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If you’re looking for a little inspiration for good-for-you Thanksgiving dessert, Ben McLauchlin of Swerve has you covered with this chocolate-y spin on traditional pecan pie.  Added bonus: They’re gluten-free, low-carb, and a surprise source of antioxidants, thanks to the pecans and the unsweetened chocolate.

 

Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars

Makes 30 servings

Ingredients:

Shortbread Crust:

  • ¼ cup coconut flour
  • 1¾ cup almond flour
  • ½ cup butter (cold) or coconut oil (out of jar)
  • ½ cup Swerve, Confectioners
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2-4 tablespoons cold water

Chocolate Ganache:

  • 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
  • ¼ cup Swerve, Confectioners
  • 1/2 cup whipping cream
  • 1 teaspoon sour cream

Pecan Pie Filling:

  • 6 tablespoons butter, melted
  • ¾ cup brown Swerve (1 tablespoon molasses with ¾ Swerve, Granular
  • 3 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup chopped toasted pecans
  • 1½ teaspoon tapioca flour
  • 1½ teaspoon vanilla
  • 3/4 cup toasted pecan halves

Instructions:

Toasted Pecans: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place pecans on rimmed cookie sheet, and toast for 5-7 minutes.  They should be aromatic, but not burned.  Remove from oven and set aside.

Shortbread Crust: Reduce oven to 325°F.  Excessively grease a 9 X 13 pan (if you skimp on this step, the shortbread will stick to the pan).  In a medium mixing bowl or food processor, mix the almond flour, coconut flour, Swerve, and Salt together.  Cut cold butter into small pieces or squares.  Pulse in a food processor, or press into dry mixture with a fork until it looks like corn meal (it is okay to have some chunks of butter in your mixture- this is shortbread).  Add 2-4 tablespoons of cold water to the mixture- it should begin to loosely combine.  Press dough evenly into greased 9 X 13 dish.  Bake for 25- 30 minutes, until edges are brown, and parts of the shortbread surface lightly browns.  Remove from oven, and let cool.

Chocolate Ganache: While shortbread is cooking, make the ganache.  In a saucepan over medium-low heat, add the chocolate, heavy cream, Swerve and sour cream.  Whisk the mixture continuously until ganache is smooth and warm.  Set aside.

Pecan Pie Filling: Once shortbread is out of oven and cooling, heat oven back to 350 degrees.  In a large mixing bowl with a whisk, mix Brown Swerve and eggs until creamy.  Add the chopped pecans, melted butter, tapioca starch, and vanilla extract, and stir to combine.

To Assemble the Bars: Spread ganache across cooled shortbread crust.  Evenly scatter pecan halves on the ganache and gently spread pecan pie filling.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes until top of pie bars are brown.  Let cool to room temperature and serve or you can cut them warm – they just won’t hold together as well, but they are still yummy!

Per serving: 160 calories, 16 grams fat, 7 grams saturated fat (mostly plant-based, if use coconut oil), 45 mg sodium, 12.6 grams carbohydrate (1.2 grams net carbs), 3 grams fiber, 1 gram sugar (less than 0.5 grams added sugar, 3 grams protein.

 

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Swerve Giveaway: http://gvwy.io/dgm22zy

 

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