Gluten-Free Salted Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars

After baking with many different gluten-free flour blends over the years, I learned that many of them deliver inferior results. I wasted lots of time and money and disappointed some very discerning palates in my family. I also learned that with the right gluten-free flour blend,* most standard recipes are easily adapted. This recipe is an adaptation of a recipe I found here. 


 Gluten-Free Salted Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars
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yield: makes 20 to 24 bars
total time: 2 hours

Ingredients:                                                                               
Crust
  • 1 cup unsalted butter or coconut oil, softened
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar or coconut sugar
  • 2 1/2 cups gluten-free flour*
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

 Filling
  • 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 3/4 cup honey or maple syrup
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar or coconut sugar
  • 2 tablespoons bourbon (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (miniature is best)
  • 2 cups unsalted pecans, coarsely chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon flaked sea salt


Directions:                                                                                

*To make my gluten-free flour blend, mix equal parts tapioca flour, superfine white rice flour, superfine brown rice flour, and sweet rice flour.
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 13”x 9” baking dish with foil or parchment paper and spray with nonstick spray.
  2. To make the crust: In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat the butter, brown sugar, flour and salt together, starting on low speed and increasing to medium. The mixture will be in coarse crumbs and almost dough like. Press it evenly into the bottom of the greased pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until slightly browned. Let it cool for about 10 to 15 minutes.
  3. To make the filling, whisk together the eggs, syrup and sugar until smooth. Whisk in the bourbon and vanilla extract. Use a spatula to fold in the chocolate and pecans. Pour the filling over top of the crust. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the center is set. Mine took closer to 40 minutes. One removed from the oven, sprinkle with flaked sea salt. Let cool completely before slicing in squares.

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