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Pecan Toffee Bars

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Getting healthy for the New Year doesn’t have to mean skipping dessert. Try these sugar free Keto Pecan Toffee Bars. You won’t regret it, I promise! Now with an instructional video.

One of my favorite keto holiday treats now has its own How To Video! Check out how easy it is to make these sugar free Pecan Toffee Bars. 

There are two ways of looking at this New Year thing. Depending on your perspective, you might be saying:

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Woot woot, welcome to 2016!!!

Or, if this change of calendar year has snuck up on you, you’re all:

MY LATEST VIDEOS

OH CRAP, IT’S ALREADY 2016, HOW DID THAT HAPPEN!???!”

Low Carb Pecan Toffee Bars - grain-free and sugar-free

Where do you fall on that spectrum? I think I am somewhere in the middle. It’s astonishing how quickly time moves as you get older and no matter how aware I am that a new year is coming, I always feel a little caught off guard.

But at the same time, I always feel the excitement that a new year and a new start brings. I don’t make New Year’s resolutions anymore, as I know full well that life might throw me a curve ball and those grand plans will fall to the wayside. I have no interest in feeling guilty for not living up to my own grandiose expectations.

But I do have ideas and plans and dreams and I get pretty excited about getting after it in the year to come. Whether or not I can bring them all to fruition remains to be seen.

These low carb, grain-free Pecan Toffee Bars will easily become your new favourite healthy treat!

Proof that I am constantly surprised at the rapid passing of time are these low carb Pecan Toffee Bars. I developed this recipe well before the holidays with every intention of getting it up before Christmas. That didn’t happen, obviously.

But in the end, I am rather glad about that. I sensed a little “holiday sweets” ennui from my readers and I decided to hold these back for a bit. I would have hated to see them get lost in the shuffle of holiday cookie recipes. They are much too tasty to be overlooked! And besides, any time is a good time for pecans and toffee. Right? Right? Am I right?

Low Carb Pecan Toffee Bars with a shortbread crust

 

Tips for Pecan Toffee Bars

The almond flour shortbread crust on these bars is simply divine. It’s crisp to bite into but also melt in your mouth delicious, as all good shortbread should be. Be sure to pre-bake it and let it cool before adding the topping. That process is part of what helps it crisp up so nicely.

The toffee is made with Swerve Sweetener, an erythritol based sweetener. Let’s be honest, low carb sweeteners do not behave exactly as sugar does. So while Swerve does caramelize, it takes a little coaxing. You need to make sure you boil the toffee mixture enough. Do not panic if it smokes a bit, as this is normal when caramelizing erythritol based sweeteners.

Be sure to stand near that pan while it caramelizes as it can over cook and burn, just like a sugar based toffee. Watch it carefully and when it deepens to amber, remove it from heat immediately.

When you add the vanilla, it will bubble vigorously. This is also normal for any toffee recipe.

Don’t pre-toast the pecans, as they will get plenty toasted during baking. I used pecan halves but you can use chopped pecans as well, as long as they are raw and unsalted. I’ve made these several times and I actually find that some chopped pecans makes the bars easier to cut in the end.

Let the bars cool completely before cutting, and use a very sharp large knife. Because of the hardness of the toffee, these can shatter a bit when cutting. A very good chef’s knife helps. Also be sure to cut straight up and down, without sawing.

These delicious keto Pecan Toffee Bars make a fabulous gift for anyone. If you can pry them from your own fingers!

Low Carb Grain-Free Pecan Toffee Bars Recipe

More Fabulous Keto Pecan Recipes

Keto Butter Pecan Cookies

Keto Cranberry Pecan Biscotti

The Best Keto Pecan Pie

Low Carb Maple Pecan Scones

Butter Pecan Ice Cream Pie

Cinnamon Roasted Nuts

Low Carb Pecan Cookies

For more great keto and low carb recipes, follow me on Pinterest!

