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vegan butter

Walnut Spelt Blondies (dairy-free!)

May 20, 2019 by Rachael Ng 2 Comments

The first time I had a blondie bar was way back when I was still baking with an Easy Bake Oven. I remember being confused because what even is a blondie? And I’ll be honest, before setting out to bake this recipe, I looked online to figure what exactly a blondie bar really is. Some people say they’re the vanilla version of a brownie, but I don’t find the textures to be very similar.

What I do know for sure is that a butterscotch flavor, brought on by using butter and brown sugar, is a hallmark to a traditional blondie. For me, they’re a bit like chewy cookie bars, but with the delicate, crackly top of a brownie. In fact, for this recipe you’ll whisk the eggs and sugar the same way you would to make brownies. This helps lift the batter as it’s baking to create that flaky top!

I chose to use vegan butter and a mix of 50/50 coconut sugar + brown sugar in this recipe because I really wanted these to taste like a real deal blondie bar. And I find that chopped walnuts or pecans really add to that butterscotch flavor we’re after, so I added lots of walnuts, too.

The add-ins for this recipe are super adaptable, so you should feel free to add your favorite chocolate chips, candy bits, or even white chocolate chips, depending on your diet (most varieties contain milk). As for the rest of the ingredients, I recommend following the recipe exactly as-is. This was my third test, and it’s very easy to end up with results that are less than stellar (trust me!).

Some of the ingredients I love for this recipe:

Spelt flour is an ancient whole grain flour and a good source of carbs, protein, and fiber. The flavor adds a bit of nuttiness to these blondies, which I love. But if you only have all-purpose flour on hand, that will work, too.

Arrowroot starch adds a bit of chewiness to these bars. Corn starch will do the same, so feel free to use that instead.

Vegan butter is a must for this recipe. I can only recommend Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks (not sponsored – just love them!). It adds that necessary “butter” flavor while helping to keep these bars moist.

Coconut sugar is an unrefined, low GI sugar, which means it won’t spike your blood sugar as high as regular sugar, maple syrup, or honey may. And it doesn’t taste like coconut!

Brown sugar is necessary for that true blondie flavor. Since brown sugar has molasses in it, it adds moisture and lends a hand to a delicious butterscotch flavor.

Egg helps give these bars a little lift and (when whisked with the sugar) creates a delicate, crackly top to the blondies.

Yield: 12 Bars

Walnut Spelt Blondies

Walnut Spelt Blondies

Deliciously nutty Blondies made better-for-you with coconut sugar and spelt flour! These dairy-free bars taste just as good as a traditional, butterscotch flavored blondie!

Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Additional Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup + 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
  • 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup spelt flour
  • 3/4 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp arrowroot starch
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 5 Tbsp vegan butter (I recommend Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks)
  • 6 Tbsp coconut sugar
  • 6 Tbsp light brown sugar
  • 1 large egg, room temp
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 325°F and prepare an 8x8 baking dish. Spray your dish with olive oil and then line with parchment paper. I like to cut one long strip to cover the bottom + 2 sides and then fold the excess over the sides (to use as handles later when I pull the blondies out to slice).
  2. Place 1/2 cup of walnuts on a baking sheet and pop them in your preheating oven to toast. This can take 5-10 minutes, and the moment you smell the walnuts, it's time to take them out of the oven - don't forget about them! You can also bring your egg to room temperature by placing it in a glass of warm water for around 10 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, arrowroot starch, and salt; set aside.
  4. Melt your vegan butter in small saucepan over medium-low heat. Bring to a boil before removing from the heat; set aside.
  5. In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the sugars and egg. Set speed to medium-high, adding in the vanilla. Whisk the mixture until is light brown, fluffy, and thick, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl as necessary. You'll know it's ready when you lift the whisk out the batter and the "ribbons" take 2-3 seconds to disappear.
  6. Slowly pour the melted vegan butter into the egg and sugar mixture bit by bit, gently folding it in between each pour. Once totally combined, add the dry ingredients and gently fold. Finally, fold in the toasted chopped walnuts.
  7. Scrape batter (it will be thick) into your prepared baking dish and use a spatula to evenly distribute it. Smooth out the top and then sprinkle with the 1/4 cup of extra walnuts.
  8. Bake at 325°F for 15-20 minutes or until edges are slightly browned. Allow to cool completely. Run a butter knife around the edges and use the parchment paper overhang to pull the entire blondie up and out of the dish. Slice into 12 bars. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.

Notes

I don't recommend most substitutes for this recipe as blondies can be a bit finicky. But you can use all-purpose flour in place of the spelt flour and corn starch in place of the arrowroot starch.

Recipe adapted from Cook's Illustrated

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

  • Coconut Sugar
    Coconut Sugar
  • Arrowroot Starch / Flour
    Arrowroot Starch / Flour
  • Bob's Red Mill Organic Spelt Flour - 24 oz
    Bob's Red Mill Organic Spelt Flour - 24 oz

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1 bar

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 155Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 28mgSodium: 181mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 1gSugar: 12gProtein: 2g

calculated nutrition information may not always be accurate

© Rachael Ng | Sugared & Stirred
Cuisine: American / Category: Bars

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @sugaredandstirred on Instagram and hashtag #sugaredandstirred

Other walnut recipes you might like:

Walnut Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Hummingbird Cake with Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting
Healthier Banana Nut Bread
Gluten-Free Healthier Banana Nut Bread

Filed Under: Bars, Dairy-free Tagged With: blondie, dairy-free, spelt, vegan butter, walnut

Soft & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies (dairy-free!)

