It’s always baking season here at AK, especially when you need an epic treat to impress friends and family at your next BBQ or party.
Of course, I also want to be mindful of delivering you healthier grain free/gluten free/dairy free recipes that will fit into nearly anyone’s diet cause I’m a nice blogger like that (and then you can share the love!)
These healthy millionaire bars just so happen to be paleo-friendly, vegan and gluten free, but no one will be able to tell. They’re layered with a wonderful shortbread cookie base, dreamy tahini caramel middle, and of course, a chocolate topping you’ll do backflips for.
What are “millionaire bars?”
Millionaire bars AKA “millionaire’s shortbread,” or “caramel squares” are basically bars made with a shortbread biscuit base, caramel middle, and chocolate topping. I created my own take on the famous dessert by making it gluten free, vegan friendly, and filled with a tahini-based caramel. SO GOOD.
Ingredients in these healthy millionaire bars
These easy, vegan and gluten free millionaire bars have 3 incredible layers: a shortbread base, caramel filling, and a luscious chocolate topping. They’re made with wholesome ingredients you’re going to love:
- The shortbread base: we’re keeping the base gluten and grain free by using almond flour, coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla and salt. So easy!
- The tahini caramel filling: I think I’d like to live in this caramel thank you very much. You’ll need tahini, pure maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla and sea salt to make the caramel.
- The chocolate topping: I like to use Enjoy Life chocolate chips to keep the bars vegan and dairy free, but feel free to use any chocolate you’d like.
Can I use a different flour?
I highly recommend sticking with the almond flour for best results as it is how I tested the bars. You could try using gluten free oat flour in place of the almond flour, although you may need to add a little more melted coconut oil so that it feels wet.
Can I swap the tahini?
I prefer using tahini for the right taste, but you could also use a natural, drippy nut butter like almond butter or cashew butter.
Tahini caramel millionaire bars in 4 steps
- Bake the crust. Start by mixing all of the shortbread crust ingredients together until they form a thick crumb texture. Press the crust evenly into your 8×8 inch pan lined with parchment paper and bake it for 10 minutes.
- Add the caramel. Mix your tahini caramel ingredients in a saucepan over medium-low heat until it’s nice and smooth. Pour it over the slightly cooled shortbread crust and place the pan in the fridge for at least 30 minutes until the caramel has hardened.
- Add the chocolate. Melt your chocolate chips with a little coconut oil in the microwave or in a saucepan and pour the melted chocolate over the solidified caramel layer.
- Cool, cut & serve. Place the bars in the fridge for an hour until the chocolate is completely hardened, then remove the bars from the pan, sprinkle with sea salt, slice and enjoy!
Don’t forget these essential tips
- Use the right pan. Be sure to use an 8×8 inch pan in order to get the right shape and consistency. Even a little larger, like a 9×9 inch pan, will make the bars too flat.
- Pack your almond flour. You’ll want to use packed almond flour (and make sure it’s blanched, fine almond flour) just like you would with brown sugar.
- Have patience. Be sure to let the caramel and chocolate layers chill completely so that the bars hold together well. I know it’s tempting, but have patience!
How to store & freeze these bars
- To store: these vegan millionaire bars should be kept covered in the fridge until you’re ready to serve them. They will stay good in your fridge for about 1 week.
- To freeze: feel free to keep them in a freezer-safe container in your freezer for up to 1 month. If you do keep them in your freezer, be sure to leave them out on the counter for a few minutes before serving so that they soften up a bit.
More vegan desserts you’ll love
- Vegan Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls
- Vegan Paleo No Bake Cookie Dough Cups
- Flourless Chocolate Chip Chickpea Blondies
- Homemade Healthy Peanut Butter Cups
- 4-Ingredient Chocolate & Peanut Butter Freezer Fudge
I hope you get a chance to try these caramel millionaire bars out ASAP. I know you’re going to love them! Be sure to rate the recipe and leave a comment below if you try them — and don’t forget to tag #ambitiouskitchen on Instagram! xo.
