of crumbly blondie squares down to the cabin before anyone could see how much I'd messed them up. I'd wait till 11 pm rolled around and I'd munch away the evidence.
I'm happy that this version worked so nicely: I can't afford to keep hoarding baked goods and waking up in a pile of crumbs. Even if the crumbs do taste buttery, rich, and oh-so nutty... 
Maple and pecan go together so well. I had originally envisioned these to have macadamia nuts mixed in, but I like my recipes to be accessible (not everyone can find macadamia nuts in their local market- or afford them!) and simple. The pecans accent the buttery, decadent maple flavor beautifully. I made these little beauties using fresh, homemade pure maple syrup from the Maple trees tapped on my family's property. It is so, so good.
Being that I am from Maine and have access to a substantial amount of maple-y things, I also topped my blondies with a little pure maple sugar. It adds just a little texture and sweetness to the top, but is certainly not necessary. If you are interested though, you can get some here. 
I've been experimenting a lot with gluten-free flours and making my own gluten-free flour mixture. There have been a lot of mistakes and missteps, but I'm starting to get better at making gluten-free baked goods that don't suck. And when I perfect my homemade gluten-free flour mix, I'll let you know. In the meantime, Bob's Red Mill works fantastically. Or, if you have a favorite all purpose gluten-free baking mix of your own, use it and let me know how it turns out!
You could also probably sub out the gluten-free flour mix and xantham gum for regular ol’ whole wheat and get the same results, only more glutinous. I haven’t tried it, but usually whole wheat will bind anything. 
Ingredients:
1 cup vegan butter or shortening 1 teaspoon vanilla 3/4 cup turbinado sugar 3/4 pure maple syrup 1/4 teaspoon maple extract (optional) 2 flax eggs (2 T. ground flax+ 1/3 cup warm water) 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 2 1/2 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour mix (see note above) 1/4 tsp. + a pinch of xantham gum 1 cup chopped pecans pure maple sugar, for sprinkling (optional) 
Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare flax eggs in a small dish and set aside to gelatinize, about 5 minutes. In a mixer, combine butter, vanilla, sugar, maple syrup, and extract if you’re using it. (I’ve made it both with and without and think its maple-y enough without it but if you LOVE maple, add it.) Add flax eggs and continue to mix on medium speed until combined. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking soda & powder, and xantham gum. Add dry ingredients to wet slowly with mixer on low. Mix until uniform in consistency, then remove the mixer bowl from the stand, throw in the pecans and give it a good stir. Pour batter into a greased or floured 9x13 in. baking dish. If you have it, lightly sprinkle pure maple sugar over the top. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean and the edges of the blondies start pulling away from the sides of the pan. Let cool completely before cutting. Makes 12-16 squares, depending on how big you cut ‘em.
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