Vegan Triple Layer Salted Caramel Chocolate Bars

These scrumptious Vegan Triple Layer Salted Caramel Chocolate Bars feature a cashew, oat, coconut, and date base, a salted date and nut butter middle layer, and a chocolate topping. They’re so good, it’ll be hard to stop at one… and that’s okay, because they’re full of healthy ingredients!

An emotion that I have been experiencing in abundance over the past several weeks is overwhelming gratitude. I feel beyond lucky to be surrounded by people I love during this time, to have a roof over my head and abundant healthy food on the table. As life has become simpler, I have become more conscious of all of the good things that I do have. I feel almost guilty for admitting as much, as I know how many people are in perilous economic and health situations at this time. And yet, I feel equally that those of us who are finding gratitude and happiness in our hearts should show it, because of how powerful those forces can be in helping those who might be struggling.

It’s been somewhat surprising to me that I have been able to find peace and contentment in the present moment, seeing as a quirk of my personality is that I am never quite happy with where I am in the here and now. But I think that the necessity of staying in one place and sitting with my feelings has brought out a side of myself that I didn’t know existed. I’m welcoming it with open arms.

about these triple layer salted caramel chocolate bars

(Because that’s really why you’re reading, right?)

These vegan triple layer salted caramel chocolate bars consist of a base made out of cashews, rolled oats, coconut, dates, sea salt, coconut oil, and brown rice syrup, a middle date caramel layer made out of dates, cashew butter, coconut oil, lemon juice, salt, vanilla, and non-dairy milk, and a topping made from melted chocolate chips and coconut oil.

They’re almost refined sugar-free, with the exception of the chocolate layer, and they’re so darn tasty, it’ll be hard to stop at just one. (For the record, I certainly didn’t!) That being said, I find that they’re really satisfying, so you probably won’t be tempted to eat an entire row. (But no shame if you do!)

to make these bars, you’ll:

1. Line a 8×8 inch square baking dish with parchment paper. (A 9×9 pan will probably work, but I only own a 8×8!)
2. Make the base layer: Pulse together the cashews, rolled oats, coconut, dates, salt, coconut oil, and brown rice syrup in a food processor until the mixture resembles coarse sand and holds together when pressed.
3. Press the base layer firmly into the pan.
4. Make the middle layer: Blend together the dates, cashew butter, coconut oil, lemon juice, salt, vanilla, and non-dairy milk in the food processor until super smooth.
5. Spread the caramel over the base layer.
6. Melt the chocolate chips and coconut oil in a small saucepan over low heat. Pour it over the caramel.
7. Place the pan in the freezer and freeze for 2 hours. Carefully lift the square out of the pan, using the parchment paper overhang as handles, and place on a cutting board. Let the square sit there for 15 minutes so that the chocolate layer softens somewhat.
8. Slice into squares. I found 16 squares to be the perfect size, but you can cut them smaller, if you wish.

Tips to prevent the chocolate from cracking when you slice the bars

When I first went to slice these bars, the chocolate layer started to crack quite a bit. To prevent this from happening, I recommend doing the following:

Use a knife to lightly score the chocolate layer first. Then run the knife under hot water for 30 seconds, shake off excess water, and slice immediately. I hot knife helps slice through the chocolate layer.

I hope you love these vegan triple layer caramel bars! I was so smitten with them, I was prepared to chop one up and enjoy it on top of my overnight oats for breakfast… that is, until we finished the batch in two days. Oops!

If you make them, leave a comment and rating below to let me know how you liked them. And if you share a photo to Instagram, tag @upbeet.kitchen and #upbeetkitchen! I love re-gramming your photos in my stories.

Enjoy!

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