Vegan Snickers Bar
Photography by Simeon Crofts
DIETARY – Vegan, Vegetarian, Dairy-free
A dear friend of mine recently started following a vegan diet due to several food intolerances and allergies that meant she could no longer consume dairy, some meats and most gluten-derivatives. Though this meant a happier body, there were a few things she was pretty sad to say goodbye to, including Snickers, her favourite chocolate treat. The internet is packed with vegan Snickers bar recipes, but they all have one thing in common: they’re a healthy version of an indulgent treat. Don’t get me wrong, healthy alternatives are wonderful and necessary as part of a balanced diet, but sometimes you just want a Snickers bar to taste like a Snickers. That’s where Deliciously Free comes in!
Since I started this blog, my mission has been to develop and publish recipes that offer real, comforting, truly delicious alternatives to foods that contain allergens such as gluten, dairy, nuts and so on. There are many different reasons we choose to follow a particular diet, whether medically diagnosed or not, and I want scrumptious food to be available to everyone without restriction. So, for the past couple of months, I have been working away to create a vegan Snickers-style bar that had the key delicious components of the classic treat, but without the dairy. After many, many failed attempts, I finally landed on a recipe that is simple to follow, works a treat and, most importantly, hits that Snickers-shaped spot for those who can no longer eat the real deal.
As I mentioned, this isn’t a raw, healthy recipe, which means there is a small challenge along the way when making the caramel, but I promise if you follow the instructions, you won’t mess it up! It’s simple to do but requires a little care and patience. I highly recommend using a sugar thermometer as getting the temperature just right is vital to the texture of the caramel. You want a soft, stringy, melt-in-the-mouth caramel that doesn’t get stuck to your teeth or go rock hard and break them! 238°F on the thermometer is the optimum temperature to achieve just that. As soon as it hits 238°F, take your caramel off the heat, stir in the peanuts and pour into your prepared tin. Leave it to set at room temperature for around 10 minutes, then pop it in the fridge for an hour or until you’re ready to use it.
The rest is straightforward and, although I have used a mould, you certainly don’t need one. Once you’ve made and refrigerated your two layers, you can easily cut them to size using a sharp knife then simply dip in melted chocolate using a fork. It might not look as pretty, but the flavour will be just the same. Enjoy!
Vegan Snickers Bar
Ingredients
- ½ cup vegan butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup glucose syrup
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 85g crushed peanuts
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- ¼ cup oat flour
- ¾ cup peanut butter (I used Mayver's)
- ½ cup coconut cream
- 350g dark chocolate
Method
- First, prepare your tin by lining it with baking paper. I used a square 8” x 8” tin. Now make your caramel by adding the butter, sugar, syrup, salt and vanilla to a deep-bottom pan set over medium heat. Bring the mixture to the boil, stirring occasionally, then slowly add the coconut milk, a little at a time, whisking constantly until fully incorporated. Add your sugar thermometer then allow the mixture to bubble away without stirring until it reaches precisely 238°F. This will take around 15 minutes.
- Once the caramel reaches the right temperature, take it immediately off the heat, stir in the crushed peanuts and pour into your prepared tin. Allow it to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before putting in the fridge to cool.
- After 1 hour, you can add your nougat layer to the cooled caramel. To make the nougat, add all the ingredients to a bowl and mix thoroughly.
- Scrape the nougat on top of the caramel, spread evenly with the back of a spoon then return to the fridge for at least 1 hour.
- In a clean bowl, melt the chocolate then, using a sharp knife, cut your nougat and caramel into bars. You can make these any size you like. Use a fork to stab and dip each bar into the melted chocolate then place on to a lined plate or cooling rack to set. You can pop them into the fridge to speed this process up. The bars will keep for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container and can be kept in the fridge or at room temperature.