No Bake Caramel Shortbread Bars:
I wanted to make these no bake caramel shortbread bars. Because I had just made a fresh batch of my 5 ingredient date caramel. And I knew these were going to be the perfect way to use the date caramel. They remind me so much of a healthier version of a cross between Twix and snicker bars.
Ingredients you will need:
- Almond flour
- Flaxseed meal
- Maple syrup
- Coconut oil
- Medjool dates
- Cashew butter
- Vanilla extract
- Chocolate chips or chocolate bar of your choice
Substitutes:
I know things can be hard to find right now. And if you don’t have the exact ingredients listed here are some alternatives to use.
- Almond flour or coconut flour
- Maple syrup or honey, any sweetener of choice
- Coconut oil or ghee, vegan butter
- Cashew butter or any nut/seed butter you prefer
- Flaxseed meal can be omitted entirely but I love the texture and flavor it gives the shortbread base
Preparing the short bread base:
I added all the ingredients for the short bread base to my food processor. But if you don’t have a food processor don’t worry, you can mix it all in a bowl wither with your hands or spoon. If using the food processor, pulse a few times until you get a sticky, sand like consistency. And then press down into a greased 9×5 or 8×8 baking dish and freeze while preparing the date caramel.
But you can also bake the crust if you want, I do 350°F for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. And let cool completely before adding the date caramel on top.
Making the date caramel:
First thing is to soak your dates either in warm water for 30 minutes or overnight. And then drain the water (reserving the date water just in case) and adding all the ingredients to food processor or a high powered blender. I processed until I got a thick, creamy, consistency, I did about 30 seconds in my food processor. And then add about 1/2 cup of the date caramel on top of the shortbread base, and freeze for about 30 minutes.
Chocolate layer:
And the last layer is the chocolate. I used Evolved chocolate but feel free to use chocolate chips or any type of chocolate bars you have on hand. I melted mine over stove top with a little bit of coconut oil. But you can microwave at 30 second intervals, mixing throughout, until melted too. And then stick in the freezer for about an hour.
Cutting into bars:
The last step is to use a sharp knife and cut into about 12 bars. But it will make more bars if deciding to do bite size pieces. I use a very sharp knife when cutting the bars. And have found that when they come straight out of the freezer the chocolate doesn’t crack versus letting them sit at room temperature before cutting.
No Bake Caramel Shortbread Bars:
Ingredients
Shortbread layer:
- 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp almond flour
- 1/4 cup flaxseed meal omit if you don’t have
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
Instructions
- Pulse a few times in food processor until you get a sticky sand like consistency
- Add to a greased 9x5 loaf pan and press down with fingers to create an even layer You can also bake 350° for 8-10 minutes.
Date caramel layer:
- 1 cup soaked medjool dates I soak mine over night and strain in the morning reserving the date water
- 1/4 cup cashew butter
- 1 heaping Tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1-2 Tbsp maple syrup optional
Instructions
- Add to food processor or high powered blender
- Process for 30 seconds scraping down the sides throughout
- If you want thinner consistency add 1 Tbsp at a time of filtered water
- Add a layer on top of the shortbread layer
- I used 1/2 cup of my date caramel
Chocolate layer
- 3/4 cup chocolate chips
- 1 tsp coconut oil
Instructions
- Melt over stove top and add layer to top of the date caramel layer
- Freeze for an hour
- Use a sharp knife to cut into 12 bars