Chocolate Caramel Slice
Finally a healthy chocolate caramel slice made without condensed milk and golden syrup - this raw vegan dessert is gluten, dairy and refined sugar free yet BIG on flavour.
Equipment
- Blender
- Food processor
- 9 inch square baking tin
Ingredients
Base ingredients:
- 1 cup buckwheat groats
- ½ cup desiccated coconut
- 15 Medjool dates
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil melted
- ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt
Caramel ingredients:
- 1 heaped cup macadamia nuts ideally soaked in water for several hours, then drained and dried
- ½ cup coconut oil melted
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup raw cashew butter natural, unsalted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla paste (ideal) or extract
- 1 tablespoon soy lecithin granules
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt see notes
Chocolate layer:
- ½ cup raw cashew butter natural, unsalted
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
- ½ cup raw cacao powder
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste (ideal) or extract
- pinch coarse sea salt
Instructions
Prep:
- If you have time, soak the macadamia nuts in water for several hours, then drain and pat dry. No biggie if you don't, but this helps them blend easier.
- Take a cup of whole, raw buckwheat groats, and whiz in the blender for up to five seconds, to break down into a rough meal/powder, retaining some whole groats for a biscuit-like texture.
- Rest the jar of cashew butter in a small saucepan filled with hot or simmering water, to soften for easy blending.
Biscuit base:
- Blitz the buckwheat flour, coconut and salt in the food processor till the mix is nice and crumbly.
- Add the coconut oil, then the Medjool dates, one by one.
- You should end up with a sticky dough that will hold nicely when pressed together.
- Line a 9 inch square baking tin with baking paper, and press the dough evenly into the bottom of the tin. Clean the food processor for the next step.
Caramel layer:
- Blend all ingredients except the lecithin granules till nice and creamy. Take your time, aim for a smooth texture.
- Sprinkle the lecithin over the top and blend again for several minutes until completely dissolved.
- Spread evenly over the biscuit layer, set in freezer. Clean the food processor for the next step.
Chocolate topping:
- Blend until combined, the texture will resemble a light dough or thick truffle.
- Use a spatula to spread over the firm caramel layer, set in freezer.
- Cut the slice into 32 equal rectangles and serve.
- Best kept in the fridge or freezer.
Video
Notes
- If your Medjool dates are dry, hydrate them by soaking in water warm first
- When making the caramel slice base, don’t over blend the buckwheat groats, having some texture is what gives the base a biscuit-like crunch
- My preference is to use vanilla paste over extract for the caramel filling. It darkens the colour of the caramel, and adds beautiful flecks of vanilla
- While this is a salted caramel slice – check the label of your cashew butter – if it is salted, you may not need the additional sea salt in the caramel (I always use natural, unsalted nut butters). Taste test, but err on the side of a tad salty, as the sweetness of the other two layers will perfectly balance it out
- Heavy handed with the salt? Don’t panic – add a little more lemon juice
Nutrition
Calories: 190kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 3gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 6gSodium: 28mgFiber: 2gSugar: 13gCalcium: 30mgIron: 0.7mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!