candy

Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookies (paleo-ish & nut-free)

December 14, 2020 by Dafna 1 Comment

HOLIDAY COOKIE BONANZA! pt. 3.
ICYMI: pt. 1 Pretzel & Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies
pt. 2 Chewy Ginger Cookies

The third recipe in my healthier holiday cookie series are these Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookies! Incredibly delicious, fudgy, chewy, and deeply chocolatey cookies topped with crushed candy canes make the perfect holiday cookies that are fun and festive, but still made better-for-you. They are super easy to make and require no chilling, so you can go from empty mixing bowl to festive cookie-filled-cooling rack in just under 30 minutes!

What Do These Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookies Taste Like?

I don’t mean to be overdramatic, but, there may not actually be words to describe how insanely delicious the texture of these cookies are in real life. But I will do my absolute best to try to appropriately describe them. Imagine a thick and dense cookie, with a perfectly crispy exterior, the interior is soft, chewy, deeply chocolatey and studded with ooey gooey chocolate chips. Similar to a rich fudgy brownie in cookie form. And topped with candy candy pieces for the perfectly festive combination of chocolate and peppermint that is always a hit during the holiday season. They are rich without feeling overindulgent, they are luxurious without feeling pretentious, and they decadent while in actuality made healthier! They are just perfect. Hopefully I have done a decent job describing these cookies and therefore making your mouth water. And if not, this bite shot should do it.

What Ingredients Are Used To Make These Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookies?

These healthier Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookies are oh-so-craveable while still being better-for-you! The cookie dough contains no refined sugars, flours, or oils. They are also paleo-ish meaning they are made without gluten, grain, or dairy. I categorize these as being “paleo-ish” because they are topped with candy cane or peppermint candy pieces which are typically made with refined sugar, so they are not strictly paleo. I found some candy canes from Whole Foods that are made with organic cane sugar which is a less refined version of conventional sugar and also happened to be dye free!

Here’s a look at the ingredients and some potential variations:

Coconut Sugar – The best refined sugar free granular sweetener. Coconut sugar gives them the perfect amount of sweetness without being overbearing.
Tahini – I love using tahini as the base fat in my cookies. It gives cookies the perfect dense and chewy texture while keeping the cookies nut free. Feel free to sub for any other nut/seed butter you prefer. Ideally use one that is thin and drippy and contains only one ingredient. Some good subs are cashew butter, almond butter, or sunflower seed butter.
Avocado Oil – The avocado oil gives the cookies added moisture without making the dough too sticky. It also helps crisp the exteriors of the cookies. Sub for olive oil or melted and cooled coconut oil.
Egg – Helps puff the cookies! As there is only 1 egg used in this recipe along with another leavener, I feel safe in saying that this cookie can likely (I have not tested this) be made vegan by substituting the egg with a vegan egg replacer.
Cocoa Powder – A hefty dose of cocoa powder in the dough makes these cookies wonderfully chocolatey. Use an unsweetened, high quality, cocoa powder. Do not use cacao powder or cocoa powder mix, these are totally different things and will affect the outcome of the cookies greatly. Some good brands are Equal Exchange’s Baking Cocoa, Guittard’s Cocoa Powder, or Whole Food’s 365 Brand (what I used).
Cassava Flour – A gluten, grain free, and nut free flour that is similar in texture and density to conventional white flour but is not processed or bleached! I find the best pricing to be on Amazon.
Tapioca Flour – Thickens the dough without making it too floury.
Baking Soda – The leavener in this cookie dough.
Salt – To balance the sweetness.
Chocolate Chips – Use your favorite chocolate chips or chopped up chocolate bar! I usually go for Enjoy Life’s baking chips but have recently become obsessed with Guittard’s Bittersweet Chocolate Chips which are also dairy free and made with cane sugar. However I find the quality of the Guittard chocolate to be superior.
Candy Canes – Ideally use, mini candy canes crushed into small shards. You want to keep the pieces small but not crushed to a dust. You can use regular sized candy canes if that’s what you have on-hand and they will still taste the same as the mini candy cane pieces, however aesthetically, you are more likely to see the red and white striping when you use the mini candies. You can also use regular peppermint candies.

