Soft and chewy caramel chocolate bars with a creamy vegan caramel center … must I say any more? Just imagine, a classic crumble but with a chocolate and caramel twist!
The crumble itself is soft and chewy with oats + walnuts while the vegan caramel is sweet and luscious. These bars are melt-in-your-mouth delicious and healthy too. Made with better-for-you-ingredients to enjoy all day long. Snack, dessert, and anything in between, these gluten free + vegan crumble bars will become your new go-to.
For more crumble action, check out my Caramel Apple Pie Bars. A crumbly base is layered with sweet cinnamon apples covered in a decadent vegan caramel and topped with streusel for the ultimate layered effect. Festive for this time of year too!
Ingredients in Caramel Chocolate Bar
Raw Walnuts – I use raw walnuts with no added oil or salt. These add a nice crunchy addition to the crumble base.
Oat Flour – I like to buy at the store (find it next to the other gluten free flours!), but you can also make your own by blending whole oats until a fine flour forms. Make sure to measure *after* you blend as the volume will change!
Vegan Butter – My favorite vegan butter brand is Earth Balance or Miyoko’s. The texture and flavor of these butters make for a perfect plant based swap. The ‘butter’ gives the crumbly mixture to this caramel chocolate bar recipe.
Maple Syrup & Coconut Sugar – Refined sugar free sweeteners that add a nice ‘caramel’ esc flavor to these bars.
Dark Chocolate – My all time favorite is Theo Chocolate and their 70% dark chocolate bar is perfect for this dessert. Adds rich chocolate flavor without being too sweet.
Cocoa Powder – Make sure it’s unsweetened and if needed, substitute with cacao powder.
How to Make Caramel Chocolate Crumble Bars
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line a 8”x8” pan with parchment paper.
- Add all ingredients for the crust / crumble topping to a food processor and pulse for 30 seconds, or until only small pieces of walnuts remain and the mixture sticks together easily between your fingers.
- Set aside ⅓ of the mixture. Press the remaining ⅔ of the dough into the parchment lined 8”x8” pan in an even layer. Move to the oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until edges have started to brown.
- While the crust is baking, make the vegan caramel then set it aside to cool and thicken.
- Once the crust is done baking, add the caramel on top and spread in an even layer.
- Top with remaining ⅓ of the crumble, pressing down lightly with fingers to help stick to the caramel, followed by the remaining half of the chopped chocolate bar.
- Move to the oven and bake at 350F for 20 minutes or until chocolate has started to melt and the caramel on the edges is bubbling. Let come to room temperature before moving to the fridge to cool completely for 3 – 4 hours before cutting into slices. Enjoy!
Vegan Caramel Recipe
The true star of the show, this vegan caramel recipe is as easy as it is delicious. All you’ll need is coconut cream, maple syrup, coconut sugar, vanilla extract, and salt. For the coconut cream, you’re just using the thick white ‘cream’ layer that forms on top of the coconut milk. I recommend Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods brand coconut milk for the thickest consistency!
Then it’s as simple as adding all ingredients to a small saucepan and bringing it to a boil. Once boiling, turn heat down to low / medium low and simmer for 15-20 minutes, whisking frequently to ensure the caramel doesn’t burn.
You’ll know that it’s done when the caramel is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Set the caramel aside while the crumble bakes then you can layer it and finish baking!
Is Coconut Cream the Same as Coconut Milk?
Think of coconut cream and coconut milk like regular dairy milk compared to heavy cream. They’re both from the same source but differ in fat content and consistency. Coconut cream and milk are both coconut + water, just with different ratios of water.
Because of this, coconut cream is preferred for recipes like this vegan caramel since it’s creamier and thicker. All you need to do is scoop it from the top of a can of coconut milk and you’re set to go! Then to use the leftover coconut milk, add it to smoothies, curries, savory sauces, or use it as you would any other plant based milk.
How to Store Caramel Chocolate Crumble Bars
These soft and gooey chocolate crumbles bars won’t last long … trust me. But when it comes to storing the few leftovers, I suggest separating each layer with parchment paper and storing in an airtight container.
The texture will stay more soft/gooey at room temperature for up to 4 days and more fudgy in the fridge for up to a week. These chocolate rumble bars also freeze very well. Highly recommend stashing a few in the freezer for those emergency dessert cravings!
And if you’re looking for another caramel + chocolate creation, check out these Walnut Fudge Caramel Bars. A walnut shortbread crust is layered with decadent chocolate and walnut fudge + vegan caramel. Three layers of pure deliciousness!
If you try this recipe, please let me know by leaving a comment and rating in the boxes below! I always love to hear from you, and it also helps other people find this recipe when they search online for the BEST Caramel Chocolate Crumble Bars 🙂
Ingredients
Crust & Crumble
- 1 ¾ cup raw walnuts
- 1 cup oat flour
- ⅓ cup vegan butter cubed
- ¼ tbsp maple syrup
- ¼ cup coconut sugar
- ½ 3oz bar 70% dark chocolate (I used Theo Chocolate)
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
Vegan Caramel
- ¾ cup coconut cream*
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup coconut sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
Chocolate Topping
- ½ 3oz bar 70% dark chocolate (I used Theo Chocolate)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line a 8”x8” pan with parchment paper.
- Add all ingredients for the crust / crumble topping to a food processor and pulse for 30 seconds, or until only small pieces of walnuts remain and the mixture sticks together easily between your fingers.
- Set aside ⅓ of the mixture. Press the remaining ⅔ of the dough into the parchment lined 8”x8” pan in an even layer. Move to the oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until the edges have started to brown.
- While the crust is baking, start on your caramel. Add all ingredients to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn heat down to low / medium low and simmer for 15-20 minutes, whisking frequently to ensure caramel doesn’t burn. Once ready, the vegan caramel should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Add caramel on top of the baked crust in the 8”x8” pan and spread in an even layer.
- Top with remaining ⅓ of the crumble, pressing down lightly with fingers to help stick to the caramel, followed by the remaining half of the chopped chocolate bar.
- Move to the oven and bake at 350F for 20 minutes or until chocolate has started to melt and the caramel on the edges is bubbling. Bring to room temperature before moving to the fridge to cool completely for 3 – 4 hours before cutting into slices. Enjoy!
Notes
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does the caramel taste like coconut?
No, I don’t think it does! – Casey