I love the old adage, ‘Better Late than Never’; lately it’s become a theme of my life. This past Friday, we celebrated my mom at a beautiful memorial service. My life has been on hold for the last month getting ready for this gathering, of which I feel honored to have been part. But in doing so, and sifting through old photographs, I started to leaf through my family’s recipe book and found this gem.

I thought of saving this for next year’s holiday season, but these bars are too delicious to keep on the shelf.  This is adapted from an old family recipe that I believe dates back to one of my grandmothers. It’s a bit like a caramel infused coconut bar. If you don’t have pecans, you can use walnuts. I cut them into 16 portions because they are really rich. Enjoy these with a cup of coffee or almond milk.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Total time: 50 minutes
Yield: 16 bars
Special equipment: 8×8 baking dish

Crust:
1/2 c. butter (1 stick), or butter substitute
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 c. almond flour
pinch salt

Filling:
2 eggs
3/4 c. light brown sugar
1 c. chopped pecans (or walnuts)
1/2 c. unsweetened coconut that has been tossed with 2 T rice or almond flour (Whole Foods is a good source for this)
1 tsp. vanilla
pinch salt

1. For crust, cream butter and brown sugar together.
2. Add almond flour and salt and mix well.
3. Press into greased 8×8 square pan and bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees.
4. For filling, beat eggs until frothy (about 2 minutes).
5. Add light brown sugar and beat until thick.
6. Add all remaining ingredients and pour over crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes until center is firm.
7. Remove from oven and sprinkle with powdered sugar when cool. Cut and serve.