What Is The Best Way To Crush Candy Canes?

I find the easiest way to crush the candy is to place them in a plastic bag, cover the bag with a kitchen towel, and use a rolling pin or meat tenderize to smash them up. It only takes a few hits to break up the mini candy canes. You want to get small shards or chunks and not all dust.

How Do You Make These Double Chocolate Chip Peppermint Cookies?

These are super easy and festive cookies perfect for the holiday season. The dough whips up quick, is made with only 12 total ingredients, and can be done in under 30 minutes! Here’s a look at the steps.

Crush the candy canes. See above for the easiest method.
Mix the dry ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.
Mix the wet ingredients together.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir.
Stir in the chocolate chips.
Scoop the dough. I use my trusty 50 mm scoop (about 3 tablespoons) for ease and making equally sized cookies.
Press the top of each cookie dough ball into the candy cane pieces. This is the easier method, but I give a second option below for adding the candy cane pieces after the cookies are baked.
Bake for just about 10 minutes.
Let cool slightly.
Enjoy!

Make Ahead: The dough or cookie dough balls can be made a day or two in advance and stored, covered, in the fridge. Press the candy cane pieces into the tops of the cookie dough just before baking. Add another minute or two onto the baking time if the dough has chilled for more than 2 hours.

Candy Cane Addition Options

You can add the candy cane pieces to the tops of the cookies in two ways. One before baking and one after baking the cookies. Either way will yield delicious peppermint and chocolate cookies, one is easier while the other requires a few more steps but is more aesthetically pleasing, in my opinion.

Easier Way – The first way, that I give in the recipe below, is the easier way. The candy cane pieces are pressed into the tops of each cookie dough ball and baked together. The above cookies are made using this method.
Prettier Way – The second way, is to bake the cookies, then drizzle some melted chocolate over the slightly cooled cookies, and sprinkle the candy cane pieces over the melted chocolate. When the drizzled chocolate sets it adheres the candy pieces onto the cookies. The below cookies are made using this method. I found that baking the candy canes with the cookies dulled the red striping color from the candy canes which took a little fun from the appearance of the cookie. This may also be because I used naturally dyed candy canes.

These cookies are the perfect simple but delicious dessert to enjoy a festive holiday season. They are a fun way to treat yourself or as a yummy healthier dessert to gift your favorite dessert loving people. These are so good they are sure to be enjoyed but all and disappear in a flash! Basically, these are the perfect healthier holiday cookie and I can’t wait for you to try them.

paleo-ish (gluten/grain/dairy free), naturally sweetened, nut free

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5 from 1 vote

Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

Incredibly delicious, fudgy, chewy, and deeply chocolatey cookies topped with crushed candy canes for the perfect holiday cookie that are fun, festive, but still made better-for-you!

paleo-ish (gluten free, grain free, dairy free) & nut-free

Servings 12 cookies

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (31 grams) not cacao powder or cocoa mix
1/4 cup cassava flour (36 grams)
1/4 cup tapioca flour (30 grams)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp baking soda

Wet Ingredients

3/4 cup coconut sugar (114 grams)
1/4 cup tahini (65 grams) sub other thin & drippy nut/seed butter
1/4 cup avocado oil (61 grams) sub coconut oil, melted and cooled
1 egg large
1 tsp vanilla (4 grams)

Additions

3/4 cup chocolate chips (126 grams)
1/4 cup crushed mini candy canes or peppermint candies

Instructions

Heat oven to 360 degrees (yes, 360) and prepare baking sheet by lining with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
In a medium bowl whisk together all the dry ingredients until thoroughly mixed, set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, or a large bowl if mixing by hand, whisk together the wet ingredients until thick and well incorporated.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add in the dry ingredients and stir until just mixed, scraping down the sides of the bowl once more during mixing to ensure ingredients are well distributed without overmixing.
Stir the chocolate chips into the dough.
Place the crushed candy canes in a small bowl. Using a cookie scoop, ideally a 50 mm (about 3 tbsp), scoop balls of dough and press the top of each ball into the bowl adhering candy pieces into dough. (See notes below on candy addition options.)
Place candy cane topped cookie dough balls at least 2 inches apart on the baking sheet.
Bake cookies for 9-10 minutes or until cookies are set in the middle and edges are starting to turn a darker brown.
Let cookies cool on baking sheet for at least 5 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.
Store at room temperature in an airtight container for 2-3 day. Then move to freezer for longer storage.

