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Pecan Pie Francipane Bars (Keto)

keto-stlouisgooeybuttercakeThese easy Keto Pecan Pie bars have a crisp almond flour shortbread crust and a deliciously soft pecan frangipane filling. Topped with pecan halves, you're getting all flavours we love in a proper pecan pie at a fraction of the carbs.

Crust:
2 cup almond flour (200 g)
2 Tbsp. allulose
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. sea salt
1 egg large
3 Tbsp. butter, room temperature
1 tsp. pure almond extract, optional

Pecan Frangipane:
1½ cups pecan halves (150 g)
½ cup butter (114 g)
⅔ cup allulose or ½-⅔ cup golden erythritol (130 g)
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 tsp. ground cinnamon or pumpkin spice mix
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Topping:
½ cup pecan halves

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4). Line a 9x5" rectangular pan with parchment paper.

Make the Crust:
Place the flour, sweetener, cinnamon and salt in the food processor and pulse briefly. Add the butter, almond extract and egg and blend until the mixture forms a ball. Alternatively, stir together with a fork, then knead until a smooth dough.

Press the dough into the cake pan with your hands. (Option to roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment paper and have it thinner, reaching up the sides of the pan like when making a pie.)

Make the Pecan Frangipane:
Optional step: Brown the butter in a saucepan until golden, stirring continuously. About 5 minutes. Take care that it does not burn! Let it cool to lukewarm.

Blend the pecans in a food processor to a flour. Add the cooled butter, sweetener, 1 egg and 1 additional egg yolk, vanilla extract and cinnamon and mix until well-combined. Add the filling on top of the crust and smoothen with the back of a spoon or a spatula.

Top with pecan halves and bake for about 30 minutes or until browned. You want the top to be set and the inside to be still jiggly.

Makes 12 bars.

Cook's Notes:

  • This keto pecan bar recipe is very fragile straight out of the oven. Let it cool completely before cutting.
  • These bars are filling. Option to cut into 24 squares and serve as a smaller sweet.
  • Since the frangipane filling is sweet, I did not add any sweetener to the pie crust. Add 2 Tbsp. of sweetener to the crust if you prefer.
  • Make-Ahead: It's possible to pre-bake the crust for 12 minutes if you want it extra crisp. I've omitted this step because I wanted to keep the recipe as simple as possible. Store in the fridge for up to 6 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
  • Storage: Keto Pecan Pie bars are fine at room temperature for a day or two. I always prefer to store them in the fridge - for up to 6 days. Alternatively, freeze for up to 3 months.

Variations:

  • For Christmas: On top of the cinnamon, also add ½ tsp. ginger, ½ tsp. nutmeg, ¼ tsp allspice and a pinch of cloves.
  • More Pecan Flavour: Try subbing half the almond flour in the base for pecan flour.
  • Make it Dairy Free: For a dairy free version, swap out the butter for coconut oil.
  • Add a Streusel Topping: Hold back ⅓ of the base mix. Make a thinner crust with ⅔ of the mix (it'll still be plenty) and crumble the rest on top of the frangipane filling.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 315kcal, Total Carbohydrates: 6g, Net carbs: 2.5g, Protein: 6.5g, Fat: 31.4g, Fiber: 3.6g, Sugar: 1.5g