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4.89 from 18 votes
Low Carb Pecan Toffee Bars with a shortbread crust
Print
Pecan Toffee Bars
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
35 mins
Total Time
45 mins
 

These sugar-free, low carb Pecan Toffee Bars taste just like pecan pie. Eating healthy doesn't have to mean skipping dessert!

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Dessert
Servings: 16 bars
Calories: 270 kcal
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust:
Topping:
Instructions
Shortbread Crust:
  1. Preheat oven to 325F and line an 9x9 or 8x8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang for easy removal.
  2. In the bowl of a food processor, combine almond flour, powdered sweetener, and salt. Pulse to combine. Sprinkle with butter pieces and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Alternatively, you can cut in butter with a pastry cutter.
  3. Press into bottom of prepared baking pan. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, until just beginning to brown on the edges. Remove and let cool while preparing topping.
Topping:
  1. In a medium heavy-duty saucepan over medium heat, combine Swerve and butter and stir until Swerve is dissolved. Bring to a boil and cook without stirring until mixture darkens to amber, about 5 to 7 minutes (time may vary depending on the quality of your cookware).
  2. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract and salt. If the mixture appears to be separating, stir in 2 tbsp of powdered Swerve Sweetener until it comes back together.
  3. Sprinkle crust evenly with pecans. Pour toffee mixture evenly overtop. Bake another 15 to 20 minutes, until topping has darkened and bubbles thickly. Let cool completely before cutting into bars.
Recipe Notes

Serves 16. Each serving has 1.83 g NET CARBS.

Food energy: 270kcal
Calories from fat: 237
Cholesterol: 22mg
Carbohydrate: 4.73g
Total dietary fiber: 2.90g
Protein: 3.84g

Nutrition Facts
Pecan Toffee Bars
Amount Per Serving (1 bar)
Calories 270
% Daily Value*
Cholesterol 22mg 7%
Total Carbohydrates 4.73g 2%
Dietary Fiber 2.9g 12%
Protein 3.84g 8%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Keto Pecan Toffee Bars

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Nutritional Disclaimer

Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.

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Comments

  1. Hi Carolyn!
    I’d looove to try making these, but Swerve Sweetener isn’t sold here in the Netherlands. Can I use plain erythritol instead? Or do you know how to “fake” Swerve?
    Your recipes are amazing and I’m collecting a load of them for when I start my next attempt at losing some 40 lbs on Low Carb. Gathering courage and recipes for now.
    Happy New Year to you and keep up the good work. You definately make a difference! 🙂
    PS: do you use salted or non-salted pecans for this??

    Reply

    • Guinan, are the Sukrin line of sweeteners available in the Netherlands? The mfgr is in Norway. Amazon carries Sukrin if you cannot find it in a store

      Reply

  2. Oh, you put this up just for me, right? LOL
    This is my first holiday season as a diabetic and I have been longing for pecan pie!
    A dear friend gave me a huge bag of the most beautiful & huge pecans I’ve ever seen and now I know exactly what do wth them. Thank you!!

    Reply

    • I think your crust will be a little thicker that way, since the area doesn’t work out to exactly double but it should still be good. Maybe you should bake it a little longer. Just not too much…only when the edges are just beginning to brown.

      Reply

  5. Thanks for another one of your creative ideas; I love them all! I’ve been longing for a low carb version of pecan pie! This sounds pretty close, but how do the pecans stick to the crust? It doesn’t sound like the toffee is sufficient to do this?

    Reply

  6. I just made this – cooling as we speak. Maybe it’s because I used mostly whole pecans but some of the pecans are loose (not covered by the toffee) should I have used pieces instead of whole pecans?

    Reply

    • I did have a mix in mine so that may account for it. Hope it turns out all right. If not, let me know and I will amend the recipe. I did find that even my bigger pieces (I did half of each) stuck fine, except in a few places on the very edges.

      Reply

      • Hi Carolyn.
        Why would Truvia not work? According to their ingredients information, it is erythritol (the only ingredient of Swerve) plus traces of stevia extract.

