Vegan Salted Caramel Blondies taste just like Grandma's recipe, but are vegan, gluten-free and do not contain refined sugars. These blondies contain chocolate chips and are drizzled with an almond butter caramel and melted chocolate for a fun variation on the traditional blondie.
What are blondies?
Blondies are sometimes referred to as the "blonde brownie" as they do not contain cocoa powder. They are typically loaded with brown sugar and have a buttery and vanilla taste. They remind me a lot of chocolate chip cookies baked in a pan and then cut into squares. My Vegan Salted Caramel Blondies use coconut sugar instead of brown sugar and coconut oil in place of the butter. They are healthier for you without compromising on taste.
How to make Vegan Salted Caramel Blondies:
- The first step in making these Vegan Salted Caramel Blondies is mixing the flaxseed and water together. When these two ingredients come together, they create a 'flax egg' which is the thickener for these blondies.
- Next, the remaining ingredients are added to the same bowl as the flax egg creating the blondie batter. Chocolate chips (and any other additions you may want to add) are folded into the batter before being baked.
- Lastly, almond butter and maple syrup come together on the stove top creating vegan caramel. The caramel is drizzled on top of the blondies along with melted chocolate. They are the perfect easy to make dessert!
Let's talk about caramel:
How to make traditional caramel:
To make traditional caramel, sugar and water are boiled together until a temperature of 330-360 degrees Fahrenheit is achieved. The caramel will start to brown around 330 degrees Fahrenheit. Around 340 degrees, the caramel can be used for making sauces. Butter and cream are added during the final stages of caramelizing to create caramel sauce that an be drizzled over ice cream. The addition of dairy results in a smooth and creamy sauce that is pourable and won't stick to your teeth. If your goal is to make hard candies, the caramel is boiled to a higher temperature of around 360 degrees.
If you are looking for a Paleo and vegan friendly caramel sauce for ice cream, to drizzle over apples, etc... Check out this recipe from Lisa over at Downshiftology.
What is almond butter caramel?
Since caramel sauce contains butter and cream, it's not vegan. Boiling together equal parts of almond butter and maple syrup has that same creamy and smooth texture as traditional caramel.
The almond butter makes the caramel thick and gives it that nutty taste that you also taste when making traditional caramel. The maple syrup is obviously the sweetener and brings depth to the caramel. Instead of being full of refined sugar, the almond butter caramel is vegan friendly and a lot healthier.
Looking for more easy vegan dessert recipes? Check out this Edible Brownie Batter, Chocolate Avocado Mousse or this Dairy-free Pumpkin Ice Cream.
Vegan Salted Caramel Blondies
Ingredients
- ¼ cup flaxseed meal mixed with ¾ cup water
- 1 cup coconut flour
- ¾ cup coconut oil, melted
- 1 ½ cup coconut sugar
- ⅔ cup chocolate chips
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ cup chocolate chips
- coarse salt (large grain sea salt or Celtic sea salt)
- 2 tbsp almond butter
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Either grease an 8x8 baking pan or line with parchment paper. Set aside while you make the blondie batter
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the flaxseed meal with the water and allow to sit for ten minutes. The flaxseed mealw ill start to become thick and gelantinous
- Once the flaxseed meal has thicken, add the coconut flour, coconut oil, coconut sugar, ⅔ cup chocolate chips, baking soda, vanilla extract, and the salt to the bowl and mix well. Pour into the 8x8 pan and spread out into an even layer. Sprinkle the blondies with the coarse salt. Place in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until the edges and the top of the blondies are golden brown
- Once baked, remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool. While cooling, combine the maple syrup and almond butter in a small saucepan and heat on the stove. Allow the caramel to come to a boil and allow to slowly boil for about five minutes. The caramel will start to become thick. Don't be alarmed if the caramel starts to stick to the pot of the pan. It is normal. Once thicken slightly, drizzle over the blondies. Melt the ¼ cup of chocolate chips and drizzle over top of the blondies as well. Cut into 9-12 bars and enjoy!
So good and an easy to follow recipe!