Yep. You read that post title correctly. Today we are making Healthy Vegan Snickers Bars!!!
Because we should all be able to enjoy candy every now and then and do so without feeling crappy from what’s inside of the candy bars.
So let’s talk Snickers for a second. Snickers, which usually can be found right in the checkout aisle at the grocery store or in any gas station or vending machine ever, contains about 15g fat (with about 25% being from saturated fat). Most of that saturated fat is coming from animal product ingredients like milk, lactose, milkfat, and egg whites. Not to be a downer, but dairy is said to be the top source of saturated fat in the American diet (which is the dangerous kind of fat), and it’s also been said to contribute to Heart Disease, Type 2 Diabetes, and Alzheimer’s Disease.
Not only that- the store-bought Snickers contain a lot of refined sugars like white sugar and corn syrup. I like to avoid refined sugar as much as possible because it’s so addictive, inflammatory and overall just really makes me feel like crap.
Store-bought Snickers also contain artificial flavoring which I try to avoid like the plague in ingredient labels. It is a blanket term that can be used for a whole host of chemical ingredients.
But- back to these bars. I definitely knew what the assignment was with these babies. Make a healthier Snickers Bar option that’s isn’t packed with refined sugar and make it vegan. And that is what we got!
Nougat Layer
To start with the nougat base- we’re using a combo of cashew butter, date syrup (but you could swap this with maple syrup), coconut oil, and oat flour. If you don’t have oat flour on hand- you can also make it at home! Just grind rolled oats in a high-speed blender and you have your very own homemade oat flour.
Caramel Base
For the creamy caramel-y center, we’re using this Vegan Caramel Sauce Recipe, which is sweetened entirely with dates! I ended up using half of the batch for the bars and using the other half to make Caramel Apples. But also feel free to split the recipe in half!
Peanut Layer
You can find raw peanuts at most health food stores. I like to use raw to avoid any oils that are usually on roasted peanuts. Instead, I like to do a quick toast of the peanuts in a small skillet to bring out their peanut-y flavor.
Chocolate Coating
I love to make my own Naturally-Sweetened Dark Chocolate at home. (I promise it’s pretty easy!) In a pinch, I’ll use Hu Kitchen Gems (which are sweetened with coconut sugar, Alter Eco’s Total Blackout Bar (which isn’t sweetened), or Trader Joe’s Cacao Chips (which are also not sweetened).
This brings me to the main event. Let me introduce you to the most gorgeous, delicious, yummy homemade Healthy Vegan Snickers bar ever:
Healthy Vegan Snickers
Ingredients
- 1 cup vegan chocolate (I make my own or use Hu Gems or Trader Joe's Cacao Chips)
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- 1/4 cup cashew butter
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1/4 cup date syrup (can sub maple syrup)
- 1/4 cup oat flour (can grind oats up in a blender into a fine flour)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup raw peanuts
- 1 cup Vegan Caramel Sauce (linked above)
Instructions
- Line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper.
- Make the nougat layer: Combine cashew butter, coconut oil, and date syrup in a large bowl. Mix until completely combined. Add in the oat flour, vanilla extract, and salt- mix until completely blended. The mix should be creamy but still pourable.
- Gently pour nougat layer into parchment-lined pan and use a spatula to smooth out. You want it to be flat to add the next layer on top of it. Place in freezer to firm up for 30 minutes.
- While nougat layer is firming up, toast peanuts. Heat a small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add peanuts to skillet and toast, mixing every few minutes, until golden brown. This helps to really bring out the peanut flavor.
- Remove nougat layer from freezer. Spread the Vegan Caramel Sauce on top of the nougat layer using a spatula.
- Add toasted peanuts onto the Vegan Caramel Sauce. Gently press peanuts into Date Caramel using hand so it really sets. Place pan back into freezer to firm for 60 minutes.
- Once the Vegan Caramel seems firm, remove from freezer. Pick parchment paper with mixture out of pan and set onto a cutting board (but leave on parchment). Gently cut into 10 bars. Place parchment paper with bars back into pan and into the freezer to stay firm while prepping the chocolate.
- Melt your chocolate. Grab a large saucepan, fill with a cup or so of water and bring to a rolling boil. In a smaller saucepan, add the vegan chocolate and tsp of coconut oil. Place saucepan over boiling water saucepan. Stir constantly until chocolate melts and be careful to not get any water into chocolate. Remove from heat.
- Grab a baking sheet and line it with parchment paper. (You'll place the bars on this.)
- Remove bars from freezer.
- Using two forks to turn the bars, dip each bar into the melted chocolate, and carefully transfer to parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Place baking sheet with bars back in freezer to firm up. Then, transfer to a container and store in fridge so the chocolate stays nice and firm. Enjoy!
I hope you love these bars as much as I do. They are a definite fave!
xo,
Lauren
Grab the Vegan Caramel Sauce Recipe here
Make your own Caramel Apples here
Watch all of the recipes in motion by subscribing to the YouTube channel here
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