Raw Food Recipe: OMG Pecan Bars
I love creating raw food recipes. Most of my inspiration comes from my own cravings and recipes that I used to make. When my girls were little, I snagged a recipe for turtle bars from a great restaurant in Santa Fe. It quickly became one of our favorites. Later, a recipe from The Barefoot Contessa for pecan bars became an obsession. But with 2 lbs of butter, tons of sugar and cream, it is completely off of my list. That doesn’t mean I don’t think about it once in a while. Like last night as I was falling asleep. And this morning, when I woke up.
Using elements from both recipes (pecan bars and a ganache) this recipe came together beautifully. A tasty crust made from cashews and almonds (that resembles more of a short bread crust than a raw food recipe crust), filling from raw honey and coconut butter and a layer of pecans and ganache. All I could say when I tasted them was…Oh my gosh. What is really amazing about these bars is that no one would ever guess that they are raw. Made from healthy ingredients and no dehydrator required, these simple bars will impress everyone you make them for! And they are gluten free to boot! Note: these are very sweet. A little bit goes a long way.
OMG Pecan Bars
MAKES 16
Crust
- 1/2 cup cashews
- 1/2 cup almonds
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil (melted)
- Process cashews to make cashew flour. I did this in the dry container of the Vitamix. Be careful not to over process. You want a light, fluffy flour not butter.
- Process almonds to make flour.
- Combine cashew flour, almond flour and melted coconut oil.
- Press into 8 x 8 pan and place in refrigerator.
Filling
- 3/4 cup raw honey (not vegan), or raw agave
- 3/4 cup coconut butter (different than coconut oil)
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 1/2 cups pecans
- Whisk together honey, coconut butter and maple syrup.
- Spread pecans over crust.
- Pour filling mixture over pecans.
- Spoon ganache over top to create a swirl pattern. (recipe here: Chocolate Ganache)
- Refrigerate to set. You will want to keep these refrigerated.
myname wrote on April 24, 2012
looks so good!
do i need to soak nuts overnight for this recipe?
Susan wrote on April 24, 2012
If the recipe doesn’t call for the nuts to be soaked, you should not soak them. If you want to dissipate the digestive enzyme inhibitors, you can always pre-soak and dehydrate the nuts. I do this routinely. But you don’t want to use wet nuts in this recipe. Cheers!
Sheila wrote on March 29, 2012
I made these bars over the weekend. They are VERY good! My chocolate did not swirl into the filling so I just spread the entire chocolate layer over the top. I used a round pie plate (didn’t have the correct square size). I, like another blogger stated, put them in the freezer and I cut them into 1 inch squares. They are so good right out of the freezer. Oh, and mine did not look beautiful like the photograph (need more practice). I will purchase a square pan and try to make them prettier next time. This is my first raw food dessert recipe! Now I’ve got to find out where to buy all those nuts in bulk. I didn’t soak the raw nuts before processing, and I only had a 2-cup processor to work with. Thanks so much for these fantastic recipes. I will be making more.
Sheila wrote on March 18, 2012
Were the nuts that were processed for the base soaked prior to use? I’m thinking no since they are to be used for a “flour” base.
I have purchased all ingredients and I’m ready to make this incredible dessert, just wondering about dry or soaked nuts.
Thanks……….
Sheila wrote on March 4, 2012
okay! This is going to be my first raw food recipe that I make! I have ordered all of the ingredients and can’t wait for my first creation…I’ve been reading so much about raw food eating, but find it, although VERY appealing, somewhat intimidating. I figure I’ll try my hand at the desserts and move on from there. I have no dehydrator…only a 1 cup food processor and a typical blender (which I have been using for smoothies). I purchased a juicer a while back and did a 3-day juice fast. Tomorrow morning, I will be starting another 3-day juice fast. Unfortunately, I live in a rural community and there is very little orgaic produce available, so I had to get regular apples and pears, which I will clean thoroughly before using. (By the way, do you have a recipe for a produce cleaner?). So this is where I am at the moment….I’m no where close to where I want to be, but I’m certainly not where I used to be. 🙂 Thank you so much for inspiring me, Susan.
Daina wrote on February 4, 2012
HI There
I just found your website today. I got raw for a month a couple times of year, and am currently halfway through a 30 day challenge.
I’ve never made raw sweets/cakes before (other than the occassional nut ball), but your photos inspired me, so I ran out to a couple different stores and picked up all the ingredients.
I made them in little pie tins, and they look great and taste amazing!!!!
Victoria wrote on December 5, 2011
These are simply the BEST, MOST AMAZING, INCREDIBLY DELICIOUS, seriously rawmazing dessert out there! Every time I make them, my husband wolfs them down and then tells me I need to make more. They are sinfully scrumptious! =D Thanks Susan!
zahra wrote on November 26, 2011
These capped off our Thanksgiving meal deliciously. Thank you for such an amazing recipe!
jordana wrote on September 2, 2011
OMG.. My dear friend made these for a dessert and modified they due to my almond allergy and changed almonds to sunflower seeds. She didnt even tell me the name, of course after just one bite, I said OMG after every bite. We loved it and I loved not having problems with my gluten, egg, almond allergies. This is such a yummy recipe! thank you for letting me enjoy delightful, yummy recipes!
Caroline wrote on April 20, 2011
I made these for a get-together recently, and they were beautiful! Not only that, but everyone LOVED them, and this was not a group of raw foodies, so you know it was good!