Vegan Snickers Bars

These vegan snickers are a clean alternative that taste just as indulgent! Made with three layers – these snickers start with a walnut dark chocolate brownie base, a soft cashew nougat center, and a sweet peanut date caramel on top. Each layer is made in a food processor, so this recipe is really easy to make! Just blend them up, layer them up, chill, and slice. It’s the perfect treat to keep in the freezer for a sweet afternoon snack.

Triple layer vegan snickers

What I love about this recipe is that everything is made in one food processor so it makes for an easy dessert and quick clean up. Here’s what you can expect from all three layers of these snickers:

Cashew Nougat

This is the first layer to blend in the food processor, although it’s the second layer of these snickers. The reason why it’s first is because it’s the lightest in color. If you blended the brownie or the caramel first, you would have to completely clean out the food processor before making the nougat…and no one has time for that! By blending each layer in a certain order, you’re able to just scrape down the food processor and move on to the next one.

For the nougat, make sure you start with softened cashews. This is done by either soaking the cashews overnight or boiling them for about 10-15 minutes. Softening them makes for super easy blending – giving you a smooth nougat layer.

The second main ingredient of the nougat is the cacao butter. This is an extract from the cocoa bean and is used in chocolates as the fat substance to give it a smooth texture and flavor. Raw cacao on its own is very firm, but almost tastes like white chocolate. Because of this, it helps solidify the nougat layer without giving it a strong flavor (like a coconut-based product would).

When blending, try to break up the cacao butter into tiny pieces first. If it’s too difficult, melt it down for easy blending. If the chunks are left too large, it’s hard for the food processor to fully break it down.

After processing, scoop the nougat into a small dish and move on to the date caramel.

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Peanut Date Caramel

Next to the food processor is the second lightest-in-color layer that goes right on top – the caramel. Its mainly comprised of two ingredients: dates and peanut butter.

Dates are what gives this caramel that sweet sticky flavor and texture, while the peanut butter helps create a creamy consistency. When blending the two, run the processor as long as you can. As soon as it starts to clump up into one large mass, trickle in a couple tablespoons of water to help thin it out. Just like magic, this caramel goes from thick and clunky to smooth and caramel-y (that’s a word, right?).

Walnut Brownie Base

Although it’s the first layer, this brownie base is made last because of its super dark color. It’s made up of 4 ingredients: walnuts, dates, peanut butter, and cocoa powder. Once blended, it should resemble a wet sand consistency that can be compacted to hold its shape. If it’s too dry, trickle in a tablespoon or two of water while the food processor is running. This should help bring it all together.

If you’re thinking this dessert has way too many nuts, you can skip this brownie base and stick with just the nougat and caramel. Once frozen, you can cover them in chocolate just like a regular snickers. But if you want to go that extra mile and get the MOST flavor and texture out of this recipe, I highly recommend making the brownie layer.

Layering up these snickers

Now that all the layers are assembled, it’s time to bring these snickers together. Since it’s a calorically and fiber dense dessert, these snickers are made in a 9×5 loaf pan. This makes 14 snickers total as just a little bit will be enough to fill you up.

To this pan, start by pressing the brownie layer in to the bottom. Really pack it down to prevent any crumbling when sliced.

Spread the nougat on top and freeze for about 20 minutes. This will help solidify the nougat to make it easier to spread the caramel on top. Once chilled, spread on the caramel and top with a layer of peanuts.

I recommend using dry roasted roasted peanuts as this extra bit of salt helps to balance out the sweetness of the caramel.

Now, before slicing, it’s important to freeze these snickers until firm. Freezing will ensure that each layer and slice stays in tact. This will take about 30 minutes – 1 hour in the freezer.

Optional toppings

Once chilled, it’s time to slice up your snickers and enjoy. They’re delicious on their own, but you can add a drizzle of melted 100% cacao on top to round out that chocolate flavor. I also added a sprinkle of sea salt to further balance out the sweetness.

How to store raw vegan snickers

Once sliced, store your snickers in the freezer in an air tight container. They will keep for up to 1 month. I recommend leaving them out at room temperature for about 20 minutes before eating.

For more healthy dessert recipes:

• Healthy Brownie Cookie Dough Bars
• Healthy Blueberry Crumble Bars
• Sweet Potato Muffins
• Sweet Potato Brownies
• Healthy Baked Oatmeal – 4 Ways

Make sure to tag me @butternutbakery on Instagram and comment below if you make these Vegan Snickers. To pin this recipe and save it for later, you can use the button on the recipe card or on any of the photos above. Happy baking!

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