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With Valentine’s day coming up soon, why not make a dessert that’s healthier, vegan, gluten free AND still tastes crazy delicious? It’s light, gooey and healthy!
I am all for giving your sweetheart something sweet for Valentine’s Day, but why not make them a little healthier? There’s something about Valentine’s Day and salted caramel. They are a match made in heaven.
Maybe it reminds me of when my dad would give me those chocolates in the heart shape every year and the only one I would eat (and not spit out) was the chocolate caramel! Don’t get me started on the chocolate coconut ones…. I would have to spit them out and rinse my mouth it.
Did you know that I absolutely despise coconut? The smell, taste…all of it. You know I am extremely picky!
These bars are ooey-gooey and taste sinful even if they are packed with fiber, antioxidants and healthy fats. No one has to know, it’ll be our secret. And add the fact that these babies are no bake? This just got real guys. I am so excited about these. My kids loved them too. Even the picky one!
I love no bake desserts all year long, but especially during the summer. It’s always too hot to turn the oven on. It basically heats up the whole house! And who in their right mind would eat to heat up their house when it’s 90 degrees outside? Not me.
Check out this fun video which shows how easy these are to make!
I personally love dark chocolate, especially with the salted caramel, but you can easily use milk chocolate if you’d like. These are so easy to make, so use what you are in the mood for or what you already have at home!
If you are like me you always have regular cocoa powder and dark chocolate cocoa powder in your house. I’m always ready to go!
This is one of the recipes that you most likely will have all of the ingredients on hand. There’s nothing crazy in there. Ok, you might not have coconut cream in your house all the time, but maybe you should stock up for the future. I usually buy 6 cans at a time when I go to Trader Joe’s.
This way I am ready to go whenever a salted caramel craving strikes. I always like to be prepared. And I get the salted caramel craving more often than you’d think.
I also like to make these when I go to parties or get togethers because it is very allergy friendly. The only thing I haven’t covered are nut allergies since there’s almond flour in there. But these are perfect for vegans, celiacs (gluten free) and those with dairy allergies.
I am working on making this with coconut flour for my friends with nut allergies. I have tried it now two times with luck. But I am not giving up! Gluten free dessert recipes rarely are perfect on the first try. At least that’s the case for me.
When I was writing my first cookbook, The Everything Wheat Free Diet Cookbook, the dessert chapter was definitely the most difficult for me. Sometimes I would have to create a recipe 5 or 6 times just to get it right! Gluten free flours can be fickle at times and you really need the perfect ratio of flour to liquid.
So I will keep trying until I can make these bars nut free too! It might just take me a while…
Isn’t that caramel so gooey and delicious? It might be a little messy, but oh so worth it! Sometimes I put them in the freezer for a few minutes before I slice them to harden up a bit. It depends on how messy you want to get.
But also when you put them in the freezer for a few minutes it makes them easier to slice. Either way, they still taste incredible.
Salted Caramel Dark Chocolate Bars
Ingredients
- For the crust:
- 1/2 cup almond flour I used Bob's Red Mill
- 1/4 cup flax meal or ground flax
- 2 tablespoons dark cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons 100% pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil melted
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- For the caramel:
- 1/3 cup unrefined sugar
- 1/4 cup coconut cream
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- For the Topping:
- 10 ounces dark chocolate chips
Instructions
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Place parchment paper on the bottom of a 9 x 9 inch baking pan. Spray with baking spray on top of parchment paper.
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Mix all of the ingredients together to make the crust.
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Press crust onto bottom of the pan. Place in the refrigerator while you make the caramel.
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Mix all the ingredients for the caramel together in a small saucepan over a low heat.
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Stir continuously while it thickens, about 3-4 minutes.
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Remove from heat.
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Pour caramel ontop of chocolate crust.
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Melt chocolate chips in the microwave or in a sauce pan over low heat. Pour on top of caramel sauce.
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Place in the refrigerator for at least an hour to harden.
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Cut into 9 bars. Eat immediately and store leftovers in an air tight container in the refrigerator.
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 bar
Amount Per Serving
Calories 214 Calories from Fat 122
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 13.5g21%
Saturated Fat 7.2g36%
Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 0mg0%
Sodium 7mg0%
Potassium 77mg2%
Total Carbohydrates 26.6g9%
Dietary Fiber 2.3g9%
Sugars 20.0g
Protein 4.0g
*Nutrition information not guaranteed, provided by www.caloriecount.com
If you like these (can’t blame you) you just might like these too:
Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel Pretzel Bark
Salted Caramel and Pecan Chocolate Tarts
Mint Chocolate Mint Cheesecakes
I hope you enjoy these Salted Carmel Dark Chocolate Bars too! I can’t wait to make them again for all 4 of my sweeties 🙂
Let me know what other recipes you’d like me to create. Are you interested in more healthy dessert recipes? Or maybe you’d like to see more main dishes? Breakfast ideas? I would love to know!
What’s your favorite healthy, no bake treat ? I am always looking for new ideas so please share your favorites with me!
Thanks for stopping by!
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Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel Pretzel Bark #EatHealthy15 {Vegan, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free}
Chocolate Covered Chocolate Chip Yogurt Bites {Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, No Bake, 4 Ingredients}
No Bake Almond Butter Fudge Bars {Vegan, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Easy}
White Chocolate Raspberry Chia Pudding {Vegan, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, No Bake}
What a great recipe. Such a better alternative to the usual!
Thanks Kristen!
These look great, love the healthier alternative.
Thank you Amy!
Woah. Now these look ultra decadent and amazing!
