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Decadent, fudgy, chocolaty, rich, and creamy Caramel Chocolate Brownies! This vegan, gluten-free no-bake dessert will literally melt in your mouth and you will have a hard time to stop eating it.
The Perfect Sweet Treat
Where do I start?! Well, I have no idea because this fudgy deliciousness blew my mind. Seriously, this dessert is so good and if you have a sweet tooth you have to give it a try! Sometimes we all need a sweet treat and therefore I love to be prepared when the chocolate craving kicks in!
These bite-sized caramel chocolate brownies are perfect as a sweet treat and after eating just one you won’t feel as full as after eating a big piece of cake. But you will be satisfied because the combination of chocolate and caramel will make your taste buds very happy. So without further ado let’s get started.
No-Bake Recipe
This recipe is a no-bake recipe which means you don’t need an oven to make it! That’s awesome, right? It isn’t a raw recipe though, mainly because of the caramel. However, it’s also possible to make the middle layer of these brownies with dates.
This would also make the dessert much healthier. Therefore, I will include the recipe for the date version in the recipe notes! Then you can choose which version you want to try. You could also make both versions and decide which one you like more.
Gluten-Free Vegan Dessert
As you know all my recipes are always vegan and gluten-free and so is this one. The no-bake brownie base contains ground flax seeds, dates, powdered peanut butter (you can use almond flour instead), cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and salt. And that’s it! It’s actually one of my most popular dessert recipes which currently has 50 (almost) 5-star ratings which proof that the recipe is very good!
The caramel layer makes this dessert even more delicious. As mentioned before, I will give you a second (healthier) option in the recipe notes. The third layer is just melted dairy-free chocolate which means it’s really easy to make!
How To Store?
I prefer to store these caramel chocolate bars in the freezer and once I have those sweet cravings I take one out and let it thaw for about 20 minutes. Eating just one of these bite-sized caramel brownies will satisfy my taste buds!
If you store them in the fridge you might have a hard time to stop eating them, haha, therefore I recommend storing some in the freezer as well!
These Caramel Chocolate Brownies are:
- Vegan
- Gluten-free
- Fudgy
- Chocolaty
- Great as dessert or snack
- A yummy no-bake recipe
- Freezer friendly
- Healthier than most caramel brownies
Should you recreate these caramel chocolate brownies, please leave a comment below and don’t forget to tag me in your Instagram or Facebook post with @elavegan and #elavegan because I love to see your recreations. If you love brownies, definitely also check out my other healthy brownie recipes.
Caramel Chocolate Brownies
Ingredients
Brownie Layer:
- Wet ingredients:
- 3/4 cup dates (should be soft and moist)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean
- Dry ingredients:
- 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp flax seeds
- 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp cocoa powder or raw cacao powder
- 4 tbsp powdered peanut butter or almond flour (ground almonds)
- Pinch of sea salt
Caramel Layer:
- 1/4 cup maple syrup (or agave syrup)
- 1/3 cup coconut milk (canned)
- 4 tbsp brown sugar (or coconut sugar)
- 2 heaped tbsp peanut butter (or sunflower seed butter)
- Pinch of sea salt
Chocolate Layer:
- 3/4 cup chocolate chips dairy-free (or dark chocolate, chopped)
- 2 tsp coconut oil
Instructions
- I recommend using a kitchen scale for this recipe. You can easily switch between US and metric measurements underneath the ingredient list.
Brownie Layer:
- Grind the whole flax seeds in an electric coffee/spice grinder (or blender) until they turn into flour. You can also use 65 g of store-bought GROUND flax seeds but make sure it's fresh.
- Process all dry ingredients in a food processor, then add the dates and vanilla extract and process until the dough sticks together when you press it between your fingers. It might take some minutes until the dough comes together. If it's still too dry after a while then add a few dates in addition or a little bit of maple syrup or raw agave syrup. The dates should be very soft and juicy. If they are rather dry you should soak them in warm water first, until they are soft.
- Line a 6-inch square baking pan (double the recipe if you have an 8-inch or 9-inch baking pan) with parchment paper and leave about a 2-inch overhang on both sides. Grease the parchment paper with a little bit of oil.
- Transfer the brownie dough into the pan and press it down firmly. Set aside.
Caramel Layer:
- Put all ingredients for the caramel layer into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir with a whisk and let simmer on low heat for about 10-15 minutes until the mixture gets thicker.
- Pour the caramel layer onto the brownie layer, and put the pan into the freezer for about 30 minutes. Check the recipe notes below for a healthier version with dates!
Chocolate Layer:
- For the chocolate layer, melt dairy-free chocolate chips with coconut oil in a water bath (or double boiler).