        Reply

        • Because it’s more concentrated in sweeteners (2 to 3 times) compared to Swerve, which measures like sugar. Which means you wouldn’t get nearly enough of the toffee to cover the bars.

          Reply

          • Hm, Sverwe’s own nutrition information says (here: http://www.swervesweetener.com/what-is-swerve/): “Erythritol: 5g for 5-gram serving”. So it is 100% erythritol.
            Truvia – https://www.truvia.com/products/truvia-packets – says that 3-gram serving contains 3g erythritol. So it is also basically 100% erythritol.
            I assume both have different mixtures to them, so to stand out among competition, but can it be that those trace amounts of other ingredients matter?

          • No, they are not the same. Swerve measures exactly like sugar…so 5g (1 teaspoon) of Swerve = 5g (1 teaspoon) of sugar. Truvia is not 100% erythritol, because STEVIA has no carbs and no calories (and also no bulk or weight), so when you see 3g of erythritol, that’s the only thing that’s giving it carbs. And if 3g of Truvia = a serving, that means 3g of Truvia = 5g of sugar. So it is more concentrated.

            I suggest you Google “Truvia equivalent to sugar” and you will see that it is suggested that you use 1/3 to 1/2 cup Truvia when trying to get the same sweetness. Please don’t underestimate the sweetness of stevia, it is intensely strong so while it may not make up much in terms of the WEIGHT of the product, it intensifies its sweetness a great deal.

            If you were to use the equivalent amount of Truvia that I used Swerve in this recipe, it would be horribly sweet. Probably disgusting.

          • Now I get it. So you say that Truvia is more sweet than sugar and Sverwe, and therefore you need less truvia to achieve the same sweetness, and thus getting less bulk. Makes sense.
            I tried your recipe with trivia anyway before I posted my first comment – I just don’t have anything else in my local ShopRite with erythritol. It is indeed very much sweet, but not disgusting 🙂
            Will try with sverwe or pure erythritol next time.

          • Yup, that’s what I was saying. Glad they weren’t awful but I definitely think they’d be too sweet for me!


    • Hi, I get mine from Lucky vitamin and It’s cheaper than on Amazon. They also carry lilys chocolate WAY cheaper. April

      Reply

  8. I know what you mean, I feel like every time I make resolutions I end up not following them and just feel guilty later, so I’m all for skipping them! These toffee bars look so wonderful – what a sticky, gooey, crunchy treat for January! 🙂

    Reply

  9. Hi, we just finished our annual family New Years dinner party. I made these for dessert. They were wonderful and very well received by the whole bunch! I offered Carb Smart vanilla ice cream on the side but I thought it was awesome on its own.
    I used only whole pecans halves and I will use some pieces next time as some of the pecan halves did not stick as well as your photo looks. Thank you for helping us welcome 2016 with such a special (and easy) treat!

    Reply

  10. Hi, I ran out of my granulated Swerve… can I use confectioners Swerve instead? What would be the ratio? Thanks and Happy New Year!

    Reply


        • I know this is an old post, but for anyone coming new to the site, confectioner’s Swerve does work 1:1. I had already made the crust before I realized I was out of granulated Swerve so figured I’d give it a try. Turned out great.

          Reply

  12. Happy & Healthy New Year!
    I LOVE your recipes, all delish ?
    Can I make this with Splenda?
    Thanks for ALL you do ???

    Reply

  13. Happy & Healthy New Year!
    Can I use Splenda for this recipe?

    Thank you for ALL that you do, you are a blessing to me, with Diabetes T2, been eating LC for 1 1/2 yrs, lost 60 lbs, reduced my diabetes meds in half, got off 2 cholesterol meds, off b/p meds ?

    Reply

  14. I saw this recipe yesterday on the Swerve site and I immediately made them. Oh my goodness they are good! Thank you for the wonderful recipe. I haven’t told you in a while but you are my hero.