Thanks Kim!
wow these look absolutely amazing. Can’t wait to make these!
Thanks MaryAnne, I hope you like them!
Gorgeous! Oh this just sounds wonderful, thanks for sharing!! I can’t wait to try that caramel sauce.
Thanks Sam!
What decadent chocolate bars! These would be perfect for Valentine’s Day!
Thank you Angie!
I really love these as an option to the overly sweet, overly fat, sticky, gooey, gloppy store-bought selections. I’m definitely giving homemade this year!
Thanks Lana! I completely agree 🙂
Forget my sweetheart, this is for me… And I’m hiding them… and not telling… Maybe he can have some of the second batch.
That’s so awesome Kita!
Never in a million years would I have guessed these were healthified – they look so rich and decadent! My cheeks are tingling a little bit…
Mine are too Heather! 🙂
So I was just about to leave a comment telling you how wonderful these look….when my husband walked by and did a double-take and asked me “What is THAT? Looks delicious!” 🙂
Thank you Martha! 🙂
I love the ingredients in the filling…just fantastic!! I am always into any thing chocolate, and your bars are tempting me so! I have a friend that would love your blog…I’m going to pass your blog name to her later on. Really nice, Lauren!!
Thank you so much Lora!!
What. the. heck.
I feel like strides were just made in grain-free baking. I don’t even know what to say. These are just amazing. So totally my kind of recipe!
Oh thank you Erin!!
Now those are some amazing chocolate bars! And I love the ingredient list…healthy while still making something decadent.
If I hadn’t seen your ingredients I would NEVER guess that these are a healthier option. They look so decadent.
Thanks Christine!!
Wow that’s a whole lotta ooey gooey goodness right there. Want. Stat.
I totally love gooey desserts Paula 🙂
I am loving these lightened up treats! I too am a fan of dark chocolate!
Good taste Amanda 😉
C’mon now girl, look how ooey and gooey these are. I just want to reach in my screen and grab one, or ten. You make healthy look good. And you know that means a lot coming from this girl.
Hope we get to see each other this year. I’m starting to map out my conference hopping schedule.
You are so sweet Kim! I am DYING to hang with you again! XO
OMG. I can’t get over how incredibly wonderful these bars look. Seriously amazing.
Thanks so much Kellie!!
Ok, I am making these right now and I am having trouble with the crust?!? Are the measurements out? There is no way that the crust could line the bottom of a 9×9 pan and in fact I am can’t even spread it thin enough for my 8×8? Help!?
Hi Susie! The crust is relatively thin but it did spread on my 9 x 9 pan. Maybe try a loaf pan? Let me know how they turn out!
OK, so wetting my fingers I managed to press the crust almost out to the edges of my 8×8 pan. Close enough!
My caramel layer also had difficulties, but I think that may have been due to my coconut cream. Where I live some of the options are limited… so my coconut cream came was not in a tetra pack like the one you linked to. It was in a little box with a plastic bag inside and it was quite solid, the instructions said to warm it up to liquify it. Anyway, my sugar/coconut cream/salt layer was in the pot… VERY dry even after a fair while of being on the stove. So I felt like I needed to add some liquid. I added a bit of coconut oil and water and it turned into more what I was expecting it to be and it did slowly dry up a bit like your instructions said (after about 5-8 minutes?) However it never did turn brown, and when I spread it over the cold crust it firmed up even more and became quite thick! Lol!
So I added the chocolate layer, no problem 🙂 and chilled it. We just ate some for our dessert and although ours is definitely not caramel like (a bit more like a nanaimo bar) it is still quite yummy!
I am glad you liked it Susie! Yes, vegan caramel is different than milk based caramel 🙂
Hi Lauren, I see several no bake deserts I want to try. How can I get calorie facts?
Hi Patti, I just added nutrition information, thank you!
Hello,
Can I use all purpose flour instead of the almond and flax meal and we don’t have coconut cream, regular coconut milk would work?
Hi Vivian! I am not exactly sure being that I haven’t tried it this way, but I bet you can try condensed milk instead of coconut cream? I bet you can try AP flour as well. Please come back and let me know how it comes out! Thanks!
I made these for a potluck and they went over very well! The crust was a little sticky and I was able to press it most of the way to the edges. Next time, I’ll keep a little extra coconut oil out to coat my fingers. I didn’t find flax so I used crushed hemp seeds, which are highly nutritious. How did you get the caramel to be so brown and gooey? I cooked it for quite a bit longer than 3-4 minutes and on a little higher heat, but it didn’t help much (it was like a layer of white sweetness–still good, but didn’t taste like caramel to me). The melted chocolate was very smooth on top, unlike your photo. How did yours come out looking so “bumpy”? All in all, these were delicious and I’d make them again.
Hi Lisa! I am glad you liked them! Maybe mine looked bumpy because of the way I poured it in? I am not sure, but I am happy they tasted good!
I followed the recipe to the T, and they taste amazing, but they never firmed up quite right – not enough to served as bars.
Hi Allie! I’ve placed mine the refrigerator and even freezer for 15 minutes just to harden a bit. Hope that helps!
Looks amazing! I love no bake treats. These are so tempting! Must make soon…
Is there a way I can make these without coconut? My sister gets allergic reactions to coconut. It looks really yummy though!!
Hi Jessica. If you don’t want it to be vegan, you can try regular heavy cream or half and half instead of coconut cream however, I have not tried this! Please come back and let me know how it came out? Thanks for stopping by!
These look absolutely incredible!
These look out of this world! Printing the recipe!
These look amazing! Can’t wait to try them!