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Dark Chocolate Pecan Cookie Bars

These Dark Chocolate Pecan Cookie Bars recipe are gluten free and dairy free. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a mouthwatering dessert. 

gluten free cookie bar on a plate

These dark chocolate pecan bars are thick and chewy, ultra chocolatey, and totally gluten free thanks to delicious and versatile pecans.

They also happen to be one of my favorite vegetarian thanksgiving recipes!

Cookie bars at Thanksgiving might seem like an untraditional choice, but they are a tradition for us.

It’s a fun tradition alongside the other pecan must haves like pecan pie and pecan cream pie.

gluten free cookie bars in a baking dish

Step 1: beat the almond butter, melted coconut oil, brown sugar, honey, and vanilla until well combined. Add eggs and beat well.

Step 2: Add 1 ½ cups of pecan pieces to a blender or food processor and grind into flour.

Step 3: In a separate bowl, add pecan flour, baking soda, salt, and coconut flour and whisk to combine.

dark chocolate pecan cookie bars cut into pieces

Step 4: Add the dry ingredients to the wet, beating until combined. Fold in 1 cup of pecan pieces and the chocolate chunks.

Step 5: Grease an 8 by 8 dish and press batter evenly into the pan using a rubber spatula (it will be thick).

Step 6: Bake at 350 degrees for 15-17 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Serve warm, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

If you love the flavor of nutty pecans mixed with rich chocolate, you will love these!

These cookie bars are an indulgent treat to enjoy year round, but especially during the holidays.

dark chocolate cookie bars on a plate

The ultimate pecan lover’s dessert.

I used an entire bag of chocolate chips for extra chocolatey goodness.

I used my gluten free chocolate chip cookie bars as the inspiration for this recipe.

gluten free cookie bar on a plate

Once I made those, I knew that it was possible to make chewy decadent cookie bars without any wheat.

The secret? A combination of nut butter and gluten free flour (or in this case – pecan flour.)

The nut butter helps make these extra soft and moist without the use of excessive oil.

In fact, there is barely any oil at all in this recipe!

Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a star rating below!

gluten free cookie bar on a plate

Dark Chocolate Pecan Cookie Bars

Yield: 16 bars
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

These gluten free dark chocolate pecan cookie bars are so decadent and delicious!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup creamy almond butter
  • ⅓ cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup honey
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon coconut oil, melted
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ cups pecan pieces, ground into flour
  • ⅓ cup coconut flour
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 10 oz dairy free dark chocolate chunks
  • 1 cup pecan pieces

Instructions

  1. Beat almond butter, melted coconut oil, brown sugar, honey, and vanilla until well combined
  2. Add eggs and beat well
  3. Add 1 ½ cups of pecan pieces to a blender or food processor and grind into flour
  4. In a separate bowl, add pecan flour, baking soda, salt, and coconut flour and whisk to combine
  5. Add dry mixture to the wet, beating until combined
  6. Fold in 1 cup of pecan pieces and the chocolate chunks
  7. Grease an 8 by 8 dish and press batter evenly into the pan using a rubber spatula (it will be thick)
  8. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-17 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
  9. serve warm, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 391Total Fat: 28gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 20gCholesterol: 25mgSodium: 161mgCarbohydrates: 31gFiber: 5gSugar: 18gProtein: 7g

Did you make this recipe?

Be sure to tag me on instagram @buildyourbite and hashtag #buildyourbite with your recipe creations!

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Heidi

Sunday 20th of November 2022

If I'm using almond flour instead of making pecan flour, is it still 1.5 C? Also using an egg substitute to make these vegan.

Tracy

Saturday 3rd of April 2021

How should I store these overnight? Fridge? Counter? Freezer?

Joy Shull

Saturday 3rd of April 2021

Fridge for best freshness, but in an airtight container countertop would probably be fine also.

Jane

Friday 17th of July 2020

These are so yummy, and decadent. As much as I love anything with chocolate in it, and could eat it all day long, these were very rich, and I could only eat one at a time ☹️ The upside is, they lasted longer that way . Thank you for the recipe, , it is something I will definitely be making again, and maybe share with friends...maybe

Lillian

Saturday 15th of June 2019

I made these and they are delicious but just a recommendation, you should mention in the recipe to use dairy free dark chocolate. Some brands that make dark chocolate morsels have milk in the ingredients.

Ginger

Wednesday 1st of January 2020

Lillian, thank you so much for pointing out the milk content in most chocolate chips. I get severe nerve pain from eating even the smallest amount of milk - like what is in regular chocolate candy or chocolate chips.

Joy Shull

Monday 17th of June 2019

I will make sure that it does, thanks!

Mallory

Tuesday 16th of April 2019

Do you have any tips on how I could incorporate coconut in this recipe?

Joy Shull

Tuesday 16th of April 2019

You could add some shredded coconut flakes and it should work!

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