Vegan Pecan Pie Bars
**For the Crust:**
- 1 ½ cups gluten-free all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cane sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup cold vegan butter (cut into small pieces)
- 3-4 tablespoons ice water
**For the Filling:**
- 3 cans (5.4 oz each coconut cream (only the cream, discard the liquid)*)
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 4 medjool dates (pitted, halved, and soaked in room temp water)
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 2 tbsp arrowroot starch or cornstarch
- 1 tbsp bourbon
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup chopped raw pecans
- 1 cup chopped raw walnuts
- Preheat your oven to 350˚F and line a 9×9 pan with parchment paper. Remove pits from dates and soak them while you make the crust.
- Make the crust: Mix together flour, sugar, and salt. Add cold vegan butter and ice water. Lightly knead until the dough forms a ball.
- Bake the crust: Press it firmly into the pan and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven.
- Make the filling: Blend drained dates with coconut cream, maple syrup, coconut oil, arrowroot, bourbon, vanilla, and salt. Cook in a saucepan until thickened. Stir in walnuts and pecans.
- Bake again: Pour the filling over the crust and bake for 35 minutes.
- Cool and slice: Let it cool at room temperature for an hour, then transfer to the refrigerator for 1 hour. Slice and enjoy!
- Store: Keep these bars in the refrigerator between layers of parchment paper.
*Coconut cream, not coconut milk, is the star here. Use only the cream from the cans. If you can’t find coconut cream, you can use 1 can (15 oz) of full-fat coconut milk (only the top fat layer) plus 2 tablespoons of cream from another can.
