These vegan blondies are a moist and delightful caramel dessert bar! Mix up a batch in about 10 minutes and cook/cool in less than an hour. These healthy dessert bars are perfect to pack for kids lunches, eat for a healthier afternoon sweet snack or enjoy as an after dinner dessert.
Place 2 tablespoons flax in a small bowl and add ⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon water. Mix together and let sit for five minutes.
Combine the oil, applesauce and both sugars in a bowl. Mix together with a wooden spoon.
Combine the flours, baking powder and salt in a bowl and stir together with a whisk to combine and set aside.
Add the flax eggs and vanilla to the sugar mixture and mix well.
Stir in half the flour mixture until combined and then repeat with the remaining flour.
Stir in the cranberries and pecans just to mix.
Transfer the blondie batter to a 9 x 13 baking dish coated with oil or baking spray, spreading the batter out evenly.
Bake at 350° F for 25-30 minutes or until the blondies look set on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Allow to cool in the pan on a cookie rack for at least 15 minutes before cutting and removing from the pan.
Notes
Expert Tips for Making The Best Vegan Blondies:Blondies. Having a hot oven ensures proper cooking time and best results for the cooking process.Let the blondies rest when they come out the oven. I know you may be anxious to taste them, but they tend to be crumbly when still hot and need a short amount of time to firm up a bit more.Don’t change up the sugars. The combination of sugars influences the flavor and texture of the blondies. The panela or dark brown sugar adds more caramel flavor than regular old sugar however if you use 100% dark brown sugar the blondies will have too much moisture.Mix together the blondies in the order of the recipe to prevent over mixing of the blondie batter. The more they are mixed, the more air is mixed into the batter which leads to a cakier blondie texture when baked.Cook your pan of blondies on a rack situated in the middle of the oven. This ensures even cooking from the top and bottom and prevents a burned bottom.