May 6, 2019 by Rachael Ng 3 Comments

If you’ve been following my blog or Instagram then you know how much I love a good chocolate chip cookie. There’s just something about a warm, gooey cookie loaded with melted chocolate that just gets me. And if you’re here, then I’m sure you can relate.

These cookies are made with melted vegan butter instead of coconut oil (which is what I usually use), and they may just become my go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe! They’re soft, a little chewy, and taste like a regular, buttery cookie. I’m pretty sure there isn’t a thing to not like about these cookies!

This recipe takes some time, which can be a little jarring if you’re used to the kind of cookies that go straight into the oven after mixing. Since we use melted vegan butter for maximum softness, you’ll need to refrigerate your dough for at least three hours. If it’s easier for you, you can also refrigerate the dough the night before.

I like to chill my dough for two hours, take it out to make my dough balls, and then chill the dough balls for another hour. I find it’s easier to roll the dough balls at the two hour mark while the dough is still a little soft. You’ll want roll these cookies into “balls” that are taller than they are wide (see photos below). This helps keep the cookies thick while they bake. And for added aesthetic, you’ll press chocolate chips into the tops of your dough balls!

Some of the ingredients I love for this recipe:

Vegan butter gives these cookies that classic, buttery chocolate chip cookie taste. Melting the vegan butter helps create the soft-for-days texture these cookies have. I like using Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks in my baking, and I highly recommend you use them, too!

Coconut sugar is my favorite unrefined, low GI sweetener. It replaces regular granulated 1:1, doesn’t taste like coconut, and is less likely to spike blood sugar.

Brown sugar has molasses mixed into it, which also helps these cookies with their softness.

Arrowroot starch (like corn starch) ups the chew factor in these cookies. I like arrowroot starch because it’s allergy-friendly for people allergic to corn.  If you don’t have arrowroot starch on hand, feel free to use corn starch instead.

Yield: 16 Cookies

Soft & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Soft & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Soft and tender dairy-free Chocolate Chip Cookies made to stay soft for days!

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Additional Time 3 hours
Total Time 4 hours

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) vegan butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup coconut sugar
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 large egg, room temp
  • 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp arrowroot starch
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup dairy-free chocolate chips, divided

Instructions

  1. Bring your egg to room temperature by placing it in a glass of warm water for around 10 minutes.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted vegan butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla extract; set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, arrowroot starch, and salt.
  4. Add liquid ingredients to dry and gently mix using a large spatula or wooden spoon. With a few flour streaks remaining, add 3/4 cup of the chocolate chips and combine. Cover and refrigerate dough for 2 hours.
  5. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop dough balls 2 Tbsp in size and then roll them smooth, making them a little taller than they are wide (see photo) and placing them on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Using the remaining 1/4 cup of chocolate chips, press extra chips into the tops of the dough "balls", reshaping as necessary. Refrigerate dough balls for 1 hour.
  6. Preheat your oven to 325°F and line another baking sheet with parchment paper. Add 6 dough balls to your prepared baking sheet and bake at 325°F for 8-10 minutes or until cookies look slightly golden at the edges - you don't want to over-bake these!
  7. Allow cookies to cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheet before moving to a wire rack to cool completely. If your cookies come out of the oven a little misshapen, you can gently (and carefully - they'll be hot!) use your fingers to press the edges in to make the cookies more round.
  8. Continue baking the rest of the cookies, making sure you let your baking sheet cool down to room temp before adding the dough balls.

Notes

Sugars: I don't recommend any sugar substitutes, but you can use light or dark brown sugar, depending on what you have on hand.

Arrowroot Starch can be swapped out for Corn Starch

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

  • Coconut Sugar
    Coconut Sugar
  • Parchment Paper
    Parchment Paper
  • Cookie Baking Sheets
    Cookie Baking Sheets

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

16

Serving Size:

1 cookie

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 237Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 42mgSodium: 225mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 1gSugar: 15gProtein: 2g

calculated nutrition information may not always be accurate

© Rachael Ng | Sugared & Stirred
Cuisine: American / Category: Cookies

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @sugaredandstirred on Instagram and hashtag #sugaredandstirred

Other Dairy-Free Cookie recipes you might like:

Walnut Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Dairy-Free Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies
Coconut Oil Chocolate Chip Sprinkle Cookies
Orange Cranberry Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Filed Under: Cookies, Dairy-free Tagged With: chocolate chip cookies, chocolate chips, coconut sugar, cookies, dairy-free, soft, soft and chewy, soft-baked, vegan butter

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Meet Rachael

Hi! I’m Rachael, a home baker who creates dairy-free, indulgent treats. As a sweets lover and former candy addict, I believe we shouldn’t have to give up everything we love in pursuit of wellness. That’s why I create delicious and approachable desserts that you can enjoy, in moderation, no matter your goals! Because, let’s face it, sometimes you just need a giant slice of frosted cake, sans guilt! Read More…

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