    Reply

  15. I made these this morning. I cannot find Swerve in my area, so used Pyure sweetener. After putting the crust in to bake I read the package and realized that it substitutes for sugar only needing to use half as much… And I read on the swerve website that Swerve is 1:1 so realized I’d used too much! So I cutback in the topping. . All things considered, this is a fabulous recipe! I’m already looking forward to making it again! I’m thinking of chopping up some of the pecans and baking them in with the crust next time. Thanks for a great recipe!

    Reply

  17. I just made this and think I cooked the filling for too long as it became more crunchy than gooey. I will definitely try again though because it is still so good. Next time I will chop the pecans up a bit, mix them into the sugar/butter/vanilla mixture and then pour that over the shortbread crust. I think it will allow for more even coverage. Thanks so much for all your recipes!

    Reply

  18. Holy cow these are amazing! I’ve been following a keto diet for the last 6 months and I’m always looking for a sweet treat that won’t throw me out of ketosis. My husband and kids also loved these! The only problem is that we can’t keep them around for more than 12 hours! Thank you so much!

    Reply

      • Ooooh. Goooooooey is good for our house and I use xylitol. My hubs is going to be such a happy, happy man! He really missed pecan pie this year.

        Reply

  22. Another winner of a recipe! I just love your website. Thank you for sharing.

    We made these this afternoon. So very easy. I loved toffee in my carb days, so this recipe excited me! It delivered! I made one change – I chopped a bar of 85% dark chocolate and spread the shavings on top of the bars while they were hot. Super yummy!

    Reply

  23. Oh my god just made these. They were gorgeous. I couldn’t get swerve. I had a selection of sweetness here, powdered stevia, Splenda and Hermesetas. I used the Hermesetas. They turned out yummy. My tin was a bit too big though so I could of done with a bit more caramel to cover the whole thing so not all my pecans stuck but most did. Really gorgeous. The only problem now is trying not to eat the whole thing. Would be gorgeous with a spoonful of whipped cream on top. Thanks so much for the recipe. 1 week back into my low carb diet after being off it for a while and I was really craving something exactly like this.

    Reply

  26. Do you think coconut oil can be substituted for the butter for a dairy free version? It looks sooo good…I would love to try it!

    Reply

  29. My pecan toffee bars are baking right now. Almost a fail with electric stove top. It didn’t work (even at lower heat) NOT stirring the butter/Stevia mixture. Think they’re going to be great… But everything stuck badly?

    Reply

  30. These are yummy, but I felt they were too sweet. Definitely a keeper, I will just adjust the swerve. Thanks for these creative recipes.

    Reply

  31. I used erythritol and this gave me GI disturbance. Is this normal? I usually work with Swerve but didn’t have any on hand. 🙁

    Reply

    • Well, given that Swerve is 90% erythritol, I don’t know how using straight erythritol would cause this. Could it have been something else at play here?

      Reply

      • Hi Carolyn,

        I think it was something else that gave me the GI upset. The next day I tried it all went well. Sorry to put the blame on this amazing recipe and you. Thanks so much for posting!

        Reply

        • No worries at all! Some sugar alcohols do cause GI issues but since you’d eaten erythritol before, I suspected it might be something else.

          Reply

  32. Would these do well in the freezer? I made a batch (they are AMAZING! The best low-carb dessert recipe I’ve ever made) and I want to wrap them individually and put them in the freezer.

    Reply

  33. I am worried about the carb count of this recipe. My calculations are so far away from what is printed here. Did you not count the carbs of the swerve? The swerve carbs alone are 270g. That plus the carbs in the pecans and almond flour bring it up to 345 grams of carb. Divide that by 16 portions you get 21.56 total carbs per bar.

    Reply

    • I never count the carbs in Swerve, they do not affect my blood glucose levels at all. I state that fact in several places on this blog and most low carbers don’t count them either. They really do pass through the body without hitting the blood stream (at least this is my experience). I know it’s hard to believe but I have tested this on myself over and over and it does seem to hold true!

