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So I went ahead and made these carmelitas vegan and gluten-free. How’d I do that? First, I used my two-ingredient vegan caramel sauce as a base for the caramel layer. Yes, it’s made with tahini. You can taste the tahini here, but not the way tahini tastes when it’s alone. Mixed with maple syrup it takes on a sweet, deep caramel flavor that I adore.
Even Meghan, who doesn’t like tahini, raved about these bars, so don’t worry too much about the tahini flavor. If you prefer, you can use a store-bought caramel sauce in place of the tahini+maple syrup. (vegan or regular)
In place of the butter and heavy cream, I used coconut oil and canned coconut milk. I didn’t detect any coconut flavor in the end result. I did use refined coconut oil, which is better for baking above 300 degrees and has less coconut flavor.
Usually carmelitas are made with all-purpose flour and oats. For my first trial I tried to use almond flour. The almond flour didn’t absorb enough of the liquid, so the texture wasn’t right. The bottom layer became hard, almost like toffee. Next I tried oat flour (I just blended up some oats) and that worked perfectly. To ensure these are gluten-free, make sure to get certified gluten-free oats.
After I took about a bazillion pictures of the bars, I realized there was no way we’d be eating them at that size. They are way too rich and sweet. I took the 9 bars and cut them into fourths. Much better. I left a few out for use to eat and then put the rest in the freezer so they can be a part of my Christmas dessert tray.
While these aren’t light in terms of calories, if you are going to splurge with a dessert, this is a great way to do it. They are made with no refined flour or refined sugar. And, of course, they are vegan, which means you have a dairy-free dessert as well as gluten-free. If you have friends or family who need an allergy-friendly dessert, this is a great pick!
Vegan and Gluten-Free Carmelitas
- Total Time: 53 minutes
- Yield: 12 bars 1x
Description
This is an allergy-friendly dessert that everyone will LOVE.
Ingredients
3/4 cup coconut oil, melted
3/4 cup Sucunat, coconut sugar, or brown sugar
2 cups old-fashioned oats, divided
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup tahini
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup canned full-fat coconut milk
pinch of salt
1 cup chocolate chunks (I use the Enjoy Life brand)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8X8 or 9X9 inch pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking oil. (I did not try parchment paper, but I highly recommend you line your pan)
Melt your coconut oil in a medium glass bowl (the microwave may be used).
Add the Sucunat and whisk to combine well.
In a blender or food processor, blend 1 cup of the oats until they are a fine powder.
Add the oat flour and the remaining 1 cup rolled oats to the bowl with the oil and sugar. Also add the vanilla, salt, baking soda, and baking powder and mix well.
Press half of the oat mixture into your prepared baking pan. Bake for 10 minutes.
While the first layer is baking, mix together your caramel layer. Whisk together the tahini, maple syrup, the coconut milk, and salt.
After 10 minutes, pull the pan out of the oven. Add the chocolate chunks in an even layer.
Next, slowly pour the caramel sauce over the chocolate chunks, ensuring it evenly covers the pan. Finally, top this with the remaining oat mixture.
Return the pan to the oven and bake until the edges are lightly browned and the center is bubbling slightly, approximately 18 minutes.
These need to set before they can be sliced. At a minimum, let them set in the fridge for 2-4 hours. For best results, let them set overnight before cutting (in the fridge or at room temperature). If you try to cut these early, they will not hold into bars and you’ll have a mess. A tasty mess, but definitely a mess! 😉 Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 38 minutes
- Category: Snacks
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 369
- Sugar: 30.8g
- Sodium: 82.6mg
- Fat: 21.4g
- Carbohydrates: 43.8g
- Protein: 3.2g
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Should the coconut milk be refrigerated for the caramel layer, or just room temp?
Thanks
Room temperature. 🙂 Enjoy these!
Thank you. I made these, for Christmas Eve and they were a huge hit. Will definitely be making it again!!
