Simple. Elegant. Sweet and delicious. All of these words describe these vegan pecan pie bars. I like to create different dessert recipes that I want to enjoy eating.

Pecan pie is my favorite pie. Therefore, I came up with this easy recipe that serves as a vegan dessert for your guests.

These bars make for a perfect addition to any dessert table. Served with vegan caramel swirl ice cream, these holiday pecan pie bars are a great dessert with tea and coffee, a holiday signature after-dinner drink, or even with your favorite vegan milk.

Holiday Vegan Pecan Pie Bars

CRUST

1 cup of all-purpose flour plus two tablespoons

1 stick of vegan butter, room temperature

1 tablespoons of cane sugar

¼ teaspoon of baking powder (to give the crust a little rise, even without regular butter)

1 pinch of salt

In your stand-up mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Then, sift in all the remaining dry ingredients. Mix on low stead until just combined. Place the dough into a prepared parchment lined 9-inch square pan. Spread the dough out evenly and place the pan into the fridge for 15 minutes.

While your crust is chilling, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake your crust for 20-25 minutes until lightly browned around the edges. Place your crust on a baker’s cooling rack until completely cool.

FILLING

12 ounces of pitted Medjool dates

1 ½ cups toasted and chopped pecans (reserve ¼ cup of your pecans for the top)

½ cup of pure maple syrup

¼ cup of cane sugar

2 cups plus two tablespoons of water

2 tablespoons of vegan butter

½ teaspoon of pure vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

In a small heavy bottom saucepan, bring the 2 cups of water to a boil. In a large bowl, add in your dates. Pour the boiling water over your dates and let set for 15 minutes. Drain and remove the skins of the dates. Place the dates into your food processor. Process the dates until smooth.

In another saucepan, add in all of your remaining ingredients except the pecans. Heat the pan on the stove over medium heat until the butter is melted and the sugar is dissolved. Pour the mixture over the dates. Process until smooth.

In a large bowl, add in your 1¼ cups of the chopped pecans and your date mixture. Add 2 tablespoons of water if mixture is too thick. Mix to combine. Next, add the date mixture to your prepared crust. Spread out evenly. To finish, sprinkle the remain chopped pecans on the top.

Place your pan of pecan pie bars into the refrigerator, for at least 2 hours to overnight. Cut your bars into whatever sizes you would like. Serve plain or topped with your favorite vegan ice cream.

Sarah Schweitzer is dual-certified in Culinary Arts and Baking & Pastry from the Escoffier School of Culinary Arts (www.escoffier.edu). Sarah is currently working as a Sous-Chef and pastry chef at Ateira’s on First and has her own blog simplysarah.online. She can be reached at sarah.schweitzer18@gmail.com.