Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars and a Dinner Guest

by lisa | 14 September 2013 11:17

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As much as I’d like to be, I am not the “Hostess with the mostest”.

Having people over for dinner usually sends me into a state of panic. Needless to say, we don’t have many dinner guests. So, I don’t know what possessed me, but a few weeks back I invited a total stranger over for dinner. It all started several months ago when a Swiss Paleo reader (Hi TJ!!) sent me an e-mail to say that her husband was being transferred to Switzerland and that they would be moving here in about a year. We traded a few messages back and forth about living in Switzerland (you know, important things like where to get your hair done), and then I got a message saying that her husband would be in town for business for a few days. I went to crazy town and invited him over for dinner. It’s pretty intimidating to invite somebody for dinner when you are a food blogger. Their expectations of my cooking skills probably far outweigh my actual abilities! 

When I picked up my mystery guest to bring him home, we had a good laugh because it turns out he was a little nervous for this blind date that his wife had set him up on, too. My husband and I had a great time getting to know Dan and we talked his ear off about Switzerland. He was a wonderful dinner guest and he gets bonus points for eating what I cooked (and even having seconds!). I served up a very casual dinner of grilled bratwurst from my favorite farm to give Dan a true taste of Switzerland, my favorite salad (the “Julie Salad”), baked sweet potatoes and roast vegetables. For dessert (because, yes, having company is all the excuse I need to make up a paleo dessert), I tried out something new. I’ve been wanting to make something pecan pie-like for my daughter who loves pecan pie, so this poor dinner guest got to be my guinea pig.

If you are ever coming to my neck of the woods, just let me know and maybe I’ll invite you to dinner, too!

Ingredients

For the Bottom Crust

• 1 3/4 cups almond flour
• 1 egg
• 1 Tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 Tablespoon arrowroot powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

For the Top Pecan Pie Part

• 8 oz (225 grams) pitted medjool dates
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup pecans, chopped
• 1-2 oz (25-50 grams) 85% dark chocolate, melted

What to Do

For the Crust

1. Put all of the crust ingredients together in a food processor and mix.
   

   Love my food processor

2. Press the dough down into an 8×8 parchment lined pan.
   

   Parchment paper makes for easy removal

3. Prick with a fork a few times and bake in a preheated 350 F (175C) oven for 15 minutes.

For the Pecan Pie Part

1. Add everything (EXCEPT the nuts and chocolate) together in a food processor and whiz until smooth and creamy.
2. Pour this over the crust after it has baked for 15 minutes.
3. Sprinkle the cup of chopped pecans over the top and return to the oven and bake for another 30 minutes.
   

   Cover with nuts

4. Let it cool on the counter and then drizzle the melted chocolate over the top.
   

   Drizzle the chocolate

5. Chill before cutting into squares.
   

   Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars

Source URL: https://swisspaleo.ch/chocolate-pecan-pie-bars-and-a-dinner-guest/

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