Caramel Apple and Pecan Blondies (Vegan Gluten-Free)
These Caramel Apple and Pecan Blondies have a moist and tender apple blondie base packed with caramel and crunchy pecans all topped with cinnamon whipped cream and sticky apples and pecans.
I love all things cinnamon apple this time of year and when you throw in pecans, you have something amazing. These blondie bars are rich, fudgy, fruity and tender, laced with caramel and packed with chunks of apple and pecans for the best seasonal bake that comes together in one bowl.
Why will I love these blondies?
These apple and pecan blondie bites are delicious, they are:
- Fudgy, gooey, tender and moist
- Fruity, nutty and cinnamon spiced
- Made with wholesome ingredients
- Easy to make in one bowl
- Topped with a cinnamon whipped vegan cream
- Decorated with the best and easiest sticky apples and pecans
- Great for autumn/fall (and all year round)
- Naturally vegan and gluten-free and easily nut-free
If you already love the look of these Caramel Apple and Pecan Blondies then skip ahead to the recipe card below. Or, let’s discuss the recipe in more detail.
What ingredients do I need?
The base for the blondies is a mix of:
- Apple and applesauce: we need a fresh apple for chopping small and folding into the batter at the end, as well as applesauce. Make sure it’s 100% applesauce, unsweetened and nice and smooth.
- Ground chia or flaxseed: this is our “egg” and binds the bars together. My top tip is to buy whole chia seeds and pop them in a blender and process till you reach a fine meal texture. Keep these in a sealed jar for 1-2 months and use as needed.
- Evaporated coconut milk: this is from Natures Charm and is so creamy and delicious. Mix this with the chia seeds to make a lovely gloopy chia “egg” or you can use their evaporated oat milk. If you do not have these, use regular dairy-free milk.
- Smooth almond butter: the runnier and smoother the almond butter, the better for these bars as the batter is smoother. I like almond butter for the sweet flavour, but peanut, cashew or pecan butter are great. For a nut-free option use runny tahini or sunflower seed butter.
- Coconut sugar: for sweetness. I like the rich caramel colour and taste of coconut sugar but you can use golden or regular caster or light brown sugar, too.
- Vanilla essence: for flavour.
- Salted coconut caramel sauce: this is also from Natures Charm and is so sticky and delicious. It is light salted and a lovely golden colour which makes this blondie base so addicting. They also have a regular un-salted caramel which is great or see tips below for a homemade caramel.
- Oat flour and oats: this recipe calls for both rolled oats and oat flour. You can make your own oat flour by blending oats till a flour-texture forms and keeping for 1-2 months in a sealed jar. Make sure your oats are gluten-free where needed.
- Vegan vanilla protein powder: this adds a lovely sticky and moist texture to the blondies and also holds the batter together well. I love the vanilla buttercream or cinnamon bun protein from Macromike (save 10% off everything with code AMB-AMY).
- Cinnamon, baking powder and salt: for flavour and a slight rise.
- Pecans: chop the pecans to fold into the batter for a lovely crunch. You can swap these for walnuts if you prefer. For a nut-free option, leave these out or use sunflower seeds.
As for the sticky apples and pecans on top:
- Apples: any eating apples are great like jazz, royal gala or whatever is in season.
- Pecans: chopped small.
- Coconut oil: this adds the smooth “buttery” shine and taste to the sticky topping. You can use vegan butter if you prefer.
- Salted coconut caramel sauce: as above, this adds a lovely sweetness and stickiness.
- Cinnamon: for flavour.
Finally for the whipped cinnamon cream:
- Coconut whipping cream: this is from Natures Charm and I just love it, it’s made with a few simple ingredients. Simply chill the tin overnight in the fridge and then pour all the contents into a bowl before whipping till light and fluffy. They also offer an oat whipping cream or if you cannot find these, use another dairy-free whipping cream.
- Cinnamon: for flavour.
How do I make these?
These Caramel Apple and Pecan Blondies are the dream to make as you just need one bowl for the base, one pan for the topping and a third bowl for the whipped cream:
- Chop the apple and toss with cinnamon: for folding into the batter before it bakes.
- Stir together the ground chia/flaxseed and evaporated milk: and whisk for 1 minute till gloopy.
- Whisk together all the wet ingredients: for the batter till smooth, including the chia egg.
- Add in the dry ingredients: till smooth.
- Fold in the apple and pecans: and smooth over the top.
