Salted Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars

Oaty-y shortbread-like crust is layered with creamy salted chocolate and buttery pecans. These Salted Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars are truly a treat; easy and delicious. You’d never guess that they’re gluten free + dairy free, making for the perfect dessert for everyone!

The simple ingredients for these pecan pie bars are elevated with some key components from Watkins and Theo Chocolate. Watkins Organic Ground Cinnamon adds warming notes to this recipe while their  Organic Original Gourmet Baking Vanilla enhances the sweet and decadent flavors. To top it off, the Theo Chocolate Sea Salt 70% Dark Chocolate lends a rich and dreamy flavor to perfectly balance the sweetness!

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Ingredients in Salted Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars

Oat Flour – I usually buy oat flour in the bulk section or you can find it with the other flours. You also can make your own by blending 1 ½ cups oats in a blender (or food processor) until a fine flour forms. To make these pecan pie bars grain free, substitute cassava flour for the oat flour! 

Coconut Sugar & Maple Syrup – Refined sugar-free sweeteners that lend a slight caramel-esque flavor to the recipe.

Cinnamon – High quality cinnamon makes all the difference in flavor. That’s why I love to use Watkins Organic Ground Cinnamon, it truly elevates the cozy feel of these bars! 

Chocolate – The rich and salty flavor of the organic, fair trade and soy-free Theo Chocolate Sea Salt 70% Dark Chocolate.

Baking Vanilla – Elevates the natural flavors and ingredients of these pecan pie bars. I used Watkins Organic Original Gourmet Baking Vanilla and love the high-quality taste and flavor! 

Coconut Oil – My favorite baking oil, simply make sure to use refined coconut oil for the neutral flavor. 

Coconut Cream – The thick layer of cream that forms atop canned coconut milk. I suggest using Trader Joe’s full fat canned coconut milk or if you can find it, their canned coconut cream! 

Eggs – Add structure to the chocolate filling, I don’t think any vegan substitutes would work unfortunately. 

Vegan Butter – My go to brand is Earth Balance and I suggest using their unsalted vegan butter.

Raw Pecans – Using raw pecans simply means they have no added oils, sugar, or salt and haven’t been pre-roasted. I usually get mine from Trader Joe’s but any store or brand will work. I like to do a mix of some chopped pecans and leave some whole.

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How to Make Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars

1. Preheat the oven to 300F and line a 9” x 9” pan with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the oat flour, coconut sugar, melted butter, cinnamon and salt until evenly combined.
3. Press into the 9” x 9” pan in a single, even layer.
4. Move to the oven and bake at 300F for 25 – 30 minutes, or until browned. Remove the crust, and increase the oven temperature to 350F.
5. While the crust is baking, start on your filling. In a large bowl, whisk together coconut sugar, melted coconut oil, maple syrup, coconut cream, eggs, baking vanilla, cinnamon, and salt.
6. To the filling, stir in your chopped pecans and chocolate bar until evenly combined.
7. Pour filling over the warm crust.
8. Bake bars for 25 – 30 minutes (mine took 28 minutes), or until edges have hardened to touch and the middle filling is set.
9. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before cutting into 12 slices. Sprinkle chunky maldon sea salt flakes overtop. Enjoy!

Best Vanilla For Baking

Vanilla can be a game changer when it comes to baking. It seems like a small add-in, something that could easily be skipped but trust me when I say vanilla is important! 

It enhances the natural flavors of the ingredients and lends its own sweet and complex flavor to the recipe. For this recipe, I used baking vanilla, composed of vanilla extract plus other ingredients unique to Watkins Organic Original Gourmet Baking Vanilla formula. I’ve found that this Baking Vanilla delivers the most apparent vanilla flavor as it withstands the heat of longer bake times as well as freezing. Not to mention, it’s a one-of-a-kind creation unique to Watkins! How cool to see history in the making with a new way to use vanilla!

Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt

There’s nothing I love better than a good sweet and salty pairing, and the Sea Salt 70% Dark Chocolate bar from Theo Chocolate is truly one of my favorites. I’ll eat a few squares after dinner, dip them in almond butter, or in this case, to bake with. 

It melts evenly and has the most creamy texture. Plus the ingredients are simple and good for you, just organic cocoa beans, cane sugar, cocoa butter, and sea salt!

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How to Store Salted Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars

These delicious pecan pie bars are best stored in a single layer (leave in the pan and cover) or when separated with layers of parchment paper. Keep at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the fridge for a week. The texture will be softer, more gooey at room temperature versus more fudge-like in the fridge. 

You can also freeze them and thaw later, perfect for late night sweet tooth cravings! I love having a stocked freezer with desserts for busy weeks or late-night sweets. Just slice into bars, layer with parchment paper (so they don’t freeze together), and freeze. Then you can reheat in the microwave or thaw in the fridge when ready!

If you try this recipe, please let me know by leaving a comment and rating in the boxes below! I always love to hear from you, and it also helps other people find this recipe when they search online for the BEST Salted Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars 🙂

And lastly, if you’re looking for another tasty layered sweet, check out these Walnut Fudge Caramel Bars. A crisp shortbread crust is layered with vegan caramel and decadent chocolate walnut fudge. Triple layered deliciousness! 

Or for another chocolate and pecan combo, you could make my Vegan Chocolate Turtle Truffles. These truffle bites have a sweet and fudgy pecan center coated with a smooth chocolate outside. The chocolate coating has a melt-in-your-mouth texture while the center is creamy with bits of crunch from oven roasted pecans.

This recipe is sponsored by Theo Chocolate and Watkins, but all opinions are my own. I regularly use both of these brands in my own baking and cooking, and I’m proud to partner with them to bring you this recipe!