Vegan Nussecken - this vegan version of the classic German treat are easy to make and perfect for Christmas.

Consisting of a light shortbread base topped with apricot jam, hazelnut caramel and chocolate, these nut corners are irresistibly delicious!

Vegan nussecken on a round wire cooling rack with a bowl of chocolate and some scattered hazelnuts.

These vegan nussecken are a delicious treat that, while wonderful all year round, are particularly good at Christmas time.

They are rich, buttery, sweet, crunchy, gooey and very, very moreish! Perfect to have to hand for guests.

What Are Nussecken?:

Nussecken are a popular baked treat in Germany. The name nussecken literally translates to 'nut corners'.

They consist of a light, buttery shortbread-like base which is spread with apricot jam and topped with a crunchy, gooey caramel hazelnut mixture.

Once baked, they are cut into triangles and the corners are dipped in chocolate.

What Do I Need To Make Vegan Nussecken?:

Nuts: Traditionally these are made with hazelnuts, but because hazelnuts are quite expensive in the UK and ground ones aren't readily available, I use a mix of hazelnuts and almonds.

Really any kind of nut will work, or a mixture. But the flavour of hazelnuts really works well with the caramel and chocolate!

You will need both chopped and ground nuts, I use chopped hazelnuts and ground almonds but feel free to mix it up.

Apricot jam: A good quality one will give you a better flavour and less excess sweetness. I used Asda extra special apricot conserve which although a bit thick in texture had a nice tang to it and wasn't overly sweet.

Vegan block butter: Please, for the love of holy baking, use a block butter/margarine to make these cookies, not the spreadable kind in a tub.

Spreadable will likely make the dough too soft, and the base may be more tough as it contains more water. I recommend Naturli Vegan Block or Flora Plant Butter.

Rum: A bit of rum added to the caramel topping really elevates the flavour. Once cooked, the bars don't taste like rum, and the alcohol cooks off, but it just adds a bit of extra depth of flavour.

You can use water instead, but I really do recommend using rum if possible.

Sugar: You will need light brown soft/muscovado sugar for the caramel topping and caster or granulated sugar for the shortbread base.

Don't swap these for other types of sugar or sweeteners, you will not get the same delicious result.

Plain flour: Just regular plain (all-purpose) flour is best here. I haven't tried making these gluten-free but I suspect that they should work ok with a gluten-free plain flour blend plus ¼ tsp xanthan gum. They may be a bit more crumbly and difficult to slice however.

Baking powder: A bit of baking powder added to the shortbread base lightens it up a bit.

Vanilla: Use extract rather than essence for the best flavour.

Milk: A bit of non-dairy milk replaces the usual egg in the shortbread base and helps to bind it together. Any kind will work but I use soy.

Vegan nussecken on a rectangular wire cooling rack with a bowl of chocolate, grey cloth and hazelnuts.

How To Make Vegan Nussecken:

(Full measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page)

To make the shortbread base, mix the flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Rub in the cold butter with your hands until it resembles fine breadcrumbs and no lumps of butter remain.

Step 1, rubbing the butter into the flour.

Stir in the sugar, then the vanilla extract and milk. The dough should be starting to clump together.

Tip the mixture into a greased and lined 23 x 33 cm tin and spread it level. Pack it down as firmly as you can. I use the base of a glass to help. Prick all over with a fork.

Chill for 20 minutes then bake until firm and pale golden.

To make the topping, melt the butter, sugar, rum and vanilla in a pan. Bring up to the boil and simmer for 1 minute.

Step 5, the butter, sugar and rum in a pan.

Remove from the heat and stir in the chopped and ground nuts.

Spread the base evenly with apricot jam.

Step 6, the base spread with apricot jam.

Pour over the nut mixture and spread it level.

Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown.

Let the nussecken cool completely then lift the slab out of the tin and use a very sharp knife to slice it into 12 squares.

Step 8, the nussecken sliced into squares.

Slice each square in half to make 24 triangles.

Step 9, the nussecken sliced into triangles.

Dip two corners of each triangle in melted chocolate and place on a sheet of baking parchment to set.

Top Tips:

As with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scale rather than the cup conversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!

I prefer to wait until the nussecken are fully cooled before slicing them into triangles, so I bake them the day before cutting them up and dunking them in chocolate.

If you want the chocolate to be shiny and have a nice snap then you will need to temper it. (I don't bother).

I just coat two corners in chocolate but you can do all three if you want, or dip the sides, or just drizzle it over the top. Up to you.

You can make your own ground nuts by blitzing them in a high speed blender or food processor. Be careful not to go too far however or you will end up with nut butter.

You can cut the bars into whatever size you like. I made 24 triangles, but you could even cut those in half again to make 48 mini ones!

How To Store Nussecken:

These vegan nussecken will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a couple of weeks.

They can be frozen - cool completely then wrap well, placing a piece of greaseproof paper between each layer. Freeze for up to 3 months.

Allow to defrost at room temperature for a couple of hours before serving.

More Vegan Bar Recipes:

Close up of vegan nussecken on a wire rack.

If you tried this recipe let me know how it went! Rate it, leave a comment or tag @domestic_gothess on Instagram and hashtag it #domesticgothess

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5 from 2 votes