No better time than Thanksgiving week…and of course with Christmas in mind, than to whip up a celebratory or test batch of something deliciously sweet and seasonal. I say seasonal, pecan pie is definitely more of a Southern American thing, but it’s a “thing” which I’ve been embracing ever since I tried my first spin on the pie about 10 years ago thanks to Avoca! Chocolate fudge pecan pie, super THICK, with a short crust base, brownie like filling, laced with pecans and drizzled and sprinkled with white and milk chocolate drops.
I’ve made several variations of these over the years, baked, no bake and a chocolate version but these are my new favourite…could you not have guessed! I will have to remake the chocolate ones again because it has been quite a while. I lost the recipe along with many others when I upgraded the site. It’s a great excuse to reinvent some of my favourite recipe memories!
The caramel is firm enough to slice but most definitely still on the softer side and given about ten minutes out the fridge they become deliciously gooey, obviously depending on the climate they’re sitting in. You have the option of toasting / roasting the pecans, indulging and buying some pre-roasted or even maple glazed ones or just using raw ones. Whichever you choose the end result will be epic. I’d probably go with the roasting option just to give the final square a little more depth of flavour.
I usually just lash the pecan on a baking tray and stick them into the oven at about 160C (300F) for about ten minutes.
I reckon these would freeze just like any other no bake treat, but just like any other no bake treat I actually didn’t manage to hold on to any of these long enough to be 100% sure. I’m confident in their freezing ability if you do want to make them in advance or just hold on to a couple of them for a rainy day.
Serve them as they are, or topped with a little dairy free ice cream for an epic dessert… a double stack is the height of indulgence.
No Bake Pecan Squares
Print RecipeIngredients
- For the Base
- 150g ground blanched almonds (almond flour)
- 2 tbsp (14g) milled flaxseed or chia seed
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 45ml maple syrup
- 42g coconut oil, melted
- For the Filling
- 120g pecans*
- 130g pitted medjool dates
- 30m maple syrup
- 60g roast cashew butter
- 45 ml boiling water
- 60g coconut oil, melted
- 1 tbsp (7g) milled chia seed
Instructions
*Roasting the pecans is optional. I do prefer the flavour when they’ve had ten minutes in the oven at about 160C (300F). This step can be done in advance or you may be able to buy them roasted or even caramalised if you want to be extra fancy!
Line a 9 inch loaf tin with baking paper and lightly grease with spray oil.
Mix together all base ingredients, press into prepared tin and place into the freezer while you make the pecan caramel layer.
Place Medjool dates into your food processor and blend to a paste. Add cashew butter, boiling water, maple syrup and melted coconut oil, milled chia seeds and blend to combine. Once perfectly smooth add in 100g of the pecans and pulse 5 - 6 times to incorporate and roughly chop them up.
Spread this layer over the base.
Press remaining pecans over the top.
Place into the fridge to set overnight or freezer for a couple of hours.
Slice into 8 squares once set. Store in the fridge for up to one week in a seal tight container or freezer for up to one month.
Notes
Best served at room temperature. Delicious with a scoop of your favourite dairy free vanilla ice cream!
