Irresistible Homemade Vegan Snickers Bar

Guys, this is THE recipe you need to make if you have a sweet tooth. I’ve made it so many times for my friends and they always want me to make them more!

Snickers is such a favourite growing up. I love the peanuts mixed with caramel. I find this recipe I’ve created WAY better than the store bought kind. It’s homemade. It’s made with raw ingredients. It’s vegan. Gluten free AND dairy free!

How to make vegan snickers bars?

I have to say it’s a bit of a process but SO worth it. I double the batch to not only make two different colours but also to give them out to friends and keep a stash in the freezer .

Preparing the pan

I start with a square baking pan (9 inches by 9 inches) and line it with parchment paper. I let some extra parchment paper hang over the sides and clip it using a small metal clip.

Ingredients for shortbread

The beauty of this recipe is that the ingredients are healthy and wholesome. What do you need?

• Maple syrup: I love the taste of Canadian maple syrup. Alternatively I love rice malt syrup as well. It’s your preference which one you’d like to use. The liquid from these are required to bind the dry ingredients together. You could also use agave but I haven’t used it so I don’t know what the taste would be like.
• Coconut oil: coconut oil solidifies in cold temperature and even at room temperature it doesn’t get liquify. It helps binds the ingredients and ensures it stays together.
• Almond and hazelnut meal: these are my favourite flavours to use for raw bars. You could also use cashews or any other nuts like peanuts if you wish.
• Shredded coconut: If you don’t like the taste of this you could omit it all together. I don’t know what the resulting taste would be or how much of the nut meals you’d need to add though. I add the shredded coconut because I wanted to colour the batter. The colour doesn’t shine through if just using nut meal.
• Blue spirulina and purple yam powder: these are the two natural food powders I used to colour the shortbread. I doubled the batter and made one blue and other purple. I use this blue spirulina.

Mixing the ingredients together

Everything comes together in a food processor. I added the shredded coconut first and then the blue spirulina to colour the shreddings. I then added the nut meals and gave it a good spin. Finally I added the wet ingredients. When I picked it up it was sticky and held together but not too sticky like taffy. Add more nut meal if it’s too sticky or more maple syrup if it’s too dry and crumbly.

Pressing shortbread ingredients into the pan

This step can take a bit of time. Sometimes if the batter is sticking to my finger I lightly wet my hands and press the batter into the bottom of the square pan. I use a wide metal spatula (used for flipping things really) to press down and create an even layer. Once done, I pop it into the freezer for 20 minutes or the duration of time it takes me to make the caramel layer.

Caramel layer

This layer consists of:

• Dates: I like to soak mine in hot water to make it extra soft! It’s not necessary but I like this extra step.
• Peanut butter: This step is crucial. Pick a nut butter that is creamy and tastes good. I love using Fatso peanut butter. It’s so creamy and delicious
• Coconut oil: again something that creates a bit of stability and helps the layer not ooze and liquify when you cut the bars
• Roasted salted peanuts: Having the peanuts roasted and salted will add more flavours and complement the sweetness of the dates.

I pulse the dates inside the food processor first. I then add in my nut butter and coconut oil. I scoop out the caramel goodness from the processor and add in the peanuts. I use my hands to mix it. It’s a bit sticky and some patience is required to both mix it and add it to your shortbread. The shortbread should be slightly cooled from the freezer and you can use two spatulas and your fingers to smoothen the caramel layer on top. I would leave it to freeze for at least 6 hours. Overnight is preferred.

Once your snickers batter is frozen you can remove it from the pan and lay it on a flat surface. I use a heat proof tall glass jar and fill it with hot water. I let my knife soak in the glass for 10-20 seconds and wipe it clean with a paper towel/towel. Being very careful, I use this hot knife to make slices into my desire strip length. I use the paper towel to wipe off the batter and repeat this method for the remainder of the batter. You can make them mini sized or regular sized!

Dipping them in chocolate

I used vegan chocolate chips and vegan dark chocolate squares used for baking. Depending on the sweetness and how dark you want your chocolate, this step is entirely up to you! Usually I run out of chocolate to dip my bars into, so start with two cups of chocolate chips or 16 ounces.

Using a double boiler method, melt your chocolate. Carefully pour your chocolate into a tall glass jar.

Using a fork, toothpick, or your hand dunk your bars into the glass holding your melted chocolate. Take it out carefully, holding it over the glass to let the excess chocolate drip off.

Place it on a wire rack, with parchment paper underneath to catch the chocolate drops. Wait around 10 minutes and carefully take the raw bars off the wire wrack and place into a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Line them up side by side making sure they don’t touch. Place them in the freezer for 6 hours or overnight.

Garnishing

The next morning, remove your bars from the freezer. Have some rose petals, lavender petals, sprinkles or dried fruits (that you crumbled) to add to your snickers bars.

Melt some more chocolate and place into a piping bag. Cut a tiny hole and drizzle it haphazardly in criss cross lines across your tray over the bars. Working quickly add your garnishes you’ve set aside on top so they set with the chocolate drizzles.

How long do these bars store in the freezer for?

I don’t store these in the fridge as they will melt and get soft. They’re best in the freezer for up to 3 months (if they last that long, that is!).

That’s all there is to it! Hopefully these tips and tricks will help you make your own bar! Let me know how they taste by leaving a comment below! I really appreciate you!

I did this recipe in collaboration with Botanical Lucidity and used their Peace Potion in my ingredients!

Try a slight variation to this recipe: Raspberry Vegan Chocolate Bar