A crunchy biscuit layer topped with a simple caramel filling, all dipped in lush dark chocolate – these vegan no-bake caramel bars are my healthier take on a Twix bar!
Hands up if you love Twix bars ??♀️ I used to eat them almost everyday during my uni days. You could say I was obsessed! Since I started making my own healthier desserts at home, I decided to try to recreate a classic favourite so that everyone can enjoy them. My version is vegan and gluten-free, so a great options for those who can’t eat dairy or gluten.
The more I started to experiment with recipes, the more I found my flavour preferences changed. It’s like my taste buds were maturing the more I introduced them to complex and interesting new flavours and textures. I now find Twix bars way too sweet and a bit lacking. I may be a bit biased, but I now prefer my version so much more!
The base is made up of oats and ground almonds instead of plain flour, and I used coconut oil and maple syrup to help bind everything together as well as add a bit of sweetness. The only chocolate I now use it dark chocolate – I find the intense bitter taste balances out the sweetness of desserts so well. The bitter hints also adds an interesting depth to the flavour too.
For the caramel filling, I used a simple combination of dates and tahini – a combination I use in so many of my recipes. If you’re new to the concept of making a caramel using dates (or date syrup) with tahini, you need to try it asap! I know it’s not technically a ‘caramel’, but it’s a much healthier version that tastes just as good. Add a pinch of salt to make it extra lush. I was inspired by my upbringing in Iraq – dipping fresh bread in what we call ‘dibis wa rashi’ which literally translates to date syrup and tahini. It really was like eating a dessert for breakfast and I used to love it! I still combine those two ingredients quite a lot in my recipes because they just go so damn well together! It’s like those two flavours were made for each other.
So whenever I’m inspired to make anything with caramel, my mind goes straight to date syrup and tahini. And that’s exactly what happened when I had the idea to create these vegan no-bake caramel bars.
Why you need try these vegan no-bake caramel bars:
- They’re easy to make
- Made using healthier ingredients
- Vegan
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
- And they taste divine!
Let me know if you try them and what you think in the comments! 😀
Vegan No-bake Caramel Bars
Ingredients
For the base
- 70g ground oats*
- 50g ground almonds
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 3.5 tbsp coconut oil melted
For the caramel filling
- 140g soft dates**
- 4 tbsp tahini***
- 1-2 tbsp milk of choice****
- Pinch of salt
For the chocolate coating
- 150g dark chocolate melted
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix together the oat flour, ground almonds and salt, then pour in the maple syrup and melted coconut oil. Mix to combine.
- Press the mixture in a loaf tin lined with baking paper – I used a 22×12 cm loaf tin. Transfer to the freezer while you make the caramel.
- Add all the caramel ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth. Spread the caramel over the biscuit layer and freeze again for 1-2 hours.
- Slice into 10 bars, then dip each into the melted chocolate. Gently place on a chopping board lined with baking paper and chill in the fridge for a few minutes until the chocolate is set.
- Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Excited to try mo
Bake vegan Carmel bars
Let me know what you think once you’ve tried them, Kathy 😀
Can these be frozen?
Hi Julia 🙂 Yes they can, just make sure you store them in an air-tight container and allow them to thaw in the fridge before serving.
Thanks for this great recipe Nadia! I can appreciate your love of date syrup from your childhood in Iraq. My life and work is split between the Gulf (Bahrain) and the UK, and the flavour of the fresh date syrup we get in Bahrain is mind blowing. Agave syrup took the world by storm a few years ago. Perhaps date syrup should be the next hero vegan ingredient!? We’ll see. ?
Hi Penelope 😀 Yes! I definitely agree that date syrup should get a lot more attention and love than it is at the moment. It does have quite an intense flavour (in a good way), so it may not work in any recipe. It would work as a great replacement for treacle and anything with tahini in my opinion 😀 xx
Your post is very nice thanks for sharing your thoughts with us.
Thanks Chanchal 🙂
Tried it, it was delicious! Going to make it again. Thanks for the excellent recipe!
So glad you enjoyed them Sophia 😀 xx
Dear Nadia, what food processor do you use to mix the dates with tahini? My Kenwood is struggling a lot to mix
Hi Nina 🙂 I use a Magimix 5200XL. You may need to add a little more milk to help with the blending process if your food processor is struggling. Hope you got there in the end 🙂
beautiful presentation!
Thank you Madeline 😀 x
Would coconut flour work instead of the almond flour?
Hi Kelly 🙂 I don’t like using coconut flour because I find it’s way too dry. I’m not sure if it will work here – you may need to add more coconut oil or milk to help it hold. I can’t really say unless I try it myself as different flours behave differently in recipes. Let me know if you try it!
Can u give me some tips of how to properly cut them? I have done a couple of recipies that r topped with chocolate that tastes incredibly amazing ! But after i take them out of the freezer and start cutting them i mess it all up?
If you allow it to thaw a little (5-10 minutes) then run a sharp knife under hot water first (either using the hot water tap or boil a little bit of water). This will make the slicing part so much easier. Hope that helps 🙂
I can’t have almonds, cashews or peanuts. What flour would you recommend instead?
Hi Emily 🙂 You can use more oat flour, but you may need to add less. I haven’t tried making them with just oat flour so I can’t give you an exact amount. Hope that helps.
Hi! Making these this week – do you have any advice on how best to dip these without making a big mess? Yours look perfect.
Hi Candace 🙂 I just dip the bar straight into the bowl of melted chocolate, then use 2 forks (place them under the bar) to take it out. Hope that helps 🙂
OhMY, these are divine!!! and easy to make! Thanks for recipe
So glad you enjoyed them Katalin 😀 Thank you for your feedback! xx
Wow sooo good. Such a hit with my kids too! But my caramel layer is melting. Any idea why? I used date paste..
So glad you and your kids enjoyed them Hiba 🙂 If you’re using date paste (which is already blended and soft), you may need to leave out the milk completely. Let me know if that works! x
Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Really yummy!!!
So glad you enjoyed them Rebecca 😀 xx
Just made these and am AMAZED how delicious they are! To be fair, they’re not pretty… my dipping skills are severely lacking… but they are lovely. Biscuit base is firm & the “caramel” is gooey and decadent. First time trying to make anything with dates & it won’t be the last! Thank you!
Hi Emma 🙂 I’m so glad you enjoyed them! Dipping is a skill in itself that took me a bit of practice to master ? but I think as long as they taste good, that’s what really matters!
It looks delicious! What do you use on top the chocolate coat?
Thanks Alba 🙂 I just drizzled some melted biscoff spread, but purely for presentation/photography purposes.
I found your page a little while ago, but I’m already a fan . Many recipes are sweetened with maple syrup, but I can’t use it. What Can use instead of the maple syrup? Can i use xylitol?
Hi Christine 🙂 I’m so glad you found me and I hope you get the chance to try some of my recipes! You could use a sugar-free liquid sweetener in recipes where I use maple syrup. Xylitol will work as a replacement in recipes where I used granulated sugar like brown or white sugar. Hope that helps 🙂