I’ve always wanted to try some “raw“ chocolate bars and for me, there was no better place to start than with a snickers bar! I’ve made a few different types of vegan and raw caramels before and love this one packed with dates and maple syrup.
I absolutely loved these as little sweet treats but I also road tested them on a long bike ride and they kept my legs going from start to finish!
Individual bar moulds help keep the finish neat and tidy but they are definitely not essential! You could even use a cupcake pan for little round moulds or have a play with whatever moulds you have in your kitchen cupboard.
Raw Snickers Bars
Makes 5-6 bars (depending on your mould size)
Ingredients
(For the date caramel)
175g Dates
2 tbsp Peanut Butter
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
¼ tsp Salt
65g Oat Flour (literally whizz oats in a food processor until fine)
50g Date Caramel (taken from recipe above)
40g Salted Peanuts
250g Dark Chocolate (or use half and half milk/dark chocolate)
Method:
1- Soak the Dates in boiling water for 10 minutes.
2- Drain the water off Dates but preserve a few tbsp of the date water. Add them to a food processor or high speed blender along with the vanilla, peanut butter, maple syrup and salt. Blend until thick and smooth, adding some of the preserved date water if it’s too thick.
3- Remove the Caramel from the food processor and place aside.
4- Add the Oat Flour to the food processor with 50g of the Date Caramel and process until combined. A sticky nougat dough will come together and hold when you pinch it. Add a bit more caramel if it feels too dry.
5- If using a loaf tin, line with baking parchment so you can lift it out later on. Firmly and evenly press the Oat Flour Nougat into the loaf tin or use individual bar moulds, if you have them. a cupcake pan also works with these if you want individual round ones!
6- Use a spoon to spread the remaining Date Caramel evenly over the Oaty nougat base. Then sprinkle the salted peanuts over the Caramel, pressing the Peanuts into the Caramel layer, so they stick.
7- Place in the freezer for 2 hours, until firm.
8- If using a loaf tin, remove from the freezer and use a sharp knife to cut into bar-sized pieces. Return these to the freezer while you melt your chocolate.
9- Finely chop (or grate) 100g of the dark chocolate and set aside. Break up the remaining 150g of the chocolate and place into a microwaveable bowl. Microwave at 30 seconds intervals, stirring in between. Once the Chocolate is completely melted, add the remaining finely chopped/grated chocolate. (This is a rough way to temper chocolate).
10- Working with 1 bar at a time, dip into the bowl of melted Chocolate. Use two forks to “flip” the bar, until it is coated in chocolate on all sides.
11- Remove from the melted Chocolate, letting any excess chocolate drip off. Then, place it onto a plate lined with parchment paper. Repeat with the remaining bars.
12- Place the bars in the fridge for 30 minutes, to allow the Chocolate to harden.
You can keep in the fridge for up to 10 days or freeze for up to a month!