Soft Chocolate ‘Caramel’ Pecan Bars (vegan, gf)

Happy Fall everyone!!
.. just kidding, it’s now winter in Calgary #whyisthishappening.
I was so smug to my sister when she got a bunch of snow in Grande Prairie because Calgary was having BEAUTIFUL fall weather. Then the next day, we got snow too LOL. So not impressed, however, I am excited for warm drinks, cozy fires in our fireplace, hot soups and having alllll the salt lamps on. I guess winter can be nice.

Alright, let’s chat about something that isn’t semi-upsetting. These amazing soft Chocolate Caramel Pecan Bars. To be honest, they were a ‘test recipe’ meaning, I made them with the assumption that I would be changing up a few things but they turned out quite tasty. They are soft, a little chewy, filling, caramel-y, fibrous, and satisfying af. Note: the caramel layer was largely inspired by Beyond Nourished twix bars. Rachelle is a GODDESS in the kitchen and her twix bars are unreal. To be honest, when I make her bars, I double the caramel layer because its just SO GOOD. For these bars, I switched up the caramel ingredients just a bit.

I love experimenting with bar recipes like this one because you can do SO much with it! I think I will be using this recipe as a great ‘base’ recipe and then switch up a few ingredients to change it up. Quick note on the ingredients – it looks like an aggressive list of ingredients but with each layer, the ingredients are pretty similar (there’s only 9-10!). So please don’t look at the list and be scared ♥

I hope you enjoy these as much as I have (and still am!).

Soft Chocolate Caramel Pecan Bars 

Crust
8-10 medjool dates – pitted + soaked for a little bit to soften them up even more
2 cups pecans
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 tsp vanilla extract (alcohol-free – this has the best flavor)
1/4 tsp fine sea salt/ pink salt
1/2 cup coconut oil melted
1-2 tbsp almond flour (optional, you can add this if your crust is too “wet”, you can also use oat flour or more rolled oats)
Caramel layer
1 cup almond butter
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp ground sea salt/ pink salt
Chocolate drizzle
1/2 cup cacao powder
1/4 – 1/2 cup maple syrup (taste test after 1/4 cup then add more if you want)
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
3-4 tbsp coconut milk – full fat (you know, that good good)
Pinch ground sea salt

Directions
1. Add all crust ingredients to a high powered food processor. Pulse a few times and then scrape down the sides. Keep doing this until the crust has a smooth and ‘paste’ like consistency. This step took me a little while and I had to stop and scrape many times. Just a heads up if you feel like you are “doing it wrong”. I have a pic below showing how the crust should look.
2. Line a 9×5 loaf pan with parchment paper. You can use a slightly bigger loaf pan if you want, but the crust will be thinner. Not a bad thing!
3. Add crust to lined loaf pan and press down making it flat and make sure you press down into all of the corners so it’s completely even. Now to make the caramel layer!
4. In a small saucepan on low heat, add in all caramel ingredients and whisk until creamy and thick. You don’t need to heat this up a lot, the heat is to help everything mix together better. Make sure you don’t burn it.
5. Taste test and make sure you like how it tastes, then pour the caramel layer onto the crust. Using a spatula, make sure its even and all of the corners are covered. Place this in the fridge or freezer until the caramel has hardened.
6. For the chocolate drizzle, add of the ingredients to another small saucepan over low low heat and whisk until just melted. Immediately take off heat and drizzle onto hardened caramel layer. Sprinkle chunky sea salt on top and pop back into the fridge to set.

This is the texture you will want for the crust:

And that sexy, sexy sea salt on top. YUM. I love sweet & salty combo, it’s my favorite!

I hope you enjoy these! If you make these (or anything else from my blog) make sure you tag me so I can see your creations! ♥