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Salted Tahini Caramel Millionaire Bars (vegan and paleo)
Ingredients
- For the shortbread base:
- 1 ½ cups packed fine blanched almond flour (I use Bob’s Red Mill)
- 3 tablespoons melted coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- For the salted tahini caramel:
- 1/2 cup tahini
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/3 cup coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- For the chocolate layer:
- 3/4 cup chocolate chips (dairy free if desired)
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- Fancy sea salt, for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8x8 inch square pan with parchment paper. It’s important to use an 8x8 inch as a 9x9 inch pan may be too big.
- In a medium bowl add the almond flour, coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla extract and salt. Mix together with a fork until it forms a nice thick crumb texture. Add to pan and use your fingers to evenly press down into the pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Allow crust to cool for 10 minutes before adding caramel.
- Next make the salted tahini caramel: Add the tahini, maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla extract and sea salt to a medium pot and place over medium-low heat for approximately 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Pour over the slightly cooled crust.
- Place in fridge for at least 30 minutes-1 hour to harden the caramel. It shouldn't take longer than this, but if you are impatient, just place in freezer for 15-20 minutes, this should speed up the process.
- After 30 minutes, make the chocolate layer: Add chocolate chips and coconut oil to a microwave safe bowl and microwave on high in 30 second increments, stirring in between until chocolate is completely melted. If you prefer, you can also melt the chocolate and coconut oil in small saucepan over low heat.
- Pour over the caramel layer and tilt pan side-to-side to evenly distribute the melted chocolate. Place in fridge for an hour until chocolate is completely hardened and bars are cooled.
- Remove bars from pan, sprinkle with fancy sea salt and cut into 16 squares. Enjoy! Bars should be kept covered in the fridge until ready to serve.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published on October 25th, 2018, and republished on May 27th, 2023.
Like all of your recipes I’ve tried, this is excellent. So easy to make and DELICIOUS! Instead of the chocolate chips, I melted two dark chocolate bars, one of which was infused with cayenne pepper…added a delightful hint of spice. Love your cookbook AND following you online!
Ooo love that idea! Glad you’re loving these recipes and the cookbook!
These were great! If I made them again, I’d probably cut the chocolate amount in half or even omit, as the base and caramel are rich enough on their own. I’d also like to try the oat flour base suggestion. The almond flour worked well, but again was very rich since it’s high in fat. I also found that these tasted even better after being in the fridge for several days, and they freeze really well too. I cut them into bite size pieces and keet them in a freezer bag, then I would add a few pieces to my oatmeal in the mornings.
Let me know if you like that base better! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
Seriously so good. Super easy to make! Keeps my feeling good about the current diet journey I am on.
Absolutely! Such a great treat 🙂
I guess it’s time I commented on these since I have made them every single weekend since I found the recipe. They are so incredible!! I think I never want to eat anything else ever again. They are the perfect amount of sweet and salty and creamy and crunchy!
I cook the base a couple minutes longer so it has a tiny bit of crunch, and it is so so good. I do the top layer with a 4oz block of 100% baking chocolate and 2T honey melted together with the coconut oil. Amazing (not vegan, but I need sugar free and dairy free).
I cut them after 15-20 minutes in the fridge, or I leave them out for 20 minutes before cutting so the chocolate doesn’t crack. I have made them with the freeze to chill method once when I wanted them in a hurry, and I don’t think they were as good. Still great, but the tahini caramel layer wasn’t as creamy, so if you have the time, I recommend letting them chill in the fridge.
So happy to hear that, and great tips!!
These are delicious! Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed!
This recipe was ridiculously good. And so much easier than I expected it to be. I served this for a party and got heaps of compliments. Will definitely be making over and over again!
Amazing! So glad everyone loved these!
These bars are amazing! I cut back some on the maple syrup and they were still sweet enough. Made them for my diabetic grandson, but everyone loved them so will have to make two batches next time. Thanks for this great recipe!
Perfect! Glad they were a hit!
