Vegan Cookie Butter Bars

AND WE'RE BACK!!! (Yes, that is a Wayne's World reference!)

So the past few weeks have been pretty hectic. Between packing, moving, unpacking, and working, I have had little time to make interesting recipes! I have still been cooking, but I haven't been experimenting quite as much as I would like to be. That is, until this past week!

I've been in Oregon over the past week visiting my parents and that always means tons of baking! Between brownies, cinnamon rolls, and cheesecake, there have been plenty of desserts to go around. However, none of these were vegan-friendly! So what delicious vegan treat was made today? Cookie Butter Bars! Not very pretty, but they're pretty delicious! ;)

 

Seriously...is there anything more delicious than cookie butter?

This recipe is perfect for the holidays! The spices of the Speculoos cookies add warmth to this recipe and compliments the dark chocolate very well. Make these bars for a potluck or bring them to a party and I guarantee you'll receive some compliments!


Vegan Cookie Butter Bars
Slightly adapted from Connoisseurus Veg
Makes 32 bars

Ingredients:

•  2 tbsp flax meal
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp unsweetened almond milk
• 10 tbsp Earth Balance
• 1 cup speculoos cookie butter
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup white whole wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 12 oz bag vegan dark chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9x13" pan.
2. In a small bowl, stir together flax meal and almond milk. Set aside until thickened.
3. Using a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt margarine and cookie butter. Stir until thoroughly combined. Remove from heat and stir in flax mixture, vanilla, and brown sugar.
4. In a large bowl, stir together flours, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Add cookie butter mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until thoroughly combined. Mix in chocolate chips.
5. Spread mixture evenly in pan. Bake for 25-28 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Splurge on these decadent treats and ENJOY every bite!!!