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Home » Recipes » Dairy Free

Dirty Chai Blondies

By Erin · June 12, 2021 · Updated September 26, 2021 · 16 Comments

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dessert bars on parchment paper with text overlay

These Dirty Chai Blondies are vegan-friendly and made with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and drizzled with a quick espresso glaze for the ultimate dessert recipe.

blondies on parchment paper with a caramel-colored drizzle over top

These chai blondies are one of my favorite dessert recipes -- seriously!

I like them because they're soft and chewy (almost like my coconut cookies), filled with warm spices like cinnamon and ginger and suitable for anyone following a vegan diet.

Plus, as much as I love brownies (looking at you, sweet potato brownies and paleo brownies), these blondies are a delicious chocolate-free recipe!

ingredients to make blondies with text overlay

Ingredients:

All purpose flour: Can sub gluten free 1:1 all purpose flour to keep these gluten free; I have NOT tested them with any other types of flour.

Sugar: A combination of cane/granulated sugar and brown sugar is the way to go!

Flax eggs: A flax egg (1 tablespoon flaxseed meal + 2.5 tablespoon water) is the way to go if you want to keep these vegan-friendly. Not vegan? A regular egg will work, too.

Butter: To keep these vegan, be sure to use dairy-free butter, preferably unsalted. If you're using salted butter, reduce the amount of salt in the recipe to ¼ tsp.

Spices: A combination of cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg creates the chai-flavoring, so don't omit!

Espresso powder: I like using espresso powder better than instant coffee; if you can't find any, you can omit and just keep these as "chai blondies" instead of dirty chai blondies.

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Cream butter and sugar. Add the softened butter to a large bowl, along with the cane sugar and brown sugar and mix on low for 1 minute until mixture is smooth. Then, add the flax egg and vanilla and stir for 30 more seconds.

Step 2: Add dry ingredients. To that same bowl, add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt and whisk until mixture comes together.

dessert batter in a large glass bowl

Step 3: Bake the bars. Grease an 8x8 baking dish with coconut oil or nonstick spray, then scoop the batter into the pan and use a rubber spatula or your hands to press the batter down. Bake the bars for 16-18 minutes until the edges are set and a toothpick comes out clean.

baked blondies in an 8x8 baking dish

Step 4: Add the glaze. The glaze is very simple: powdered sugar, espresso powder and milk. Simply whisk them together then drizzle the glaze overtop of the bars.

bars on parchment paper with a caramel-colored drizzle of icing on top

Tips and tricks

-Make sure the butter is softened before creaming it. To do so, either take it out of the refrigerator 1 hour before baking, or microwave it for 12-15 seconds. You should be able to easily press your finger into it, but it should NOT melted.

-Let the bars cool in the baking pan on top of a cooling rack.

-Wait until the bars have cooled to room temperature before adding the glaze; the glaze will solidify as it sits.

Help! I can't find espresso powder

Many grocery stores sell espresso powder either with the coffee or in the baking aisle. But, if you can't find any, instant coffee will work. Or, you can omit it and just use a simple glaze made with milk + powdered sugar instead.

Do I have to make these vegan?

Nope! You can use 1 regular egg in place of the flax egg, and regular unsalted butter instead of vegan butter if you prefer.

Storage

  • Room temperature: Keep the blondies in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
  • Refrigerator: If you want these to last a little longer, store them in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
  • Freezer: The final storage option is to keep the bars in a sealed bag in the freezer for 3 months.
a blondie bar with a bite taken out of it

More vegan dessert recipes

  • Vegan Chocolate Chip Scones
  • Chocolate Avocado Cookies
  • Vegan Carrot Cake

If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!

blondies on parchment paper with a caramel-colored drizzle over top

Dirty Chai Blondies

These Dirty Chai Blondies are vegan-friendly and made with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and drizzled with a quick espresso glaze for the ultimate dessert recipe.
5 from 5 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 18 minutes
Total Time: 33 minutes
Servings: 16 blondies
Author: Erin

Ingredients

for the blondies:

  • ½ cup unsalted butter dairy free
  • â…“ cup cane sugar
  • â…“ cup brown sugar
  • 1 flax egg (1 tablespoon flaxseed meal + 2.5 tablespoon water)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 ¼ cup all purpose flour
  • ¾ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
  • â…› teaspoon nutmeg

for the glaze:

  • 1 tablespoon espresso powder or instant coffee
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoon dairy free milk

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°. Grease an 8x8 baking dish or line it with parchment paper then set aside.
  • Cream butter, cane sugar and brown sugar together for 1 minute; then, add the flax egg and vanilla and stir to combine.
  • To that same bowl, add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt and stir until the batter comes together (be patient, this might take a minute).
  • Scoop the batter into the baking pan and use a rubber spatula or your hands to press it into the baking pan. Bake the blondies for 16-18 minutes, or until the edges have set and a toothpick comes out clean. Immediately transfer the baking pan to a cooling rack and allow the bars to cool in the pan completely.
  • Once the blondies have cooled to room temperature, add the glaze. Whisk all glaze ingredients together, then use a spoon to drizzle it over top. Enjoy!

Notes

*Calories are per blondie and are an estimation 
*If you can't find espresso powder, try using instant coffee instead, or a pinch of cinnamon

Nutrition

Calories: 155kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 164mg | Potassium: 38mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 185IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 1mg
Did you Make this Recipe? Tag me Today!Leave a comment below and tag @thealmondeater on Instagram!

UPDATE NOTE: This post was originally published in November 2018. It was updated with new text and photos in June 2021.

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About Erin

Erin is the recipe developer, writer and photographer behind the healthy food blog, The Almond Eater. She's been blogging since 2014 and loves to create food for many different diets, including vegan, gluten free and/or Whole30 recipes.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kim says

    November 21, 2022 at 1:52 pm

    This is one of my favorite recipes! Coming back to it since I always lose my print out, and I don’t remember the previous version specifying unsalted butter? I already have [salted] Earth Balance bars, should I decrease the amount of salt if I use those?

    Reply
    • Erin says

      November 21, 2022 at 5:18 pm

      Yes exactly! If you're using salted butter, reduce the amount of actual salt in the recipe 🙂

      Reply
  2. Ashley says

    September 18, 2022 at 11:01 am

    Can I substitute coconut oil for the butter?

    Reply
    • Erin says

      September 18, 2022 at 6:09 pm

      Yes!

      Reply
  3. Jackie says

    November 30, 2021 at 11:59 am

    5 stars
    I was worried these were still underbaked when I pulled them out after 20 minutes, but they turned out great! I served them to friends and they couldn't get enough 🙂

    Reply
    • Erin says

      November 30, 2021 at 5:34 pm

      Thanks for the positive review, Jackie! 🙂

      Reply
  4. Maddie says

    May 20, 2021 at 3:21 pm

    5 stars
    I made the golden brownies with gluten free flour and ate both with and without the expresso glaze golden brownie. The glaze makes the brownie incredible. I love these. I will be making them again. Thank you for the recipe

    Reply
  5. Bridget Kaiser says

    December 11, 2019 at 7:40 am

    Having not made this recipe, I am curious if it can be rolled and cut like a sugar cookie dough?

    Reply
    • Erin says

      December 11, 2019 at 9:09 am

      I haven't tried it--let me know if you do!

      Reply
  6. Meredith says

    December 01, 2018 at 6:06 pm

    Can I make these with regular eggs and butter?

    Reply
    • Erin says

      December 02, 2018 at 7:34 am

      Yes you should be able to!

      Reply
  7. Anne Kepner says

    November 30, 2018 at 8:18 pm

    5 stars
    Okay, yeah I totally need these in my life! YUMMMMM!

    Reply
  8. Debbie Carr says

    November 30, 2018 at 1:13 pm

    Wow these look amazing! I love cinnamon, ginger and espresso! All my favourite things!
    Debs @ https://tiger-mint.com

    Reply
  9. Kelly | Foodtasia says

    November 29, 2018 at 11:20 am

    Love the flavor combination! I didn't know what dirty chai was until just now!

    Reply
  10. Brittany Audra @ Audra's Appetite says

    November 29, 2018 at 9:38 am

    Expresso glaze?! Sold! 🙂

    Reply
  11. Jess @choosingchia says

    November 29, 2018 at 8:13 am

    Ok these look SO good! I'd say they're acceptable for breakfast since they have espresso in them after all 😉

    Reply

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