Could you please write down the recipes in grams or at least include them? This was my most annoying experience in baking so far. If you search for cups to grams there is multiple different numbers showing up and how should one know which is the correct one.
Hi! We’re working on manually adding grams to all of our baking recipes, which takes quite a bit of time. Thanks for your patience!
so good and simple!!
SO good. These exceeded my expectations. Really hard not to eat the whole batch in one sitting
So happy you loved them!
YUM. I made these with oats that I ground up in cuisinart and they were fantastic. I did add chopped walnuts over shortbread and then again over the caramel just to add some healthier benefits and I wouldnt change a thing in the recipe. 5 star.
Perfect! The walnuts sound delicious!
I don’t know what it is about these…. they are CRACK. I use your recipes probably weekly, and I (sadly) have never left a review..!! But, THESE! Truly one of my top 3 desserts ever. Everyone always raves about them. My family requests them. Just so unique and delicious! I have lived in the Middle East for the past 5 years (Oman/Saudi) so good quality tahini is easy to find. Genuinely so so good I love them so much!
Amazing!! So glad you love these (and are finding tons of great recipes here!) Lots of great ways to use that high quality tahini, too!
No modifications needed! I made these exactly as you recommend and they are PERFECT! One of my book club members is GF and Dairy Free, so I had her in mind when I selected this recipe, but everyone will love the bars!! No need to make separate desserts when this is on hand! TY!
Amazing! So happy to hear that!
I’m wondering if it’s sunflower tahini or sesame tahini..?
I’m allergic to coconut, but I will find a way to make these.
They look delicious! 🤗 ✨
Sesame! THIS is the one I recommend!
My husband has some health issues where we are trying to limit saturated fat and sugar, so I thought I would share the modifications I made. I only used about 1 1/2 T of coconut oil in the crust mixture, just enough to get it to clump together. I pressed it very firmly into the pan. They held together well, but were a little on the dry side; still yummy though! I left the coconut oil out completely in the caramel. I used cashew butter with date paste as a sweetener. The caramel set up very well and was delicious although I think the volume was less due to the omission of the coconut oil so my caramel layer was on the thin side. I only used 1/2 C chocolate chips and 1/2 T of coconut oil in the topping. These bars are delicious and decadent tasting!
Just a quick update….I served these bars the next day and the crust wasn’t dry at all. I think the caramel probably softened them up a bit as they sat overnight in the fridge. Got rave reviews!!
Ah this is the best, Brenda. So glad these are a hit ❤️
Thanks so much for sharing, Brenda! I am so glad you and your husband are loving these! 🙂
Delicious! Easy to make and decadent. My whole family loves these. The tahini flavor is subtle, not strong.
Made these today and they were soooo good!!! My new favorite treat. I have a nut allergy so I subbed with homemade oat flour (ground old-fashioned oats) and I didn’t have to adjust the coconut oil like I thought I would, as it was wet enough to press into the dish. I also didn’t have maple syrup so I used simple syrup instead which worked just fine! So so good!
These are amazing! So so good. Will be adding to my treat recipes for sure. My husband was a huge fan too. I think this is the first time I’ve made a “bar” recipe where things actually set well so that when I cut into bars they don’t fall apart and crumble. Success!
These are soo yummy! Thank you so much! I make them all the time when I need something sweet
Made these last week with bittersweet chips. TO DIE FOR! I bought dark chocolate chips, and will be making them for Friendsgiving!
Yess! So glad you are loving this recipe ❤️
Truly one of the best dessert recipes I’ve ever made. I’ve made this about a dozen times over the last year or two, either for myself and my wife or for friends and coworkers. Everyone has loved it. Fans of millionaire bars are impressed while tasters new to the dessert are shocked and awed. I’m only a little embarrassed to admit I’ve eaten these bars for breakfast more than a few times. Thank you!
Ahh this is amazing! SO glad you are loving this recipe 🙂
Made these last week for a dinner party dessert and they were awesome. I followed the recipe exactly as written. Very easy to make. Making them again this weekend. Thanks for a great recipe.
