Food Healthy Eating Plans Eating Vegan

These Vegan ‘Caramel Delight’ Cookies Are the Perfect Low-GI Dessert

Allie Flinn

December 23, 2020

Consider this your guide to healthier baking. With nutrient-rich ingredients and food sensitivities in mind, our step-by-step videos teach you how to revamp some of your favorite baked goods—without skimping on flavor. See All

Yep, you heard that right: vegan caramel. Get the recipe for these vegan and gluten-free caramel, chocolate, and coconut cookies.

IDK about you, but I am feeling nostalgic this year for holiday cookie exchanges. Admittedly, I've never participated in one, but given that Alt-Baking Bootcamp has taught me how to make gluten-free snickerdoodles, gingersnaps, and now vegan "caramel delight" cookies, I'm certain that I would have... sleighed my first cookie swap. (Sorry.)

Experts In This Article

Sashah Handal, Barry’s Bootcamp instructor certified in personal training, HIIT, indoor cycling, and TRX

On this episode of Alt-Baking Bootcamp, baker and fitness instructor Sashah Handal teaches us how to make those aforementioned vegan caramel cookies. As most caramel contains butter and cream, it is hard to come by vegan caramel so this is particularly exciting. (The cookies also happen to be gluten-free.)

To keep things vegan and gluten-free, Handel uses almond and coconut flours. "The coconut flour is just a little bit more fine, whereas the almond meal is a little bit grainy. I like the combination of the two to really help hold the cookie together," Handal says. (They also have a lower glycemic index than refined flour, which helps keep blood sugar levels more stable.) The base of the cookies uses just three other ingredients: dates, coconut oil, and toasted coconut.

Once the cookies are baked, the cookies get dipped in melted dark chocolate and put in the freezer to set. Then it's time for the moment we've all been waiting for: vegan caramel. It turns out that whipping up a vegan caramel in your kitchen is surprisingly easy—like, "throw four ingredients into a food processor and let it do its thing" easy. The vegan caramel is layered on top of the cookies with more toasted coconut and a drizzle of dark chocolate.

"The texture is really distinct," Handal says. "You can tell that you're biting through three different things." Aaand now I'm drooling. Get the full recipe by watching the video.

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