Yay! So glad to hear that! We enjoyed these for Christmas also. 🙂
So good!! I couldn’t wait and had done before they had set, now have them in the freezer to firm up. Tastes SO GOOD!
So glad to hear that Martha! These are definitely a favorite of mine. 🙂
If I use vegan butter instead of the coconut oil, do I still use 3/4 cup?
Yes I would keep the amount the same.
Hi, greetings from Slovakia, Europe. I like this recipe and would love to try it. But first I need to know what sweetener do your chocolate chunks contain. You write this recipe is made with no refined sugar so I want to be sure about it. Thanks.
Hi there! I use the Enjoy Life brand. I mention that in the recipe also. 🙂
Meant to give you 5 stars…here they are 🙂
Made these last night and let them set up in the fridge overnight. SO GOOD! I was nervous the tahini would be too strong when I tasted the caramel before baking. But nope! Delicious! Thanks for the recipe, found it just in time for Christmas!
Thanks so much Renée!
Hi and many thanks for this… can’t wait to try these now! I was just wondering what sort of shelf life these have and is the storage ambient or chilled?
Greetings from Ireland..
Cheers
Chris
I am seriously drooling over these! They look absolutely amazing and I love that you made these classics vegan and gluten free!!
Thanks Laura! These really are as good as they look. 🙂
I saw that you mentioned freezing them. So you bake them & then freeze them, & then what? This recipe looks incredible!
You can then take them out of the freezer one at a time to eat them. 🙂 You can defrost it in the microwave or let it defrost in the fridge overnight. I will to warm them up a bit before eating them, also. Enjoy!
I would love to try these using dates instead of sugar? What do you think? These are so inspiring and absolutely dangerous at the same time:)
Love your pics…a little too much! Thank you so much for sharing these
The texture wouldn’t be the same and they would be less sweet, but I think dates could work in place of the sugar. I’m intrigued! Please let me know if you try it. 🙂
Oh thank you. Simce going gluten free casein free 7 months ago due to a celiac diagnosis, one yhing ihave missed more than most anything… Carmel. I cant wait to try this.
I hope you love these! They are dangerous…but one of my favorites. 🙂
This is a fabulous recipe! I can’t wait to make them for my family!
Thanks Jeni! These were a huge hit with everyone who tried them at my house on Christmas Eve. 🙂
Thanks for offering up a vegan and GF dessert for those of us with food sensitivities!! These look like they could be seriously addicting. 🙂
You’re welcome, Laura! These are definitely addicting. But also very, very sweet so it’s hard to eat too much at once. I guess I’m not used to super sweet desserts! 😉
Oh my goodness these look delicious!! And love that they are both vegan and gluten-free. Yum!
Thanks, Erin!
wow! Those look fantastic. Well done with this great treat.
Thank you so much!
You had me at vegan! I’m nursing my son who can’t digest dairy, so I am thrilled that this is dairy-free, tastes like caramel, and has chocolate. You are spectacular!
Oh I feel you! I wish I had created these when Luke had so many protein sensitivities that I couldn’t eat dairy or wheat. It was so hard to find sweet treats to satisfy my sweet tooth! I hope you enjoy these. 🙂
OMG these sound amazing!
They really are! 🙂
yum putting this in my recipe box!
I hope you love it!
They look so good! Do you think maybe almond butter could work in place of the tahini? My son has a sesame allergy, so tahini is out for us.
Oooh I actually think that would be awesome. It definitely wouldn’t taste as much like caramel, but still good! Let me know if you give it a try. 🙂
Oh wow, these look SO good!! I am going to have to pick up some tahini. Tahini and maple syrup…so much better than store-bought Carmel sauce!! Excited to try these out!
I am in love with the tahini+maple syrup combo!!
I’m ilergic to tahini, can I use more coconut oil? Thanks
I don’t think you’d get the same result using coconut oil instead of tahini. Coconut butter may work if you have that. Another option could be peanut butter or almond butter. The taste will be different, but it will probably still taste good! Please let me know if you try a substitution and how it works!