These are out of this world delicious! Thank you! Next time I’ll let the crust cool longer and leave the tahini topping to chill for at least an hour – 1-1/2 hours before the chocolate. Still, they are addictive and amazing! Love!
So happy to hear that, glad you are loving this recipe 🙂
I absolutely LOVE this recipe. I do have to limit how much I make it because… I can’t stop eating them!! The tahini caramel is mind-blowingly good and pairs so perfectly with the chocolate for salty-sweet heavennnn.
I never have almond flour around, so I replace it with oats that I blitz into flour in the food processor before proceeding with the recipe as usual. I’m not vegan so I also add an egg to the oats as a binder, and to add moisture to adjust for the dryness of the oats without increasing the oil. I have tried this both with and without the egg, and it does set up without it, but it is extremely crumbly. I imagine you could use a flax egg for the same purpose if you are vegan.
Thank you for this wonderful, simple enough to do anytime, absolutely delicious recipe!
Yay! So happy to hear that you are a fan!
I made these and used oat haus granola butter instead and they were amazing. I love them with the tahini but this was a fun twist!
Oooh that sounds incredible! Love that idea!
Loved these the first time I made them – super rich and dreamy! The second time, I tried to use homemade tahini, and the caramel mixture completely separated (totally my fault). But I will say that, in a pinch, peanut butter is also AMAZING!:)
Uh oh! Sorry to hear that! So happy you love them, though, and glad to hear PB’s a good sub!
These are incredible. They’ve become a classic recipe, and like you said, good for many people on different diets in the family! The tahini caramel is 10/10 SO GOOD!! Thank you for this recipe!
Aw thanks, Emily! So happy you’re a fan of this one!!
I routinely make the Salted Tahini Caramel Millionaire Bars, and they are a hit every time. I was looking more closely at the container for the tahini paste that I usually use and was surprised to read that I could be adding it to equal parts water. I’m curious – do you usually dilute the paste with water, or use it as is direct from the container? Your guidance is appreciated. If I can dilute it I’d love to, as I make these a lot and tahini can be pricey (and yes, I know I should try making my own :))
Thanks!
So glad you love them! And no, I never add water. I wonder if they recommend doing that when making dressings and sauces? I definitely wouldn’t recommend it for my recipes, as it would add too much moisture.
I love this recipe, it makes a regular appearance in my house!
Fantastic recipe! I had all of the ingredients on-hand and it was a cinch to pull it all together for a brunch I was hosting. This will become a staple in my repitoire!
I’m so happy you loved these, Tiana! Thanks so much for the sweet review 🙂
Love this treat! It has the perfect amount of both sweet & salty. Have made these recipe several times now. It is a keeper – thank you for sharing!!
Oh I’m so glad!! Thanks so much for leaving a review, Susie 🙂
These are incredible! I found that the tahini layer was still soft in the time described in the recipe, but it continued to firm up the longer they were in the fridge.. The tahini caramel has a beautiful texture.
Could I use coconut flour instead of almond flour?
I wouldn’t recommend swapping them in here — the texture would be really different. Sorry!
So, I would leave a 4.5 because the recipe is delicious. My only complaint is that the caramel was extremely liquid (more like a sauce than caramel that could hold up in a bar). I could tell that it wasn’t going to setup well, even if I refrigerated it, and added about a cup of vegan marshmallows and, stirring constantly over medium heat, melted them into the caramel. It thickened the consistency considerably. I was hoping to keep it paleo, but obviously didn’t workout that way with the addition of the marshmallows. LOL! I refrigerated the mix and sprinkled pink sea salt, sparkling sugar and wafer paper snowflakes on top – it was so pretty and a perfect dessert for New Year’s eve! After Cutting into bars, I had to continue to refrigerate until it was time for dessert because the caramel layer begins to spread a little after being taken out of the cold. Really delicious though….
Hi! So happy you ended up loving them 🙂 Check out the video in the post to see the consistency of the caramel. It’s certainly thin but I haven’t had an issue with it setting up. Hope that’s helpful!