Not to brag or anything, but when I teased this recipe on my Instagram (follow me @goodness_with_g if you’re not already!) I received a crazy amount of excitement. Snickers will do that to people, ya know?
And I won’t lie, once I tried the result myself, I can back up what the buzz was all about. You’d truly never know that these crazy delicious treats are vegan, gluten and refined sugar free! Plus, they require no baking at all, which is always a plus in my book.
Personally, Snickers immediately bring me back to childhood memories of Halloween. Lucky for me, my sister Caroline absolutely hated chocolate growing up (crazy, right?), and we’d always come home after a night of trick-or-treating and pour out our bags of loot on one of our bedroom floors. Caroline so generously offered up all of her chocolate in return for any of my fruity candies, which I was happy to agree to.
But fortunately we don’t have to wait for cold weather and costumes to celebrate with this classic treat. When I developed this recipe, I was honestly surprised that it required only a handful of ingredients, all of which I actually already had on hand. Take a peek into your own pantry, and you might just find the same as well.
And for those skeptical as to whether or not caramel can be made with naturally sweetened, simple ingredients, just give this version a try! Not only does it bring that signature chew that we all know and love in a Snickers bar, but it can also serve as the perfect dip for apple slices or a sauce drizzled over ice cream. I’m already excited to make another batch to test out in various other recipes for you all!
Likewise, Snickers are known for their signature nougat layer which, in this recipe, is simply made from combining a little bit of the date caramel, oat flour and walnuts.
These layers only require a topping of peanuts, a coating of your favorite dark chocolate, and that’s that! Again, the simplicity of these DIY candy bars is reason enough to whip up a batch (in addition to them being incredibly delicious ).
Personally, I used my favorite Evolved Signature Dark Chocolate bars for the coating, as they keep these bars vegan and refined sugar free. The ingredients include organic cacao, organic coconut sugar and organic cacao butter – that’s it. While this is one of my go-to chocolates for baking (and enjoying on its own), feel free to use whichever brand you prefer or have on hand already.
All these babies require is a little layering and time to set up with no baking in sight. Depending on the size of the container or tray you use, the number of bars you end up with might vary, but regardless you’ll likely want to go ahead and make an extra batch, as I have a feeling they’ll be demolished at record speed.
I’m looking forward to hearing your feedback on this simple, nutritious hack on a childhood favorite!
- 1 cup Medjool dates, pitted and tightly packed
- 3 tbsp runny peanut butter (look for organic with no added sweeteners, if possible)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅔ cup gluten-free oat flour
- ⅓ cup walnuts
- ¼ cup date caramel (from above)
- 2 bars of chocolate, melted (I used Evolved Chocolate Signature Dark)
- ⅓ cup salted and roasted peanuts
Place dough into an 8 x 4 inch container*, and press into an even layer.
*any narrow container will work, but the number and size of bars will vary.
Place your container into the freezer for at least an hour to firm up.
Enjoy!
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