Description
These homemade vegan snickers bars are naturally gluten free, much lower in sugar than the real thing, and 100% delicious!
Ingredients
Scale
Nougat Layer:
- 1 1/2 cups raw, unsalted cashews (soaked in room temp water for 2-3 hours)
- 1/2 cup agave nectar (can also use maple syrup)
- 1/3 cup melted cacao butter or 1/2 cup coconut oil*
- 1 5 oz can coconut cream
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
Caramel Layer:
- 2 5 oz cans coconut cream (only use solid cream layer on top)
- 1/3 cup coconut sugar
- 3 medjool dates, pitted, halved and soaked in room temp water for 10-15 minutes
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 2 tbsp peanut butter
- 1 tbsp arrowroot starch or cornstarch
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 1/2 cups salted peanuts
Chocolate Layer:
- 16-18 oz dark chocolate
- 1 1/2 tsp coconut oil
Instructions
- Soak cashews in room temperature water for 2 hours. If you forget, you can soak them in very hot water for 30 minutes. Drain cashews and set aside.
- If using cacao butter, add to a small saucepan over medium heat and whisk until completely melted. If using coconut oil, melt in microwave or saucepan until liquified.
- Add cashews, agave, coconut cream, vanilla and salt to a blender. Blend until smooth and creamy. Slowly stream in melted cacao butter (or melted coconut oil). Pour into a parchment paper-lined 8x8 pan. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, pit, halve and soak dates in room temperature water for 15 minutes to soften (makes them much easier to blend!). Drain water and add dates to a blender with remaining caramel ingredients except for the salted peanuts. Blend until smooth, then transfer to a small saucepan and simmer over medium heat for 5-7 minutes, whisking often to make sure it doesn't burn.
- Once the caramel is thickened (it should be quite thick at this point, see photos for texture), remove from heat, stir in peanuts and let cool for 30-45 minutes.
- Once cooled, gently spread the caramel over the nougat layer. If the caramel is too hot, it will soften the nougat and you won't have distinct layer. Freeze for 2-4 hours, until solid.
- Melt chocolate and coconut oil in a microwave safe bowl in 30 second intervals, stirring well in between each interval, until fully melted. Let the chocolate cool for 10 minutes.
- Slice bars in half one way, then rotate pan and slice into relatively thin slices (about 1-1 1/2" wide). Dip each slice into melted chocolate using two forks to keep it steady. Let excess chocolate drip off, then transfer to parchment paper. Optional: top with more chopped peanuts. Return to freezer until chocolate hardens completely.
Notes
*Using coconut oil will produce a softer texture, but we included the option since it's much easier to find than cocoa butter.
Storage: Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 10 days or in the freezer (separated by layers of parchment paper) for up to 3 months. If frozen, let defrost at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before eating (to avoid breaking a tooth 😉 )
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No Bake
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Large Bar
- Calories: 448
- Sugar: 23.5 g
- Sodium: 55.7 mg
- Fat: 32.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 14.8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 34.6 g
- Fiber: 4.2 g
- Protein: 7.6 g
- Cholesterol: 1.7 mg
