Vegan Gingerbread Blondies
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A baker is defined by their best brownie recipe, and let me introduce you to mine.
These are my 'accidental' gingerbread blondies. I say 'accidental' because these were meant to be filled with soft gooey caramel, but you can read about that very dramatic mishap over here. After this point, I think I came to my own understanding that sometimes things go wrong, no matter how much we plan or approach a situation. I love baking and experimenting in the kitchen, and it’s gone from a hobby to something I would love to take a little more seriously in the future, but every time a cupcake doesn’t rise, or my caramel burns, I used to take it to heart. But I'm sure certain even the greatest baker has things go wrong.
I guess this really sums me up as a creative, even though these blondies weren’t the ones I had originally planned, they have become one of my favourite bakes; and here's why.
I have taken my original blondie recipe and given it a festive makeover. Firstly, I've swapped out the caster sugar for a combination of light and dark brown sugar which will give the blondie that rich and caramelly taste, as well as that slightly chewy texture we all love. For even more flavour, I've added ground ginger and cinnamon, which is what we'd expect and what allows me to call them gingerbread blondies. It's a lovely spicy kick amongst all that sweetness. Being inspired by a traditional gingerbread recipe, I've had to include treacle. This is optional, but it definitely adds more of that rich gingerbread flavour. Quick question, has anybody ever poured treacle out of its tin and not got it everywhere? It's sort of like toothpaste, once you get it out of its container, there is no way it is going back in. I've tried using a spoon and pouring it straight from the tin, but both lead to very sticky fingers and a brown trickle from the table to the sink. Oops!
Like all these beautiful new flavours weren't enough, there is one more thing we need. Pecans. Even though you don't find pecans in gingerbread, they're exactly what you need in these blondies. You all should know by Blogmas bake 7 that I love incorporating different textures in my recipes, so with all that soft gooeyness going on, we could do with a little crunch. You can use walnuts, or any other nut, or no nuts at all if that's what you prefer.
So, I kinda lied when I said we only needed one more thing, as these blondies are topped with the creamiest of cheese frostings. Adding soft cheese to a frosting sounds absolutely crazy until you try it, and then you start wondering why it's taken you so long to treat your taste buds with such flavours. Last but not least, we have our decorations which of course, are star sprinkles from Baking Time Club, glitter, and gingerbread men.
This is my favourite blondie recipe ever! A soft and actual melt-in-the-mouth texture with rich and intense spices from the cinnamon, ginger and treacle, a little crunch from the pecans, and all that sweet cream cheese frosting. I really think I do need an endless supply of these blondies.
GINGERBREAD BLONDIE TRAYBAKE
This recipe makes 16 generous pieces.- 200g dairy-free white chocolate
- 60ml / 4 tbsp dairy-free butter
- 188g / 1 1/2 cup self-raising flour
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 100g / 1/2 cup sugar (I used half dark brown sugar + light brown sugar)
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 260ml / 1 cup dairy-free milk + 1 tbsp cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp dark treacle
- 70g chopped pecans CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- 25g / 2 tbsp dairy-free butter
- 63g / 1/3 cup dairy-free cream cheese
- 200g / 1 1/2 cups icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Mini gingerbread men (optional)
- Sprinkles and glitter (optional)
INGREDIENTS
BLONDIE- Pre-heat the oven to 180°C / 160°C(fan) / 350°F / gas mark 5. Line a baking tin with parchments paper. I used a 20cm by 20cm tin.
- Melt 150g of the white chocolate and the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat. Alternatively, place the chocolate in a bowl and microwave in 20-second blasts, stirring well each time. Leave the melted mixture to cool at room temperature.
- Sift the self-raising flour, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, and sugar into a bowl. Add a pinch of salt.
- Add the vanilla, treacle, and dairy-free milk into the dry ingredients, along with the melted chocolate and mix well.
- Add the pecans and chop the remaining chocolate, and fold them into the mixture.
- Pour the blondie mixture into your lined tin, and bake for 25-30 minutes. It should feel soft, but your knife should come out clean when tested. Leave the blondies to cool, while you prepare your frosting.
- Using an electronic whisk, whisk together the dairy-free butter and cream cheese until they're soft and light. Add the vanilla extract and mix.
- Add in 1 cup of icing sugar at a time until fully combined. Add a little milk if needed. Use an angled spatula and spread it across your blondies. Finish with sprinkles, glitter, and gingerbread men.
INSTRUCTIONS
Let me know in the comments below what is your favourite blondie/brownie flavours, and if you decide to make this recipe or any of my others, please let me know. You can see all my recipes on my advent calendar.
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