The Best Dairy-Free Brownies with Caramel

These dairy-free brownies with caramel are going to become your new favourite dessert. These delicious brownies are so easy to make, are rich and chocolatey and are also gluten-free. This is the perfect healthy treat to serve for any occasion!

Table of Contents

• Why you will love this recipe:
• Ingredients and substitutions:
• How to make (step-by-step):
• Top tips:
• Variations and add ins:
• How to serve:
• How to store:
• Frequently asked questions:
• Other desserts you will love:
• Recipe

Why you will love this recipe:

• These healthy brownies taste so good! They are so rich and chocolatey, moist in the middle, and topped with an amazing caramel sauce which helps turn them into such delicious, gooey brownies.
• This gluten-free dairy-free brownie recipe is surprisingly easy to make!
• Besides being dairy-free and gluten-free these brownies are also refined sugar free, paleo, and lower in sugar compared to most brownie recipes. 
• These brownies store really well and also freeze really well so they are a great meal prep option.
• These dark chocolate brownies are easy enough to make anytime, but decadent enough to serve to guests on special occasions.

If you love chocolate treats you will also love chocolate mug cake, chocolate coffee banana bread, and chocolate avocado muffins!

Ingredients and substitutions:

• Almond flour - one of my favourite grain free and gluten-free flours to bake with. It gives these paleo brownies the perfect texture and flavour. Be sure to use almond flour and not almond meal which is too coarse. You could also swap this for cashew flour.
• Coconut flour - to add a subtle sweetness and the perfect texture to this brownie recipe. I don't recommend swapping this for any other flour. 
• Cocoa powder - to give these brownies that rich chocolate flavour. You can use either organic cocoa powder or regular cocoa powder to make these brownies. You can also use cacao powder instead of cocoa powder if you prefer.
• Cashew butter - to give these brownies the perfect fudgy texture without any butter. 
• Coconut oil - instead of butter, melted coconut oil gives these brownies added moisture and helps them get that perfect brownie texture when they bake. 
• Eggs - to add moisture and help these brownies rise when they bake. I have not tried making these into egg-free or vegan brownies by using a flax egg or chia egg. I do not think they would turn out as good without the eggs. 
• Baking soda - to help these brownies rise when they bake. Do not try swapping this for baking powder.
• Sea salt - chocolate and sea salt are such a delicious combination!
• Chocolate chips - to add more chocolate flavour and sweetness to the brownie mix. Be sure to choose dairy free chocolate chips to ensure these brownies stay dairy free. 
• Coconut milk - this is used to make the creamy, sweet caramel sauce. I recommend using full fat coconut milk for this recipe rather than light coconut milk as light coconut milk will be too watery.
• Dates - dates are used to naturally sweeten the caramel sauce for these brownies. 
• Honey - you can use either honey or maple syrup to help sweeten the caramel sauce while keeping it refined sugar free.
• Vanilla extract - a little bit is all you need to help enhance the delicious rich chocolate flavour of these fudgy brownies.

How to make (step-by-step):

Step one:

First, pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step two:

Then add all of the ingredients (except for the chocolate chips) to the bowl of your standing mixer and blend the ingredients well until you have a smooth brownie batter.

Step three:

Next stir in the chocolate chips by hand.

Step four:

Then grease an 8 inch by 8 inch baking pan or baking dish, or line it with parchment paper.

Step five:

Now transfer the brownie batter to the prepared pan and spread it out evenly. I find that wetting the spoon really helps spread the dough evenly as it is quite thick and sticky (which is why they turn out so good).

Step six:

Then bake the brownies for 17-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted inside comes out clean.

Step seven:

While the brownies are baking you can make the caramel sauce. To make the caramel sauce, put all of the ingredients into your Vitamix or other high speed blender and then blend the ingredients until they are smooth.

Step eight:

Once the brownies are done baking, allow them to cool for about 10 minutes and then drizzle them with the caramel sauce. Let them cool for a bit longer and they are ready for you to enjoy!

Top tips:

• To keep these brownies dairy free, make sure the chocolate chips you buy are dairy free. 
• To keep these brownies refined sugar free, use chocolate chips sweetened with coconut sugar.
• Do not try to make these into egg free brownies. They do not turn out. 
• Do not omit the chocolate chips from this recipe. They are what sweeten these brownies. 
• I prefer to use a glass pan rather than a metal pan to make these brownies.
• For best results let the brownies cool completely before eating them.
• Do not over-bake or over-mix these brownies - if you do they will turn into cakey brownies rather than fudgy brownies and they won't have those perfect chewy edges that make brownies so good.

Variations and add ins:

• Instead of the caramel sauce you could use a dairy free chocolate icing instead. 
• Feel free to add a few extra chocolate chips to the tops of these brownies before baking them to make them even sweeter.

How to serve:

These chewy brownies are delicious served as is but you could also top them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or pair them with a glass of cold milk. You can eat these brownies either warm or cold.

How to store:

Store these brownies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days. 

These brownies also freeze really well in a freezer safe bag or container for up to 3 months. I recommend freezing them without the caramel sauce and then adding that once they are thawed and you are ready to eat them.

Frequently asked questions:

Other desserts you will love:

• Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
• Chocolate Orange Fudge
• Gluten Free Turtle Bars
• Paleo Carrot Cake Donuts
• Chocolate Avocado Mousse
• Paleo Chocolate Raspberry Cups
• Edible Cookie Dough

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