- Bake for 20 minutes till golden brown and baked through: and allow to cool for 10 minutes before lifting out to cool fully.
- Make the sticky apples and pecans: in pan by heating together the ingredients.
- Whip the cream and cinnamon: till light and fluffy.
- Spread the cream all over the cake: adding some more caramel if you like.
- Top with the sticky apples and pecans: and I added some redcurrants, too.
- Slice and serve: and enjoy this blondie.
How long will they last?
These blondie bars are best kept in the fridge where they will last for 2-3 days. You can also freeze the bars without the whipped cream for up to 1 month. Allow to defrost at room temperature before frosting and decorating.
Are these blondie bars gluten-free and nut-free?
Yes these blondies are fully gluten-free (just check that your oats and oat flour are gluten-free) and to make these nut-free, swap the almond butter for tahini or sunflower seed butter, swap the pecans for sunflower seeds (or leave them out) and check your caramel is nut-free.
Can I use homemade caramel sauce?
I love the natures charm caramel sauces but if you cannot find them or want to make your own, I love my simple and cheat’s caramel which you can find here.
What else can I bake?
I hope you are going to love making and eating these Caramel Apple and Pecan Blondies and for more seasonal ideas, how about my:
- Cinnamon Caramel Apple Cupcakes
- Cinnamon Streusel Banana Bread
- Pecan Peanut Butter Cup Frosted Brownies
- Chocolate Pecan Fudge Bars
- Salted Caramel Banana Bread Pecan Cinnamon Rolls
Caramel Apple and Pecan Blondies
These Caramel Apple and Pecan Blondies have a moist and tender apple blondie base packed with caramel and crunchy pecans all topped with cinnamon whipped cream and sticky apples and pecans.
Ingredients
For the Blondies:
- 1 small apple
- 2 tbsp ground chia or flaxseed with 5 tbsp evaporated coconut milk
- 120g smooth, runny almond butter
- 60g applesauce
- 120g coconut sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 2 tbsp salted coconut caramel sauce
- 100g oat flour
- 50g oats
- 40g vegan vanilla protein powder
- 1 ½ tsp cinnamon, divided
- ½ tsp baking powder
Add-ins:
- 50g pecans, chopped
For the Caramel Apples and Pecans:
- 1 small apple
- 30g pecans, chopped
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- 1 tbsp salted coconut caramel sauce
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
For the Whipped Cream Topping:
- 200-300g coconut whipping cream, chilled overnight
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- 2 tbsp salted coconut caramel sauce
- Redcurrants, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160Fan/180*C and line an 8-inch square baking tin with parchment paper.
- Core the apple and chop into small cubes. Toss with ½ tsp cinnamon and set aside. Whisk together the chia seeds and evaporated milk till smooth.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the almond butter, applesauce, sugar, vanilla, salted caramel sauce, and the chia gel till smooth.
- Now pour in the oat flour, oats, protein powder, 1 tsp cinnamon, baking powder and salt. Whisk or stir to a thick, smooth batter.
- Fold in the chopped apple and pecans and transfer to the lined tin. Smooth over the top and bake for 20 minutes, till golden all over and an inserted skewer comes out basically clean.
- Cool for 10 minutes then carefully lift out the tin to cool fully on a wire rack.
- Meanwhile, make the apple and pecan topping: core and chop the apple small and add to a small saucepan with the pecans and coconut oil. Fry for 5 minutes, till softening then add the caramel and cinnamon and cook for 5 more minutes, till sticky and glossy. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
- For the whipped cream: add the contents of the tin to a mixing bowl and beat for 2-3 minutes till really fluffy, add in the cinnamon towards the end.
- Spread the coconut cream all over the blondies, topping with some swirls of caramel sauce and then the apples and pecans. Add on some redcurrants, if you like.
- Slice into 8 bars or 16 squares and enjoy. Leftover blondies are kept in the fridge in an airtight container for 2-3 days. unfrosted blondies can be frozen for up to 1 month, wrapped well and allow to defrost before frosting.
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I look forward to hearing what you think of these Caramel Apple and Pecan Blondies so please let me know in the comments below and leave a star review above. If you do make these, I’d love to see them so please tag me in your creations – I’m @nourishing.amy on Instagram and use the hashtag #nourishingamy. I’m also on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest – please say hello!
With caramel blondie love x
p.s. this recipe was originally made with Natures Charm who I love, although this blog post is not sponsored and all opinions are my own.
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