Recipe Notes

Helpful Kitchen Tools (affiliate links): 50mm scoop, silicone baking mat, silicone spatula, kitchen scale

Candy Cane Addition Options:
Easier Way - Do as listed above.
Prettier Way - Bake the cookies without the candy cane pieces. Melt some chocolate while cookies cool slightly. Drizzle melted chocolate over the cookies, then sprinkle with candy cane pieces. When the drizzled chocolate sets it adheres the candy pieces onto the cookies.

Make Ahead: The dough or cookie dough balls can be made a day or two in advance and stored, covered in the fridge. Press the candy cane pieces into the tops of the cookie dough just before baking. Add another minute or two onto the baking time if the dough has chilled for more than 2 hours.

Storage: Store cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for a day or so. Afterwards move to the freezer for longer storage.

Ingredient Subs/Variations:
Tahini - The tahini should be thin and drippy. Sub tahini for any other single ingredient nut/seed butter that is thin and drippy, like a natural almond, cashew, or sunflower seed butter that has a good amount of oil at the top. For best results, be sure to mix the nut/seed butter in the jar well before measuring. Do not use the compacted paste at the bottom of the jar. My favorite tahini for baking is the 365 brand from Whole Foods.

Candy Canes - I find the easiest way to crush the candy is to place them a bag, cover the bag with a towel, and use a rolling pin to smash them up. It only takes a few hits to break up the mini candy canes. You want to get small shards or chunks and not all dust. I used Organic Candy Canes from Whole Foods which were vegan and naturally dyed! Use 2-3 regular sized candy canes or several peppermint candies instead of mini candy canes.

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Healthy Pecan Pie Truffles (paleo & vegan)

December 4, 2020 by Dafna Leave a Comment

These Healthy Pecan Pie Truffles have all the delicious flavor of a classic pecan pie but packaged up in delicious, easy-to-eat balls! These truffles are packed with toasted pecan chunks surrounded by a gooey caramel-like filling, coated in dark chocolate, and topped with some flakey sea salt. This healthified candy is easy to make, requires no candy thermometer, corn syrup free, and made with better-for-you ingredients! A major upgrade to the traditional pecan pie.
What Do These Healthified Pecan Pie Truffles Taste Like?

Imagine the filling of a classic pecan pie; ample toasty and crunchy pecan chunks clinging together in a just-perfectly-sweet and gooey caramel-like mixture. These Pecan Pie Truffles taste exactly like a traditional pecan pie, but we ditch the crust, ball-ify the filling, and smother those balls in a dark chocolate coating. And, of course, finish with some sea salt sprinkles for good measure. And while a conventional pecan pie is typically made with a hefty dose of corn syrup, these are sweetened with coconut sugar and use only real ingredients with absolutely no weird stuff! In fact, this recipe requires only 8 simple ingredients which I believe makes them taste even better than the pie it is inspired by!

How Do You Make Healthy Pecan Pie Truffles?

The best part about these no-bake Healthy Pecan Pie Truffles is that they are delicious and super easy to make! Unlike a pie, they are basically goof-proof and likely to be delicious even if some mistakes are made. And I always love a candy recipe that doesn’t require a candy thermometer! The less tools (aka dishes) the better!

