I’m going to have to keep apologising for the lack of content appearing on here recently, but honestly guys, I really am trying to sort myself out and get back into routine. I’m such an all or nothing kind of person and if little parts of my work or general life routine get shaken up, then I find it really challenging to stay focussed and keep myself organised. I don’t really tend to delve fully into my personal life on here or any of my social media platforms, but the past 12 months have probably been some of the most challenging of my life. I love what I do, my friends, family and life in general, but I’ve been really struggling to deal with everything I’ve been going through and remain positive and happy. We all experience negative periods in life and everyone has their own challenges that they’re battling with everyday. I’m not making the mistake of thinking that I’m the only person to be going through something here. I do however really hope that this is something that I’ll be able to talk about more openly with you guys in the future and possibly even help people experiencing the same thing. I know this probably makes next to no sense to you right now; but I just wanted to kinda’ mention why I haven’t been as active on my social media and let you know that I’m trying my best to get everything up and running again!
That’s most definitely enough about me for one blog post, so let’s get onto talking about the actual recipe here. I used to make some form of caramel slices nearly every week- I was slightly obsessed. I find them really fun to make and there’s so many different flavour combinations to chose from! I thought it would be fun to come up with some different recipes to use up any leftover Easter eggs and chocolate from the weekend because I know most of us will have a fair amount lying around.
These are possibly the most decadent and indulgent caramel slices I’ve made in a long time- I mean, look at that thick layer of gooey caramel just oozing out of the middle there! I used a combination of creamy peanut butter, sweet dates and coconut milk to create that really smooth, velvety texture! Date caramel is literally one of the best creations ever; it’s so easy to make and you can us it in an abundance of different recipes!
Ingredients
Base:
- 1 cup cashew nuts
- 1/2 cup oats
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- Tbsp coconut oil
Caramel:
- 1 cup pitted dates
- 4 tbsp smooth Pic’s peanut butter
- 1/2 cup canned coconut milk
- Pinch sea salt
- Water if needed
Chocolate:
- 100g dark chocolate
- Heaped tsp coconut oil
- Pinch Sea salt
- Handful mini eggs or Easter eggs of choice
Method
To make the base, add the oats and cashews into a food processor and pulse to form a rough flour.
Add in the maple syrup and coconut oil and blend again until everything is well combined and sticky. Press this into a cake tin or dish and firmly flatten to create a smooth base. Pop into the freezer to set.
For the caramel, combine the dates, peanut butter, coconut milk and a splash of water into a high powered blender or food processor and blitz until smooth. Gradually add water as needed until you’ve reached a smooth and creamy consistency.
Spread this over the base layer and scatter some eggs across the caramel if desired. Return the bars to the freezer to chill for an hour.
Gently melt the chocolate with the coconut oil and pour this over the caramel layer, then add the remaining Easter eggs throughout. Allow these to set in the freezer for 4 hours+ before carefully slicing into portions.
