these homemade candy bars were inspired by the elements of a twix bar. while not entirely the same they feature a no-bake almond flour shortbread and date caramel!
the inspiration
With Halloween right around the corner I really wanted to make a homemade candy bar. However, I wanted to give it somewhat of a healthy twist. So, I went with making an almond flour shortbread and a date caramel.
I was sort of going for a Twix bar. If I am being honest, it didn’t entirely come out like a Twix. BUT it is so delicious and they are hard to resist.
Now, of course before we get into it yes the initial idea was for them to be a bit healthier. We are using some great ingredients but this is still a candy/dessert. So, get ready to make some candy and have some fun!
the ingredients
- Almond Flour: almond flour works so well to make an amazing no bake shortbread filling. I actually love how to the almond flour tastes when mixed with the maple syrup. It is truly like a cookie dough! If you have a nut allergy you can swap it out for coconut flour.
- Pitted Medjool Dates: the dates are used to make date caramel. If you have never tried date caramel before you are in for a treat. Ideally, you want to use Medjool dates as they are the softest and sweetest.
- Vegan Chocolate: we will need some vegan chocolate to make our candy bars. You can use dark, semi sweet, or vegan milk chocolate . I used the Enjoy Life Dark Chocolate Chips and then used a little of Enjoy Life Semi Sweet Chocolate to drizzle on top. There are many dairy free and vegan chocolates out there now so use what you like.
- Vanilla Extract: we will use this in our date caramel to enhance the flavor.
- Grade A Maple Syrup: we mix this with the almond flour to make our shortbread cookie dough.
- Vegetable Oil: we do need some vegetable oil to help thin the chocolate. It makes it much easier to make the bars with.
- Salt: you can add a little salt into the date caramel and sprinkle on top of the bars.
date caramel
Making the date caramel is so easy. First, you will soak pitted Medjool dates in hot water. You do not need to soak them very long, about 20 minutes. This will allow the dates to soften and be easier to blend.
Then, you will just simply place it in the blender along with some vanilla extract, a few tablespoons of water, and salt. Blend until it is creamy. Now, once you taste this you will not believe the flavor on it. So, try not to eat it all because we need it for the candy bars.
MELTING CHOCOLATE TIPS
Melting chocolate is always a bit of a pain. It isn’t hard but there are some things that can go wrong in the process, so here are a few tips and tricks.
- Melt at 30 second intervals and mix. The bowl will be warm so it is important to take that break and mix because it may end up melting it more than you think.
- Do not add non-dairy milk. It will make the chocolate seize and you will not get a smooth chocolate.
- Use a neutral oil to help thin the chocolate. This will make it easier to make the candy bars.
almond flour shorbread
If I am being honest this may be my favorite part of the recipe. If you have never used almond flour before it is amazing. It truly is of course just finely ground almonds. But when you mix it with a little water and maple syrup it turns into a cookie dough consistency.
Now, like I said my original inspiration for this was a Twix bar. The almond flour is much softer than the shortbread in the twix because I didn’t bake it. However, if you wanted to press it into the molds ahead of time and bake it, it may work to harden the almond flour more.
Making the homemade candy bars
- Use a silicone mold to ensure the chocolate bars come out looking beautiful. Spread a thin layer of the melted vegan chocolate that has been mixed with a little vegetable oil in the whole cavity of the mold. Be sure to get the sides as well. Place in the fridge to chill for 20 minutes.
- Distribute about 2 tablespoons of the date caramel into each of the bars.
- Distribute about 2 tablespoons of the almond flour shortbread into the bars. I like to roll it with my hands into a ball, then press it into a log shape. From there place it in the mold and then push to fill out into the whole space.
- Cover with more of the chocolate.
- Chill in the fridge for 1 hour. Then, carefully remove the bars.
- I drizzled some melted semi sweet vegan chocolate over to and sprinkled some pink salt.
storing the homemade candy bars
Once the chocolate has set it should stay set as long as the bars are kept at room temperature. However, I find it best to keep these stored in either the fridge or freezer so you do not have any issues with melting.
