Pumpkin Spice Caramel Slices (Vegan Gluten-Free)

Deliciously autumnal caramel slices with a no-bake biscuit base, a gooey pumpkin spice caramel and a thick layer of hazelnut chocolate with more hazelnuts on top. These Pumpkin Spice Caramel Slicesare vegan, gluten-free and require no-baking.

I am a huge fan of pumpkin spice season and have been having PS Lattes on repeat with pumpkin spice cake, cookies and so much going on, too. It’s such a cosy and inviting flavour that makes you want to snuggle up, sit with a hot drink and a candle and chill out. I am bringing that cosiness to the traditional millionaire or caramel slice with this fun little recipe.

These Pumpkin Spice Caramel Slices are:

• Gooey and sticky
• Crunchy and crisp
• Chocolatey and caramel-y
• Packed with pumpkin pie spices (homemade simply recipe below)
• No-bake, vegan and gluten-free
• Easily nut-free
• Fun and simple to bake
• A great autumnal sweet recipe for snacking or as a dessert

If you want to jump right in, scroll down for the recipe card and make these Pumpkin Spice Caramel Slices but let’s take a look at the ingredients.

What do I need to make these caramel slices?

Let’s start with the spice mix that goes into the biscuit base and the caramel:

• Pumpkin pie spices: if you have a pre-made blend then you can use this, if not we make our own. You need cinnamon, ground ginger, mixed spice and nutmeg for this simple spice mix. You can add a pinch of cardamom too, but it’s not essential.

For the biscuit base:

• Oats: use GF oats if needed and blitz these until a fine meal or flour, or you can use oat flour if you have that.
• Hazelnuts: I love the aroma and taste of hazelnuts but you can also use almonds or cashews. Or for a nut-free option use seeds or substitute for more oats/oat flour. Blitz the nuts of seeds to a fine meal, like the oats.
• Medjool dates: the jammier the better but if your dates are not medjool or they are not as squidgy, just soak them in boiling water for 5-10 minutes and then drain them. This will rehydrate the dates and make them softer.
• Almond butter: I love the silky smooth texture and taste of almond butter but cashew, hazelnut or even peanut butter will work. For a nut-free option use a seed butter like tahini.
• Salt: to enhance the flavours.

To make the base, simply blitz the ingredients together until jammy and a sticky dough forms. Press into a dish and chill while you make the caramel.

For the pumpkin caramel:

• Pumpkin puree: this is essential for the pumpkin element. You can either make your own by roasting a pumpkin or squash until tender and then blitzing unto a puree and leaving to cool. Or find tins of pumpkin puree in the supermarket.
• Medjool dates: as above, the jammier the better.
• Almond butter: as before, you can use other nut or seed butters.
• Maple syrup: this adds a lovely silky stickiness to the caramel and if you like, you can swap it for another sticky syrup like agave, date or coconut syrup or vegan honey.
• Coconut oil: this helps the caramel to set when it chills and so it is very important. I would not suggest swapping this for anything else.
• Salt: salted caramel is everything!

The caramel for these Pumpkin Spice Caramel Slices is easy to blend up and results in the creamiest caramel, just be patient with your blender and keep going until no lumps remain. Spread over the base layer and chill in the freezer.

The chocolate topping:

• Chocolate: I used a dark hazelnut chocolate which was so delicious with the hazelnuts in the base, but any dairy-free chocolate will do. I like dark chocolate over a milky sweet chocolate as the caramel is already quite sweet.
• Coconut oil: this really helps when you come to slicing these Pumpkin Spice Caramel Slices. The chocolate is set but it cracks less with coconut oil in it. If you don’t want to use this, you can skip it but the chocolate top is much harder to slice.
• Hazelnuts: as I used hazelnut in the base and the chocolate, it went so well on top. You could use other nuts, seeds, cacao nibs or leave it with just the chocolate.

Simply melt together the chocolate and coconut oil, pour over the set caramel and sprinkles over the hazelnuts. Allow to set again and carefully slice into bars.

How do I make these Pumpkin Spice Caramel Slices as neat as can be?

When you slice these bars, they can be tricky as they are thick and the middle is quite soft so make sure you slice them straight from the freezer and use a sharp hot knife. I like to have a large cup of boiling water (be careful) next to me so I can dip the knife in, leave for 1 minute until it’s hot, wipe off the water and then lightly press the knife onto the chocolate top. Allow the heat to melt the chocolate and then you’ll glide through the slices.

Are these slices gluten-free?

Yes, these are natural gluten-free, just use GF-certified oats where needed.

Can I make these nut-free?

To make the base layer nut-free, make sure to swap the hazelnuts for seeds or extra oats and swap the almond butter in the base and caramel for seed butter. Skip the hazelnuts on top and opt for seeds, cacao nibs or leave them plain.

How long will they last?

These are so delicious, you won’t have any problem polishing them off! But they will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 5-7 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month. You can eat them straight from the freezer or fridge, or allow to soften at room temperature for 10 minutes.

I hope you will fall in love with these super autumnal Pumpkin Spice Caramel Slices and if you are looking for more seasonal recipes, how about my:

• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip and Coconut Cake
• Chai Pecan Caramel Stuffed Cookies
• Chai Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream
• Caramel Apple Loaf Cake
• Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Cookies

I look forward to hearing what you think of these Pumpkin Spice Caramel Slices so please leave a comment below and if you do make these slices, I would love to see your creations. Please tag me – I’m @nourishing.amy on Instagram and use the hashtag #nourishingamy. I’m also on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest  – please say hello!

With pumpkin spice caramel love x