These easy vegan blondies are an amazing vegan dessert. They have the sweet and tangy flavor of dried cranberries and a chewy center with a nut crunch. They are the perfect afternoon snack or dessert.
Blondies or brownies? We love both! But in this case, my kids like this vegan blondie recipe more than regular brownies. I think it's the Craisins that do it.
Dried cranberries are a great ingredient in baking. Unlike raisins which are just sweet, cranberries have a tart flavor that helps balance out sweet desserts.
If you are looking for more recipes to use dried cranberries in, try out my cranberry cookies and Grape Nuts Muffins.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Amazing texture: These blondies are chewy but also have a nut crunch.
- Tangy: Sometimes blondies can be too sweet. The tangy cranberries balance out the sweetness in this dessert.
- Festive: These vegan blondies are perfect to make any time of year. But with the cranberries, they can be a great dessert for the holidays.
If you are looking for holiday desserts, try out my candy cane sugar cookies, Oreo truffles and chocolate peppermint cookies.
Ingredient Notes
- Applesauce - I recommend using unsweetened. There's plenty of sweetness from the brown sugar and cranberries.
- Vegan butter - My favorite brand to use is Earth Balance.
- All purpose flour - While I like baking with whole wheat flour, I don't recommend using it in this recipe.
- Sweetened dried cranberries - I prefer using sweetened dried cranberries over fresh cranberries so there's not too much moisture and they don't come out too tart. I use Craisins but any brand is fine.
Please see the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and amounts needed.
Variations
- Instead of dried cranberries, you can add raisins, dates or other dried fruit.
- Switch out the pecans for walnuts or peanuts.
- Add some dairy free chocolate chips or white chocolate chips.
- Add some shredded coconut.
How To Make Vegan Cranberry Blondies
Step 1: To begin, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Next, prepare the 8x8 pan. For best results, use two pieces of parchment paper and place them like a "t" in the pan for easy removal. You do not need to use any cooking spray on the parchment paper.
Step 2: In a stand mixer or a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream the vegan butter, brown sugar and vanilla extract at medium speed until creamy.
Step 3: Add the unsweetened applesauce and mix well.
Step 4: Next, mix the dry ingredients into the sugar butter mixture at low speed until combined. If the mixture is too crumbly, add one to two tablespoons of water.
Step 5: Add in the chopped nuts and dried cranberries and fold in with a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon. Do not over mix!
Step 6: Use the rubber spatula to scrape the batter into the prepared pan. It might be a little sticky but that's ok.
Step 7: Bake in the oven for 30-32 minutes. The edges should be golden brown.
Step 8: Remove from the oven and let cool. Let the baked blondies sit for 25 minutes before cutting into 16 bars.
Expert Tips
- Use dried cranberries instead of fresh cranberries. Fresh cranberries are too tart and also have too much moisture.
- Make sure you let the bakes blondies sit before cutting them. They will be very soft when first out of the oven and need to firm up.
Storage Tips
Room Temperature
You can store these sweet treats in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Freezer
Once cool, wrap the bars with freezer paper or parchment paper before placing in a freezer safe bag or container. These vegan blondies can be frozen up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge when you're ready to use.
Vegan Blondie Recipe FAQ
Simply leave it out at room temperature for 15-20 minutes. If you need it softened faster, you can microwave it for about 15 seconds.
It's the cocoa powder! Blondies have a similar texture as brownies but without the chocolate base. Both brownies and blondies are very versatile and you can add all different mix-ins.
More Easy Vegan Dessert Recipes
If you tried this Easy Vegan Blondies With Cranberries Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Recipe
Easy Vegan Blondies with Cranberries and Nuts
Equipment
- 8" x 8" baking dish
Ingredients
- 7 tablespoon vegan butter, slightly softened
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup chopped pecans or walnuts
- ⅓ cup sweetened dried cranberries (Craisins)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Prepare an 8" x 8" baking pan by lining it with parchment paper.
- Beat the vegan butter, brown sugar and vanilla extract until creamy.
- Add the unsweetened applesauce and mix well.
- Add the flour, baking powder and salt and mix until combined.
- Fold in the chopped nuts and dried cranberries with a spatula.
- Use the spatula to add scoop the batter into the prepared pan. The batter might be a little sticky.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30-32 minutes.
- Let sit for 25 minutes before cutting and enjoying.
Notes
- I recommend using Earth Balance butter sticks if you can find them. They are easy to measure!
- Customize these blondies by changing up the dried fruit.
- Store blondies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-5 days.
Jen says
These are almost gooey on the inside which we loved. My kids like these blondies better than brownies!