Keeping them stored in the freezer will of course preserve them longer. I would say in the fridge they should last about 7 to 10 days. In the freezer they can last up to 2 months.
why you’ll love this recipe
There are so many reasons to love this recipe. The first is that you end up with a beautiful looking homemade candy bar. These are great for any gathering and the would even be perfect as a gift.
The second is that while yes it is still calorie dense we are making it with much better wholesome ingredients like the almond flour and dates. Of course there is sugar in it but in my opinion this is much better for you than a traditional candy bar from the store.
homemade candy bars faq
This recipe does contain nuts. It may contain soy depending on what ingredients are in your vegan chocolate chips. There is no gluten.
I will be honest I initially tried making this recipe without a mold because I try to keep things as simple as I can. Because the date caramel is soft it was very hard to work with not in the mold. It is much easier so I do recommend using a mold.
You are totally free to have fun and play with around with. You can add in some chopped peanuts or even some thinned out peanut butter. You can add in cornflakes for a crunchy inside. There are so many ways to enjoy making homemade bars.
These are a bit on the bigger side because of the mold I used. You can definitely find a smaller mold if you prefer and make more candy bars.
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Homemade Candy Bars
Equipment
Ingredients
Chocolate
- 9 ounces vegan dark chocolate or any chocolate you like
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil or any neutral oil
- 1 ½ tablespoons vegan semi sweet chocolate
Almond Flour Shortbread
- 1 ½ cups almond flour *make sure it is super fine, some of them are gritty
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- ¼ cup water
Date Caramel
- 6 ounces pitted Medjool dates
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- 3 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Soak the dates in hot water for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine the almond flour, maple syrup, and water. Mix together until it forms a cookie dough like texture. If it feels too wet you can add in more almond flour, if it feels too dry you can add in more water.
- In a medium-sized microwave safe bowl, melt about ⅔ of the bag of chocolate. Microwave at the 30 second intervals mixing in between. I microwaved for 1 minute and 30 seconds. Then, pour in 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil and mix. This helps the chocolate spread better.
- Use a silicone mold to ensure the chocolate bars come out looking beautiful. Spread a thin layer of the melted vegan chocolate that has been mixed with a little vegetable oil in the whole cavity of the mold. Be sure to get the sides as well. Place in the fridge to chill for 20 minutes.
- The dates should now be done soaking so you can add them into a high speed blender. Along with 3 tablespoons of the water they were soaking in and the vanilla and salt. Blend on high for 1 to 2 minutes until it is creamy.
- Distribute about 2 tablespoons of the date caramel into each of the bars.
- Distribute about 2 tablespoons of the almond flour shortbread into the bars. I like to roll it with my hands into a ball, then press it into a log shape. From there place it in the mold and then push to fill out into the whole space.
- Melt the remaining amount of chocolate following the same process, and add in about ½ teaspoon of the vegetable oil. Cover the bars completely with more of the chocolate.
- Chill in the fridge for 1 hour. Then, carefully remove the bars.
- I melted the semi-sweet chocolate and mixed in ½ teaspoon of vegetable oil. Then, I drizzled some melted semi sweet vegan chocolate over to and sprinkled some pink salt to make it look pretty. Enjoy right away or it is best to keep them stored in the fridge.
Video
Notes
- Nutrition facts are based on my gram measurements put into Cronometer. Yours may vary, they are to help you get an idea.
- Please do not repost recipes without my permission. Sharing a direct link is always highly encouraged and appreciated.
- For any questions you may have please refer to the FAQ above the recipe card.
- 9 ounces is one bag of Enjoy Life chocolate.
- You can use semi sweet or more dark chocolate to decorate the top. You do not need to get multiple chocolates.
Nutrition
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Hey, I’m Francesca!
Thank you for checking out my recipe! I am happy to have you here and hope you explore more delicious vegan recipes.
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