Here’s a rundown of the steps:

Toast the pecans in a hot 400 degree oven for 4-5 minutes. I highly recommend you not skip this step. It really brings out the deep nutty flavor of the pecans and the toasting gives the nut a good crunch that is glorious in contrast to the creamy caramel.
Make the caramel mixture by heating together the coconut cream, coconut sugar, and coconut oil in a small pot. Let simmer a few minutes, then stir in the vanilla, nut/seed butter, and salt. Let set for a few minutes to thicken.
Stir chopped pecans into caramel mixture.
Freeze pecan pie filling to let the flavors meld and firm up so it can be rolled into balls. About 1-2 hours, but the longer the better.
Scoop and roll filling into balls. You can really make any size truffle you like, but I find that my medium (40 mm) scoop makes the perfect sized balls with just the right ratio of filling to chocolate.
Place filling balls back in the freezer.
Melt the chocolate in the microwave or in a double boiler.
Coat filling balls with chocolate.
Sprinkle with sea salt. (Optional but highly recommended.)
Let chocolate set.
ENJOY!

Make Ahead: These Pecan Pie Truffles can be made ahead at almost any step! The mixture, uncoated balls, and the completed chocolate coated balls can be stored in the freezer for a few months! These can be eaten straight out of the freezer or let temper on the counter for a few minutes before serving for a more gooey center.

What Is the Best Way to Coat The Truffles?

I have tested this recipe many times with different methods for coating the balls. These truffles will taste delicious no matter how you coat them, but I have found the following to be some helpful tips to getting the most aesthetic chocolate coating.

Use good quality dark chocolate. I found the best results when I upgraded my chocolate from regular dark chocolate chips to a better quality chocolate. I ended up using Hu’s dark chocolate baking gems which are 70% dark chocolate. I recommend using a good quality chocolate baking bar chopped into chunks or chocolate melting wafers (like these).
Keep filling balls as cold as possible. The balls will be much easier to coat when they are frozen solid. This prevents them from deteriorating when dipped in the melted chocolate. I like to work in batches, keeping as many filling balls in the freezer as possible and taking out a few at a time just before coating them. The longer the balls are left in the freezer the better.
Let melted chocolate cool. Be patient, and let the chocolate cool for at least a few minutes after it has melted. This helps keep the filling balls in tact and prevents them from losing their shape when dipped into the chocolate.
Work in small batches. I found that pouring a small amount of the melted chocolate into a small bowl and coating the balls in the small container really helps keep the chocolate coating easier to use. Inevitably, some of the filling will get into the chocolate coating and will cause the chocolate to thicken or seize. This will make it more difficult to coat the balls. So decanting small amounts of melted chocolate at a time really helps keep the chocolate smooth and loose.
Toothpick method. Normally, when coating something in chocolate, I use the fork method of dunking the thing into the coating, turning it over, using the fork to lift it out, and letting the excess chocolate drip off. But here, I found that using a toothpick was really the most effective and easy method. Simply pierce a filling ball with a toothpick, quickly dunk and turn it around in the chocolate to coat, then lift and let the excess drip off. Then, turn the ball upright, slide onto a fork and pull the toothpick out from the bottom in order to place the coated ball back on the baking sheet.

What Ingredients Are In These Healthy Pecan Pie Truffles?

These Healthy Pecan Pie Truffles are made better-for-you as they are made with only simple, real ingredients and contain no refined sugars, flours, or oils. They are also paleo-friendly meaning they are free from gluten, grain, and dairy. Plus, they are vegan! These are the ingredients you will need:

Pecans – I used raw pecans and toasted them quickly in the oven. It couldn’t be easier and takes only 4-5 minutes. Feel free to buy roasted, but unsalted, pecans if you prefer to skip this step.
Coconut Cream – The solid upper layer from a fresh can of coconut milk. Use as much of the white solid as possible, but it’s totally fine if there is some milk included to get the amount needed for the recipe. I do not recommend using light or low-fat coconut milk. I used Native Forest Classic Coconut Milk but Thai Kitchen is another great option.
Coconut Sugar – This keeps the truffles refined sugar free and as coconut sugar has an inherently caramel-like flavor, it really makes the filling taste just like a traditional caramel. I use and love Nutiva’s Coconut Sugar.
Coconut Oil – Helps create the caramel mixture. Use refined coconut oil for a coconut-free flavor.
Vanilla – A must for a good tasting caramel! I highly recommend using a good quality vanilla extract for these truffles.
Nut/Seed Butter – Used to thicken the caramel and help it solidify when chilled. Use any thick and creamy nut or seed butter you like such a cashew, almond, peanut, or sunflower seed butter. I have made these with all of the above, except peanut butter, which I feel would overpower the pecans. My favorite of the three was the batch made with cashew butter.
Dark Chocolate – Use a good quality dark chocolate bar chopped into chunks or baking discs (like these, these, or these) for the best chocolate coating results. Feel free to use milk chocolate instead of dark if that’s more your scene! I got the best coating results when I used Hu’s Baking Gems.
Sea Salt – Because chocolate and sea salt is always a good idea. A good quality flakey sea salt like Maldon is always a classic. I used one by Only Salt which comes in these cute crystals.

These Healthy Pecan Pie Truffles are the perfect sweet ending to any meal or a delicious treat to gift your friends and family this holiday season! They are incredibly delicious, made with real ingredients, have the perfect balance of crunchy and creamy, sweet and salty that make them dangerously addictive. Basically, you don’t want to miss out on these. A MUST make this holiday season!

paleo friendly (gluten/grain/dairy free), naturally sweetened, vegan

SHARE THE LOVE!

If you make this recipe, please spread the love by leaving a review or rating down below. And I’d LOVE to see and share your creation! Take a picture and tag me on Instagram @freshlydafna in your feed or stories and I will share on my account!

Healthy Pecan Pie Truffles

These Healthy Pecan Pie Truffles have all the delicious flavor of a classic pecan pie but packaged up in a handheld balls. An incredible candy with a gooey caramel-like filling packed with toasted pecan chunks, coated in dark chocolate, and topped with some flakey sea salt.

paleo (gluten/grain/dairy free), vegan, refined sugar free

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup raw pecans (170 grams)
2/3 cup coconut cream (170 grams) thick top layer from a fresh can of coconut milk
1/2 cup coconut sugar (72 grams)
2 tsp coconut oil (10 grams)
3-4 tbsp nut/seed butter (45-60 grams)
2 tsp vanilla extract (10 grams)
dash sea salt
2 cups dark chocolate chunks or melting wafers (280 grams)
flakey sea salt (optional)

Instructions

Heat oven to 400 degrees and spread pecans over a baking sheet. Toast the pecans for 4-5 minutes, turning the nuts once, halfway through baking. Keep an eye on the pecans because they can go from toasty to burnt in a flash! The pecans are done when they are slightly brown and smell incredible. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
Make the caramel filling by combining the coconut cream, coconut sugar, and coconut oil together in a small pot and heat over medium low flame. Stir well and let come to a gently boil. Cook, stirring occasionally for 4-5 minutes or until the mixture has reduced slightly and become a golden brown.
Remove from heat add the vanilla, 3 tablespoons of nut/seed butter of choice, and a dash of salt to the pot and stir until the mixture is thick and creamy. Add another tablespoon of nut/seed butter if the mixture is still a little thin.
Roughly chop the pecans, pour into the caramel mixture, and stir to combine.
Pour the pecan caramel filling into a medium bowl and place in freezer to firm, approximately 1 hour.
Once the filling is firm, scoop and roll into balls and place on a parchment paper or silicone baking mat lined baking sheet. I find the 40 mm scoop to be the ideal (1 1/2 inch) sized balls.
Place balls back in the freezer. Meanwhile melt the chocolate by warming in short, 5 second, bursts in the microwave or over a double boiler. Stir until chocolate is fully melted and shiny. Let the chocolate cool for several minutes.
Working in batches, leaving as many filling balls in the freezer as possible, coat the balls with chocolate (see original post for helpful tips). Pierce each ball with a toothpick or skewer and quickly roll in the chocolate until it is fully coated. Allow excess chocolate to drip off, turn the ball upright, slide onto a fork and pull the toothpick out from the bottom in order to place the coated ball back on the baking sheet. Top with flakey sea salt.
Place the coated truffles back in the freezer briefly to let the chocolate set. Once chocolate is firm, enjoy!

