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:
OH CRAP, IT’S ALREADY 2016, HOW DID THAT HAPPEN!???!”
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.
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?
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!
More Fabulous Keto Pecan Recipes
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Keto Pecan Toffee Bars
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust:
- 1 1/4 cups (140 g) almond flour
- 1/4 cup (45.5 g) powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) salt
- 1/4 cup (56.75 g) butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
Topping:
- ¾ cup (136.5 g) granulated Swerve Sweetener
- ½ cup (113.5 g) butter
- ½ tsp (0.5 tsp) vanilla extract
- Pinch salt
- 2 tbsp powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 2 1/2 cups (297 g) pecans (some chopped, some whole)
Instructions
Shortbread Crust:
- Preheat oven to 325F and line an 9x9 or 8x8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang for easy removal.
- 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.
- 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:
- 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).
- 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.
- 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.
Nutrition
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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?
It’s literally right underneath that sentence. 🙂
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.
Without trying it, I can’t be sure entirely that it will harden as much. But it should still be tasty!
Love this sweet treat, my mom loves making these!
I have an incredible sweet tooth and made these earlier in the year. They’re so easy and totally amazing!!!
These are incredible! Love that we can still have the same treats made healthier.
I love pecan pie, I can’t wait to try this healthier version!
Keto or not, these look incredible. They would make a great addition to my cookie tray this year!
Made these for Thanksgiving and they were a hit! Thank you so much, Carolyn, for your fabulous recipes.
Thanks so much!
Do you think these bars would travel well if I sent them to my grandkids? Probably be in the mail for a week.
If they were well packed not to bounce around too much, they’d last.
Carolyn- instead of granular Swerve, could I use Bocha Sweet?
Yes but it won’t become like hard toffee, I suspect it will stay more chewy.
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?
I think you should try making my pecan pie bars instead. These will not do well as a softer bar.
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.
In the base of this, you can use regular granulated sweetener.
Does it matter I’d uou use Salted or unsalted butter
I use salted.
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!
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.
Can I use regular powdered sugar and regular granulated Sugar instead of the swerve brand
I don’t know, I don’t use those at all. Probably.
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!
That would be delicious!
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!
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.
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.
They have cooled and firmed up very nicely. I will definitely be making these again.
Thanks, Beth!
Wow. This is amazing! Thanks so much. My family enjoyed it so much. Will be my go to dessert.