Cardamom Cookie Bars

Cardamom cookie bars are incredibly flavorful, warmly spiced, and fudgy in texture. A delightfully unique option for a dessert bar.

recipe originally published May 14, 2015

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1. 1. Creative Indian dessert origins
   2. Cardamom Cookie Bars recipe

Vegan Kakaland

Cardamom cookie bars aren't your typical dessert bar. A vegan version of a traditional Indian dessert, this recipe is similar to both a Kakaland (cheesecake consistency) and a burfi (more fudge like). The simple ingredient list brings incredible flavor and texture you will love. I pretty much guarantee it - I make these fudgy cardamom squares often.

I cannot emphasize enough how delicious these bars are.

This recipe comes from my friend Richa and her fantastic cookbook, Vegan Richa's Indian Kitchen. Richa says, "These fudgy squares use ground-up almonds to mimic the texture and taste of the khoa (milk solids) in the common milk burfis. It may be hard to believe that it works, but it does! Try it."

Richa's book is a welcoming and stunning journey through the savory flavors of Indian cooking. She demystifies spices and ingredients unfamiliar, transforms traditional recipes in a modern way, and leaves vegans happily able to enjoy a vast variety of fantastic recipes. 

This book is one of the most used, dog eared, and loved books in my kitchen, and among the few I recommend. 

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Yield: 12 bars

Cardamom Cookie Bars

Print

Incredibly flavorful with a fudgy consistency, these warmly spiced bars will disappear fast.

Prep Time 18 minutes

Cook Time 16 minutes

Total Time 34 minutes

Ingredients

• ½ cup almond milk
• 2 teaspoons vegan butter or safflower oil
• ½ cup ground sugar
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder
• 1 cup ground raw or blanched almonds or fine almond meal
• ¼ cup oat flour
• ⅓ cup or more coconut flour
• seeds from 4 cardamom pods, lightly crushed

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 300 °F.
2. Combine almond milk, oil, sugar, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat. Mix well to dissolve the sugar. Bring to a bubbling boil, about 4 minutes.
3. Continue to boil the mixture for 2 minutes. Take off heat and mix in the cardamom powder. Cool for 5 minutes.  
4. Add ground almonds, oat flour, ⅓ cup coconut flour, and cardamom seeds to the saucepan. Mix well to form a soft dough. Add 1 tablespoon more coconut flour if the mixture is too wet. Mix and let sit for a minute before adding more. The mixture will continue to get less wet as it sits. Taste and add 1 tablespoon more sugar if you like it sweeter.
5. Pat the sticky dough onto parchment-lined sheet into a ¼-inch thick square. Cut into 1-inch squares using a knife or a pizza cutter.
6. Bake for 16 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush almond milk or oil on top. Cool completely before serving or storing.
7. Store on the counter for a day and refrigerated for up to 7 days.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 194Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gSodium: 86mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 8gSugar: 7gProtein: 5g

nutrition calculations results vary by calculator, are for informational purposes only, and are not intended to replace medical advice or treatment.

about Kristina:

Kristina is spabettie! She found cooking at an early age, and created spabettie in 2010 to share vegan recipes. Kristina turned her culinary training into sharing vibrant vegan food!  Read more...

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