I don't know why, but telling someone that a brownie is vegan can really put them off. I'm not sure why this is as nowadays you can bake so many delicious treats without using any animal products. I took these Chocolate & Peanut Butter Caramel Brownies into work (without mentioning the 'v' word) and my colleagues happily scoffed the lot, especially when I told them they contained no butter and were made with coconut sugar as this immediately removed any January diet-related hesitation over whether to indulge or not. They are rich, sweet and super moist. If you've never tried vegan baking before, this is a great place to start!
Step by step...
I started by making the caramel. In a pan I warmed 160ml coconut cream with 70g light brown sugar. I let it bubble for 5 minutes whilst constantly stirring.
I took the caramel off the heat and added a mixture of 4 tbsp maple syrup, 6 tbsp peanut butter (I used Meridian Smooth Peanut Butter with no palm oil), 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1 tsp salt. I poured it into a bowl and put it in the fridge to cool.
For the brownie batter I put 250g plain flour, 200g golden caster sugar, 150g coconut sugar, 90g cocoa powder, 1 tsp baking powder and 1 tsp salt in a bowl and stirred it together.
I then added 250ml almond milk, 2 flax eggs, 250ml vegetable oil and 1 tsp vanilla extract and whisked it all together.
I poured the batter into a lined baking tray, then added blobs of the peanut butter caramel all over and swirled it all together with a knife.
I baked it on 180C/160C Fan/350F/Gas Mark 4 for 45 minutes.
The brownies were so fudgey and gooey, and the peanut butter caramel is to die for. I personally would add more peanut butter next time for a stronger taste, but it depends how much you love peanut butter. If you don't like it, you could use another nut butter or omit the caramel entirely and just make some yummy chocolate brownies.
Recommended equipment & ingredients*
| Traybake tin | Mixing bowls | Cooling rack |
| Kitchen scales |
*I earn a small amount of money if you buy the products after clicking on the links. You will not be charged anything extra for this. Thank you for supporting The Baking Explorer!
Chocolate & Peanut Butter Caramel Brownies (Vegan)
Ingredients
- 160 ml Coconut cream
- 70 g Light brown sugar
- 4 tbsp Maple syrup
- 6 tbsp Peanut butter
- 2 tsp Vanilla extract
- 2 tsp Salt
- 250 g Plain flour
- 200 g Golden caster sugar
- 150 g Coconut sugar
- 90 g Cocoa powder
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- 250 ml Almond milk
- 2 Flax eggs see note
- 250 ml Vegetable oil
Instructions
- To make flax eggs: 2 tbsp linseeds, ideally ground up in a food processor or spice grinder, soaked in 4 tbsp water for at least 10 minutes in the fridge.
- Start by making the caramel. In a pan warm the coconut cream with the light brown sugar. Let it bubble for 5 minutes whilst constantly stirring, then take off the heat and pour in a bowl
- Mix together the maple syrup, peanut butter, 1 tsp of the vanilla extract and 1 tsp of the salt, add it to the caramel and put it in the fridge to cool
- In a bowl mix together the plain flour, golden caster sugar, coconut sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and 1 tsp of the salt
- In another bowl whisk together the almond milk, flax eggs, vegetable oil and 1 tsp of the vanilla extract, then add it to the dry ingredients and mix together
- Pour the batter into a lined 12" x 9" traybake tin, then add blobs of the peanut butter caramel all over and swirl it all together with a knife
- Bake on 180C/160C Fan/350F/Gas Mark 4 for 45 minutes
- Allow to cool then cut into squares
Recipe adapted from the Telegraph.
Stuart Vettese
These sound so decadently good Kat - I could do some serious damage with them!
Kat BakingExplorer
Thanks Stuart!
Kate Glutenfreealchemist
Wow! You'd never know these were vegan. They look so decadent and gooey...... Can you make them GF and send them down my way please?
Kat BakingExplorer
No one guessed they were! Haha of course... if I don't eat them first!!
Kimmythevegan
Oh these brownies sound like the bomb! I don't know what it is about people getting put off by vegan things. It's as if they forget most things they eat are vegan (like carrots... strawberries... water haha).
I think the coconut cream would make these just so good!
Kat BakingExplorer
Haha I know what you mean! So much food is vegetarian and vegan and people say they don't like 'vegan food' when they eat it all the time!
Choclette Blogger
I still get turned off a little bit by the word vegan. It's mad as I've always eaten loads of vegan dishes and now bake lots of them too. These sound totally gorgeous. Anything with peanut butter or caramel gets my vote and these have both. Thanks for sharing with We Should Cocoa.