vegan caramel pretzel brownies

you guys! this is one of my best ideas ever, and both recipes are very simple to make. try it out!

make the brownies:

• mix together 2 cups flour, 2 cups sugar, 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 tsp baking powder, and 1 tsp salt
• mix together 1 cup water, 1 cup vegetable oil, and 1 tsp vanilla extract
• mix both bowls together until consistent, then pour into a square (8”x8” or 9”x9”) baking pan and bake at 350F 30-45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

when the brownies are 3/4 done, start making the caramel. ours is dark because we used dark brown sugar, use a lighter sugar for a lighter topping.

• in a sauce pan/pot, dissolve 3 tbsp corn starch in 1 cup soy (or any other kind of non-dairy) milk
• mix in 1/2 cup vegan margarine, 2 cups sugar, 4 tbsp liquid sweetener (maple syrup, agave, etc.), 2 tsp ginger powder, cinnamon, 3 tbsp lemon juice, and a pinch of salt
• turn on medium-high heat and start stirring. (you’re going to continually stir until it fully thickens.) once it starts to boil, turn to medium-low heat and keep stirring until the caramel is thick and semi-solid. take it off the heat.

when the brownies are done, pour on the caramel and spread over the whole brownie. (you won’t use all of it, unless you want an absurd amount of caramel on top! :p) let cool for 20-30 minutes. we took a small, deep circular cookie cutter and removed each piece by twisting it down and slowly lifting up at an angle. then top with crushed or whole pretzels.

enjoy!

this dessert was made by altering these original recipes from here and here