Citrus Polenta Bars with Maple Roasted Pecans + Last Minute Christmas Ideas

I always have such lofty goals and ideas for cookie month. I had a list of about 15 different things I wanted to create and share here on the blog... and I'm only giving you 3 of those. When will I ever learn that December is a crazy month full of holiday festivities and other end-of-the-year shenanigans? Maybe I need to start shooting for cookie month starting in September...haha!

This December in particular has felt crazier than the others because I've been working a retail job. It's been a struggle to still enjoy the holiday season while working with demanding and sometimes unnecessarily rude customers every day. In the midst of all of the crazy at work it's been challenging finding time at home to do what I love doing this time of year (i.e. baking, holiday movie watching, more baking). So, I'm making a point to spend as much time as possible in the next few days leading up to Christmas to celebrate the holiday in the way I want. I invite you to slow down, quit stressing over everything, and try it with me. Maybe you spend the day with your family watching a silly movie instead of waiting in long lines just for the sake of purchasing a gift. Or, maybe you drive around one evening looking at Christmas lights instead of going on a Netflix binge. Whatever way you choose to spend the next few days leading up to Christmas, make sure you are doing things you love with people you love.

These polenta bars are the last addition for this year's edition of cookie month. They're not the best option for wrapping up and gifting, but they are great for a holiday party or meal spread. And, you can even get away with serving them as part of a breakfast or brunch spread because they aren't overly sweet and the ingredients are relatively wholesome. In addition to the recipe for the bars, You'll find some last minute edible holiday gift ideas below. And, to make it easy on you, many of them don't involve baking! Have the happiest of holidays friends! I'll be back after Christmas sharing my favorite posts from this past year :)

--Gluten Free & Vegan Edible Holiday Gift Guide--

+ candied ginger snowballs
+ vanilla spice sugar cookies
+ salted dark chocolate nibby cookies (grain free)
+ dark chocolate dipped vanilla mint macaroons (grain free)
+ tahini dark chocolate chunk blondies with candied ginger & figs 
+ banana bread with pecans & chai spices
+ maple roasted pecans with nutmeg & poppy seeds (grain free)
+ chocolate cherry hazelnut haystacks (no bake)
+ minty coconut & dark chocolate patties  (no bake & grain free)
+ hazelnut espresso truffles (no bake & grain free)
+ cardamom & rose scented ladoo (no bake & grain free)
+ dark chocolate pumpkin truffles with smoked sea salt (no bake & grain free)
+ superfood muesli (no bake)
+ homemade marmalade (grain free)
+ seckel pears in spiced honey syrup (contains honey)
+ almond coconut hemp butter (grain free & no bake)
+ cocoa hazelnut spread (grain free & no bake)
+ chai spiced hot cocoa mix (grain free & no bake)

Citrus Polenta Bars with Maple Roasted Pecans

for the bars
3/4 cup polenta (corn grits)
1 can coconut milk
3 tbsp maple syrup
zest and juice of 1 orange
1 tsp minced fresh rosemary
1/2 tsp minced fresh thyme
pinch of fine sea salt
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla extract

for the pecans
3/4 cup whole pecans
heaped tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp maple syrup
coarse sea salt/fleur de sel

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease an 8x8 square pan with coconut oil, then line it with parchment paper leaving an overhang for easy removal of the bars once they are baked.

Put the coconut milk, maple syrup, juice of the orange, and a pinch of salt in a pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once the mixture comes to a boil, whisk in the polenta, vanilla, nutmeg, herbs, and orange zest. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Whisk the poleta continuously for 5 to 10 minutes until it has thickened significantly. Pour the polenta into your prepared pan and smooth out the top with a spatula. Set it aside while you make the pecans.

In a small pan set over medium heat, combine the coconut oil and syrup. Once the oil has melted, add the pecans. Toss the pecans occasionally as the syrup mixture begins to bubble and thicken. When the syrup mixture is the consistency of honey, add a good pinch of coarse sea salt then toss the pecans once more before removing the pan from the heat. Spread the pecans in an even layer over the polenta making sure to press them in a bit to help them adhere.

Bake the bars at 400 degrees for 25 minutes until the pecans are deeply golden and the polenta has pulled away from the sides of the pan. Cool the bars completely before slicing. Store leftovers covered at room temperature for 1-2 days, or 5 days covered in the fridge. Makes 9 to 16 bars depending on how small you slice them.