Crunchy-Chewy Caramel Pecan Bars From Malcolm Livingston

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a mixing bowl fitted with paddle attachment, cream the non dairy butter with the coconut sugar for 6 mins
3. Mix cinnamon, sea salt, gluten free flour, and sorghum flour together with a whisk.
4. Roll the dough by hand to a thickness of about ⅛ inch. Cut the dough to the size of a quarter sheet tray. Freeze the dough then dock, bake with parchment sheet on top of dough and place a sheet pan on top.
5. Bake for 15 minutes, then rotate the pan and bake for an additional 5 minutes. Remove the top sheet pan and bake for a final 5 minutes.
6. Cool and reserve while you make the caramel.
7. In a bowl, whisk the coconut sugar and cornstarch together. In a separate bowl, whisk together water and agar powder, and allow to hydrate for about 2 minutes. In another bowl, whisk together oat milk, vanilla extract, and agave syrup.
8. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the agar and water and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, add about half of the agave mixture to the pan. Whisk and allow to come to a boil, then add the remainder of the mixture. (Agar hydrates at 212°F, so bringing the agar to a simmer and adding more liquid to reboil ensures that we will hydrate the agar sufficiently.)
9. Turn the heat down to medium. Next, whisk in the butter, followed by the coconut sugar mixture. Once the butter has melted, use a silicone spatula to scrape the sides of the pot and bring the caramel to a temperature of 230°F. Once temperature is achieved, take the mixture off the heat. Season the caramel with sea salt, then add the chopped pecans. Stir to fully coat and combine the nuts with caramel.
10. Transfer the nut caramel to the prepared baked crust, smoothing out into on even layer with a silicone spatula. Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes; rotate the pan and bake for another 10 minutes, checking on it after 5 minutes.
11. Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool for 1 to 2 hours at room temperature. Release the pecan bars from the tray and portion into 2x2-inch squares or as desired.