Raw Caramel Chocolate Slice (Vegan)

I am going to start this post by saying you're welcome! Ha! For real though, this is one of my new favourite treats, and it's going to be something I keep coming back to. I LOVE them. A nut & oat base with a date caramel filling & topped with chocolate. These are a raw, vegan & whole food treat that will satisfy your next chocolate bar craving. I love making treats a bit healthier. I'm a believer in treating yourself, we can be healthy without being rigid and restrictive. Plus, this caramel slice bar is even tastier than low quality store bought treats and has whole grain from oats, healthy fats from the nuts and other than the chocolate topping these are sweetened naturally with whole pitted dates. I eat these straight out of the freezer. They are best like this or kept in the fridge. They become a bit too soft at room temp. When eaten from fridge or freezer the base and filling remain soft, and the chocolate hardens giving a desirable contrast of textures. 

For the base of these I have added different ratios of walnut/almond. I think any nut could be used. I would love to try pecans!
For the filling I have made it with peanut butter and almond butter. I really like both versions, they taste a bit different. The peanut butter flavour does come through in the final bar. I love it. I love peanut butter. Delicious. Almond butter is a bit sweeter than peanut butter. I find it makes the filling taste even more "caramel-y". I don't think one version is better than the other necessarily, just a bit different. 
For the topping: Because it's just straight up melted chocolate it will crack a bit in random places when you cut these bars. I think it's rustic and fun. It would be possible to create a soft chocolate topping layer, but the hard chocolate is an important textural contrast to the soft base and filling.

Ingredients: 

Base:

• 1/2 cup whole oats
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 1 cup blanched almonds
• 1/3 cup whole pitted dates
• 2 tbsp oat milk (or other plant milk)
• 1 tbsp coconut oil (I used solid)
• couple pinches flaked kosher salt

Date Caramel Filling:

• 1 1/4 cup whole pitted dates, soaked in hot water
• 1/3 cup peanut or almond butter (see intro for thoughts)

• 2 tbsp oat milk (or other plant milk)
• 1 tsp vanilla

​Chocolate Topping:

• 7 oz quality vegan chocolate

Method:

Line an 8x8 square/brownie pan with parchment paper. It's best if there is some overhang so the bars are easier to remove. 

Base:

1. In a food processor blitz nuts and oats and a couple pinches of salt together until coarse crumbs. 
2. Add dates, and blitz until evenly combined. (mixture will be crumb like)
3. Blitz in coconut oil and plant milk until evenly combined.
4. Press evenly into the lined pan, and pop into the freezer for 20-30 min. 

​Date Caramel Filling: 

1. While base is in the freezer soak your dates in hot water to soften a bit. 15-20 minutes should do it. Strain the water off.
2. Add softened dates to food processor with nut butter, plant milk and vanilla. Blend together scraping down sides a couple times. Let the machine work until it's perfectly smooth. Took a few minutes in my machine. 
3. Remove base from freezer and smooth the date caramel over top in an even layer. 
4. Pop back into the freezer for about 30 minutes. You want it to feel a bit set, but not be completely solid. The chocolate will harden too fast when you're trying to smooth it on the top in the last step if the date filling were to be frozen. 

Chocolate Topping:

1. Melt chocolate in a double boiler. 
2. Smooth over top of the date caramel, working fairly quickly before chocolate sets. 
3. Place bars in the freezer to firm up.
4. Once they are set you can slice them into desired size squares and place in a food storage container and keep in fridge or freezer. You could always sprinkle some chopped nuts or coconut on top while the chocolate is still melty. You'd need to work fairly quickly to garnish before chocolate has solidified again.