      Reply

  34. I wanted to stop back in and leave a huge THANK YOU for this recipe and others you have here. I was recently diagnosed as diabetic and have had to adjust my diet a bit to work on lowering my blood sugar levels. I had searched a bit and found another sweetener (Whey Low, not Swerve) that offers a diabetic friendly version in crystal form. They also offer a Powder that is lower sugar, but not quite as a diabetic friendly. I believe it would be competitive with Swerve (measures 1:1 with regular sugar, and has measured 1:1 as a substitute for Swerve in your recipes), though it could be a bit more or less expensive than Swerve. (Whey Low runs approx. $14 for a 2 pound bag, depending on who you get it from. Discount coupons from ordering directly from them if you sign up for their mailing list)

    Anyway, the Pecan Toffee Bars was a recipe that I definitely had to try. One of my favorite vices is Pecan Pie (though I’m particular about it, desiring my mom’s good old normally over-done and slightly burnt Pecan Pie). This is a great substitute for that taste and definitely way more friendly on the diabetic scale.

    I’m looking forward to trying a few others of your recipes that feature Almond Flour, especially the deep dish pizza recipe. I’m pretty confident that the results will be great and very tasty. Thanks again for your hard work and dedication on all of these recipes.

    Reply

  37. These are TOTALLY delicious. I made them with monkfruit sweetener & they came out just like my pecan date bars that I used to make. Great recipe! Thanks for sharing so many mistake proof recipes.

    Reply

  39. If I want these for Christmas Eve, how far ahead could I bake them? Usually, I do everything last minutes, but I”m trying something different.

    Reply

    • These are good for several days. If longer, then refrigerate them and then let them come to room temperature before serving.

      Reply

  42. I would like to begin by thanking you for your amazing recipes. They always turn out delicious. I tried substituting half of the butter with coconut oil for the toffee topping and added 1/4 tsp of butter extract to cover the coconut flavor. The toffee in the pan did not really thicken that much, but it could be possibly because I did not leave it on long enough to let it become thick or I ate some straight out of the oven. It looks beautiful and tastes delicious anyway. I think it might form up after it cools.

    Please keep the outstanding recipes coming.

    Reply

  43. Hi, quick question:
    Do these bars have a “cooling taste” to them once they’re baked? I made peanut butter cookies yesterday with powdered Swerve and it tastes like how I imagine a menthol cigarette would taste! I can hardly stand them. I hate to waste ingredients but I so badly want to find eatable low carb baked goods. Any feedback or tips about this problem would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

    Reply

    • Every palate is different. I used to get the cooling sensation badly with plain erythritol, but I don’t get it with Swerve at all. So I’d say no, these bars don’t have that taste but I can only speak for myself. You may need to try other sweeteners.

      Reply

  44. I love pecans! These look fabulous? But I, also, love piñons and have a bunch of them, too. Think I’ll make these with those!

    Reply

  46. We made these and they are great. Came out perfect. Cant believe they are sugar free. Just the thing for Keto fat bombs. Made the whole neighborhood smell like a candy factory, when we were cooking.

    Reply

  47. Thank you for your recipes!!!
    Made these last night…..BIG HIT!! My husband (who is not low carb) ate two! I need to put them away somewhere so they don’t disappear while I’m at work!

    Reply


  49. Hi. What alternatives are there for the powdered swerve. I find the after taste bitter. I have tried to grind bocha sweet but am unable to get it smooth in goodnight processors. I usually make small batches and maybe having issue with trying to do a small amount.

    Reply

  50. I’m going to make this for Thanksgiving. I don’t want too much of a hard toffee crunch Bc my moms teeth are sensitive. My first thought is to add some heavy cream? I’m not much of a baker but maybe you can suggest how little to add so I’m not destroying the flavor? I tried looking up BochaSweet but none available at Amazon and at this point, I don’t want to buy any other sweeteners. But if necessary I will. Thoughts? Suggestions? Options?

    Reply

  59. I know this is an old thread, but I have to be dairy free. Do you think butter flavored coconut oil would work…..but use a little les of it? Thank you for your help.