Recipe Notes

Helpful Kitchen Tools (affiliate links): 40 mm scoop, silicone spatula, silicone baking mat, kitchen scale

Make Ahead: These Pecan Pie Truffles can be made ahead at almost any step! The mixture, uncoated balls, and the completed chocolate coated balls can be stored, covered, in the freezer for a few months!

Storage: Store in the fridge or freezer! These will keep for about 2 months if they manage to stay uneaten for that long. These can be enjoyed straight out of the freezer or let temper on the counter a few minutes before serving for a more gooey center.

Subs/Variations:

Nut/Seed - Use any thick and creamy nut/seed butter such as cashew, sunflower seed, peanut, or almond butter. Ideally use one that contains one ingredient (no added sugars or oil). Thoroughly mix the nut/seed butter in the container before measuring and do not use the compacted paste at the bottom. I most preferred cashew butter in this recipe.

Coconut Oil - Use refined coconut oil for a no-coconut flavor.

Chocolate Coating - Use a good quality chocolate bar chopped into chunks or melting wafers for best coating results. To keep these refined sugar free and strictly paleo, use your favorite coconut or maple sugar sweetened chocolate. Feel free to use milk chocolate if you prefer!

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Healthy(ish) Pumpkin Snickers (vegan & paleo)

October 23, 2020 by Dafna Leave a Comment

It’s a dessert mash up of the two things most synonymous with the month of October: pumpkin and candy! I’m so happy to introduce you to my healthy homemade Pumpkin Snickers! It’s a healthier spin on the popular candy bar (a favorite trick or treat bounty) but with a delicious pumpkiny twist. These homemade candy bars are ones you can feel good about eating especially if you are (for whatever dietary reason) feeling like you can’t join the Halloween candy-filled festivities!

These healthy-ish Pumpkin Snickers are vegan, no-bake, and made with no refined sugars, flours, or oils. And they are paleo-friendly meaning they contain no gluten, grain, or dairy! These candy bars have a thick nougat-like base layer made with almond flour and pumpkin puree, then topped with a chewy coconut-milk-based-caramel layer spiked with pumpkin pie spice and filled with crunchy cashews. (But feel free to use any nut you like instead!) And, of course, coated in a thick layer of dark chocolate. The recipe is super easy to make and the resulting pumpkin flavored candy bar is one you will soon not forget and ensure you won’t be missing those basic candy bars floating around the neighborhood.

This recipe can be made in two ways, one with a candy mold, and one with a loaf pan. After making these candy bars both ways, I have a slight preference for the candy mold. It is a bit easier when it comes to the chocolate coating. There is a bit less wasted melted chocolate and a bit less of a mess made. That being said, the loaf pan may take a bit longer to allow the entire center to firm, but it requires a bit less hands on time. To make these Pumpkin Snickers we create the base nougat by simply mixing the ingredients together in a bowl! Then we make the pumpkin spice caramel on the stove which requires no candy thermometer! The caramel is made by cooking coconut cream, coconut sugar, and coconut oil over a medium flame. Once it’s caramelized and thickened, we cut the heat and mix in cashew butter (or other nut/seed butter of choice) and stir in some chopped cashews (or other nut you prefer). The caramel is placed on top of the nougat and placed in the freezer to firm up. Once it’s firm we coat with melted chocolate, then just a few minutes back in the fridge or freezer to let the chocolate set and THAT’S IT! Basically just three easy steps. And although these candy bars are nothing but basic, the ingredients are. These are made with a total of just 12 real, simple ingredients! No preservatives, no food coloring, just real food to make one real good candy.

Speaking of Ingredients….
Here’s a look at the basic ingredients used to make these Pumpkin Snickers:

Almond Flour – The base of the nougat is made with almond flour to give it that soft and chewy texture. My go-to is always Bob’s Red Mill superfine almond flour. Check Thrive Market for the best pricing.