- Once the chocolate is melted pour it on top of the caramel layer and put the pan back into the freezer for 5 minutes.
- Cut into mini bars (works best with a hot knife!).
- Store in the refrigerator. You can also freeze these caramel chocolate brownies in zip-lock bags! Enjoy!
Notes
- Recipe serves 16. Nutrition facts are for one serving.
- 130 g dates, soaked in hot water
- 1/3 cup (80 ml) coconut milk
- 1 1/2 tbsp (25 g) smooth peanut butter or sunflower seed butter
- Pinch of salt
Nutrition
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This looks lush! Do you think cashew or almond butter would work just as well for the caramel?
Thank you! And yes, that should totally work as well. 🙂
All I have to do is melt the chocolate, but I can already tell this recipe is a hit!!! I used tahini in the caramel layer and it worked beautifully.
Yay, that’s fantastic! 🙂 So happy you love the recipe, Kaitlyn!
This looks awesome! Saw it on your instagram. Can I use chia instead of flax seed?
Hey Melissa! Even though I never tried using ground chia seeds in this recipe, I am pretty sure it should work without any problems! Let me know if you give it a try. 🙂
They look so delicious! Would love to grab some ????
Thank you, Bianca! I wish I could send you some haha. 🙂
I made these yesterday and they are absolutely amazingly delish and super easy to make thanks Ela x
Yay! I am so happy you loved them! Thanks for your great feedback, Chelsea! 🙂
I made these yesterday for a friend who is gluten free. I loved them so much and my friend said they were amazing! I especially loved the peanut butter caramel – delicious! ????????
Awesome! That’s wonderful that both you and your friend loved them. Thank you very much, Mae! 🙂
I love the combination of chocolate and caramel! <3
It’s the best, isn’t it? Thanks, Jess! 🙂
These were so delicious! I used chia as had run out of flax and it worked a treat! The children loved them too!
Yay, that’s great! I am glad the recipe also worked with chia! Thanks, Hannah! 🙂
Mine were an ooey gooey mess as my caramel layer never thickened up as much as yours did, but they were still really tasty. I will definitely try them again!
Thanks for your feedback, Jessica! 🙂
Is there another ingredient that I can substitute for peanut butter powder?
Yes, and it’s actually mentioned in the recipe! Almond flour! 🙂
Hi, recipe sounds delicious, but as much as I like coconut, I get a little bit sick of it as it seems to be in many dessert recipes. What could I use instead of the coconut milk in this recipe?
Hi Jean, you could use a different plant-based milk instead of coconut milk. 🙂
Ela – these are divine! My son and I made them this afternoon and had to share them immediately with our plant-based neighbours. What an incredible recipe. Bravo!
That’s awesome, Michelle! So happy you liked them. 🙂
Hi could I use sunflower flour or another suggestion instead of peanut powder or almond flour? We have allergies in our family
Yes, sunflower flour should work!
PS: Sorry for the super late reply, but I just found your comment in my spam folder
I made these yesterday and they turned out to be really delish! After keeping them in the fridge over night the sweetness and consistancy were even better!
That’s awesome! Thanks for your feedback. 🙂
My caramel layer never thickened. I just went with it and poured it over the brownie layer and it soaked in- it tasted great but was an awful mess lol. Any ideas why it may not have thickened? I used almond milk instead of coconut milk, could this be it?
Hey Jessie! 🙂 Yes, that could be it because canned coconut milk is higher in fat than almond milk (and coconut milk also gets quite thick in the fridge). Did you use brown sugar or coconut sugar?
Hi, I love the ingredients in this recipe however I have an allergy to dates, do you have any suggestions for another substitution?
Judith
Any other dried fruit would work, for example, dried figs! 🙂
Hi,
I am just looking into different alternatives and these look absolutely gorgeous! I love to bake and your recipes looks beautiful… I have 3 children who I’m sure would love to try these out! Is ground flax seeds widely available? Many thanks, its definitely inspiring! Xx
Hi Jen, yes, it is available but you can also buy whole flax seeds and blend them in a blender or electric coffee/spice grinder. 🙂
Has anyone ever figured the calories or weight watchers points for this? I’m going to give them a try. Looks so yummy!
Hello! They are delicious no doubt. But my chocolate layer is too hard to cut even with a hot knife. What did i do wrong ?
Hello Annick! Did you maybe use a smaller pan that made the chocolate layer too thick?
I made these and they were delicious! I made the coconut sugar version; they were a little too sweet for me so what I did is to cut them as little bite pieces and topped them with almonds; everybody loved them! I’m planning to make the healthier version (with dates) next time. Thanks! Awesome!
That’s awesome, Sandra! Such a great idea to top them with almonds. 🙂