    Reply

  60. Hi Carolyn! Thanks so much for this wonderful recipe! I can’t wait to try it!! Where is the video you mention at the top?

    Reply


  61. Hi Carolyn! I love so many of your recipes! I made this one last night and found that the toffee soaked into the crust (leaving the pecans only lightly coated and very loose on top). I’m wondering if I should have baked the crust a bit longer and let it completely cool before doing the rest of the steps. I may so I use a different pan. The crust seemed loose in the corners because of the bulk of the parchment. Do you have any suggestions? Otherwise they taste great!

    Reply

    • So two possible things, if the corners were loose after baking… the butter wasn’t evenly enough distributed so make sure you process until it resembles crumbs. Also possible the almond flour was mis-measured a bit (1 cup = about 100g if you’d prefer to be more exact by weight). Do make sure the crust is properly cooled before adding the topping.

      Reply


  62. I just made this recipe, it turned out perfect! My non-keto husband told me it’s his new favorite. Thank you so much for all the wonderful recipes that make keto so easy.

    Reply

  63. Hi, Carolyn,
    I just made this but I think I goofed on the topping. It did not thicken like yours did. I kept waiting for it to turn amber and it never did even after 12-13 minutes. I used monk fruit. Should that have made that kind of difference? It still tastes delicious, but the presentation is not as beautiful as yours. Any advice for me?

    Reply

  64. In Germany you can find plain erythritol for a good price at DM
    I made this yesterday and liked the crust and the taste of the toffee was great………but way….way too sweet. Would it also work if I put less Swerve in the toffee topping?

    Reply

  65. Dang. I saw this recipe and it stuck to my brain like the toffee that’s in them. Now I have to make them. You are evil, evil I say! But I love you anyway.

    Reply


  67. Hi Carolyn,
    I’ve added these to my Christmas baking line up. I’m struggling to figure out how far ahead I can make these as well as other keto Christmas cookies.can you give any good guidelines on how to know what to freeze, how to store, how far ahead keto baked goods can be made?

    These are so delicious, by the way! Thank you always!

    Reply

  68. I would like to add a layer of dark chocolate between the crust and topping. What would you suggest I use. I don’t want to use anything that contains sugar.

    Reply

  69. Oh dear, something went terrible wrong and I’m left trying to figure out how to fix or re-invent something to do with this super-expensive yet inedible ingredients. I followed this recipe exactly except to use the Swerve granular in the crust instead of confectioners since I could not afford 2 bags of this sweetener. Everything else was the same-and used Bob’s R.M. almond flour. When they cooled, the topping was nearly whitish but not crunchy like I expected, but the whole thing was very grainy, greasy, and bitter/sickeningly sweet. Could it be that I didn’t cook the mixture enough or bake them long enough? Ugh-I wanted to cry. I don’t know what happened.

    Reply

    • I’m so sorry. If it what whitish and not crunchy, I do suspect you didn’t cook it long enough in the first stage. You can see in my video, I take it to the point that it’s quite dark amber. Also make sure you are using a good pan… cheap aluminum pans don’t caramelize things properly.

      Reply

  70. Hi Carolyn,

    Would Swerve brown/bocca sweet be anything to substitute or too soft for the toffee to harden? I’m making these today and so excited

    Reply


  71. Made these. They satisfied our sweet tooth and had nice flavor. But there’s no stick with the toffee topping and I missed that stickiness. So I added some sugar free maple syrup on top some of them, then left them out to let the syrup harden a bit. It fixed the texture and stick and gave it a nice maple flavor, but ended up way too sweet. So, I’ll probably play with it a little. I thought about adding some heavy cream or coconut cream to the toffee mixture to make it into a carmel, but I am not familiar enough with browned swerve to know how much of a disaster that would be. Overall, they were good. But I’m not sure I’d make them again. I might just do the crust, put the pecans on top and pour sugar free syrup on them and see what happens after 15 minutes in the oven.

    Reply

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