Salted Caramel Dream Bars
A few months back I was at Shoppers Drug Mart with some friends and made the happy discovery that my all-time favourite dark chocolate was on sale. Usually I can deter myself from buying chocolate simply because it is so damn expensive, but it was significantly harder to resist when it was only $5 for two whole bars! Needless to say, I bought two bars. I was able to hold off eating this glorious chocolate and instead used it to create something even more decadent, the stuff of dreams I would say.
I’ve seen so many recipes on social media for similar things, but never took the time to actually make any of them. One morning when I was quite bored (this was pre going back to work) I felt inspired to make something new, and more importantly, something sweet. This recipe was pretty improvised the first time that I whipped it up, but honestly when you’re working with these ingredients you can’t really go wrong. The only mistake I made the first time around was that I didn’t use enough chocolate, the second time around I doubled the chocolate and it turned out heavenly.
Spending all day at a bakery surrounded by delicious baked goods that I cannot eat can feel a bit torturous sometimes, so it’s nice to have something sweet waiting for me at home after a long day of work. These store really nicely in the freezer, which is awesome because then you don’t have to worry about them going bad (if they’d ever even last that long). I also like the no-bake aspect of this recipe, considering that the oven at my home is currently not working. Every time you turn on the oven it makes super suspicious noises, I’m personally convinced that it is going to blow up. The front of the stove also gets ridiculously hot when in use, I mean you could seriously burn yourself on that shit, it’s a real hazard.
Well, happy no-bake baking to you!
xx
Ashley
Salted Caramel Dream Bars
Equipment
- Food Processor
- 8x8" Baking Pan
Ingredients
Base Layer
- 1½ cups rolled oats (Gluten free if necessary)
- 3/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil
- 4½ tablespoons maple syrup
- 1½ tablespoons cold water
- pinch of sea salt
Caramel Layer
- 16 medjool dates
- 3/4 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons almond butter*
- generous pinch of salt
Chocolate Layer
- 200 grams dark chocolate
- 2 teaspoons coconut oil
- flaky sea salt
Instructions
Base Layer
- Line an 8x8 inch baking pan with parchment paper. Set this aside for later.
- Add the oats and sunflower seeds to a food processor. Blend on high until a flour-like consistency is reached. Add the coconut oil, maple syrup, cold water, and salt. Blend again until the ingredients all come together.
- Transfer the base dough to the prepared pan and use your hands to squish it down into an even(ish) layer. Transfer to the freezer while you make the caramel layer. No need to wash the food processor yet, you will be using it agin.
Caramel Layer
- Place the pitted medjool dates in a bowl. Cover the dates with boiling water and allow to sit for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, drain the dates and transfer them to a food processor.
- Add the soaked dated, almond butter, vanilla, and salt to the food processor. Blend on high until smooth.
- Spread the caramel layer evenly over the base, then return the pan to the freezer to set while you make the chocolate layer.
Chocolate Layer
- Melt the dark chocolate over a double broiler. Spread the melted chocolate over the caramel layer, sprinkle with sea salt and then return to the freezer for a final freeze.
- Freeze the bars overnight or for at least one hour before slicing. Store the bars in a container in the fridge for up to 5 days.