Dairy-Free Berry Pecan Bars
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
These crumb bars have a fresh fruit filling and added nutrition in the crust and crumble topping. But don't worry, they still taste like dessert! See the post above for recipe options.
Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Serves: 20 bars
Ingredients
Fresh Berry Filling
  • 2 cups + 1 cup strawberries, hulled, diced, and divided
  • 2 cups + ½ cup blueberries, divided
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup orange juice
  • ¼ cup cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pecan Crust
  • 1 cup pecans, chopped and divided
  • ¾ cup all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup whole wheat flour (can sub more all-purpose flour)
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup cold dairy-free buttery sticks (1/2 stick) or palm shortening
  • 1 large egg (see our Egg Sub Guide for egg-free options)
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon almond extract (can sub more vanilla extract)
Instructions
Fresh Berry Filling
  1. In a large saucepan, whisk together the 2 cups strawberries, 2 cups blueberries, sugar, orange juice, and cornstarch, until the starch is dissolved.
  2. Place the pan over medium heat, and bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring constantly. Simmer and stir for about 2 to 3 minutes, or until thickened.
  3. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the remaining 1 cup diced strawberries, remaining ½ cup blueberries, and vanilla extract.
Pecan Crust
  1. Preheat your oven to 400°F and grease a 9x13-inch baking dish and line it with parchment paper.
  2. Add ¾ cup chopped pecans, both flours, sugar, and salt to your food processor. Pulse together until the nuts are finely ground. Add the butter alternative or shortening to the mixture and pulse until well incorporated.
  3. In a small mixing bowl, whisk the egg, oil, vanilla extract, and almond extract together.
  4. With the motor running on your food processor, add the egg mixture to the pecan mixture. Continue to pulse until it begins to clump, 30 to 45 seconds.
  5. Measure out ½ cup of the mixture and put it in a separate bowl with the remaining ¼ cup chopped pecans. Set this aside for the topping.
To Assemble
  1. Transfer the bottom crust mixture remaining in your food processor to your prepared baking dish. Spread it evenly and press firmly into the bottom.
  2. Evenly spread the fruit filling over the crust.
  3. Sprinkle the top of the fruit filling with the reserved pecan topping mixture.
  4. Bake the bars for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and bake until the crust and topping are lightly brown, about 25 to 30 minutes more.
  5. Let the bars cool completely before cutting. Optionally serve with dairy-free vanilla ice cream.
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 1 bar Calories: 163 Fat: 7.1g Saturated fat: 1.1g Carbohydrates: 24g Sugar: 13.4g Sodium: 80mg Fiber: 1.7g Protein: 2.1g
Recipe by Go Dairy Free at https://www.godairyfree.org/recipes/crumb-berry-pecan-bars