Pumpkin Puree – To give these candy bars a real pumpkin flavor, I add pumpkin puree to the nougat base. This is the perfect way to use up that small leftover pumpkin you have lingering in your fridge from the more aggressively pumpkin treats (like this Marbled Pumpkin Bread, perhaps). Make sure you use pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling which has added sweeteners and spices.

Coconut Sugar – Coconut sugar is used in both the nougat layer and the caramel layer to make these refined sugar free. In fact, the cooking of the coconut sugar really gives a wonderful caramel flavor to the middle layer that really makes it taste like a traditional caramel.

Coconut Cream – Coconut cream is the thick white solid layer at the top of the coconut milk can. Try to use as much of this coconut cream as possible for the caramel. That being said, it’s absolutely fine if some of the coconut milk is included. If that is the case, just be sure to cook the caramel for an extra minute or so when making the caramel.

Cashew Butter – The cashew butter is used to thicken the caramelized sugar mixture and create a thick chewy caramel. Feel free to use any nut/seed butter you like! I used cashew butter because it has a more neutral flavor than some other nut butters and really let’s the pumpkin pie spice shine. Try to use a nut/seed butter that has only 1 ingredient and no added sugars or oils.

Chopped Cashews – Traditional Snickers is made with chopped peanuts, but I decided to go with cashews because I almost always have them on hand and honestly, prefer them to peanuts. Feel free to use any nut that suits your fancy for the crunchy element added to the caramel layer.

Dark Chocolate – One of the reasons I love this recipe more than the original store bought candy is because it’s covered in a thick layer of dark chocolate rather than milk chocolate. I use Enjoy Life’s semi-sweet chunks, which are made with cane sugar, because they are allergy-friendly and reasonably priced. Use your favorite coconut sugar sweetened chocolate chips or chopped up chocolate bar to keep these strictly paleo and refined sugar free.

How Are These Made, you ask?

Okay, I’ve given you a brief run-down of how these are made. But since there are two ways to make these, let’s take a little bit of a closer look at each option before you head off to the pantry to collect the ingredients. There are two vessel options for making these and depending on which one you choose, the steps will be slightly different. I have created two different recipe options below so you can easily follow the steps for either option you choose. Don’t let the seemingly long recipe dissuade you from making these! I give lots of tips to ensure your candy-making success! It’s really only a few steps.

Candy Mold Option: I’m giving this option first because after making them both ways I prefer this one a bit more. It’s a little easier and slightly less messy. I purchased this candy mold from Amazon (specifically for this recipe but will definitely be breaking it out often) and found it be super easy to use and clean! Here is a break down of the steps:

Melt the chocolate and coat the walls and edges of the bar wells.
Make the nougat and fill each form halfway with nougat.
Make the caramel and top the nougat with caramel.
Close the bar with the upper layer of chocolate.
Let set and pop those candy bars out when you’re ready to enjoy!

Loaf Pan Option: Try to find a loaf pan with the straightest edges possible to create an even bar look, but any will do, and line with parchment paper. Then the steps are as follows.

Make the nougat and press into the pan.
Make the caramel and spread over nougat.
Let everything firm in freezer (ideally 2 hrs, minimum 30 minutes).
Cut filling layer into bars.
Melt chocolate and coat the bars.
Let set in freezer and that’s is, candy ready for your enjoyment.

Either way you make these, you are sure to end up with one very delicious treat without any of those sneaky food tricks! It’s basically the best of October desserts in one delicious bar.

paleo friendly (gluten/grain/dairy free), refined sugar free, vegan

RECIPE FOR CANDY MOLD

If you make this recipe, please leave a review or rating down below. And I’d LOVE to see your creation! Please tag me on Instagram @freshlydafna and use #freshlydafna.

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This post may contain affiliate links. Any product I choose to include is one that I’m currently using and loving. If you do choose to purchase these products, I may earn a commission, which helps support my site and the free content I provide.