It feels like awn absolute age since I’ve written a blog post/posted a recipe on here! In fact, it’s only been a grand total of seven days.. but for me that feels like an eternity! I’ve had a pretty crazy past few weeks cooking up a storm in my kitchen, so am finally getting on top of all of my blog and admin work! So there will be no more radio silence on the recipe front.. I promise! I also reckon that this one will have certainly been worth the wait.. because these are my SALTED. ALMOND BUTTER. CARAMEL. BARS. These are raw, vegan and so completely, indulgent and delicious!
Even though they sound rather decadent, don’t be fooled, as they are actually really easy and quick to make. The base is a combination of cashews, oats, coconut oil and agave, to create a crunchy biscuity layer. I love to make this a pretty generous layer because I just feel like biscuit, caramel and chocolate is a pretty dreamy combination.. and who wants to skimp on any of these things right? Now, the caramel layer is I think what surprises people the most.. as this is literally made from dates, salt, water and almond butter, that’s it! Dates are an absolute staple ingredient in my kitchen, especially when it comes to creating no-bake treats like these. They’re amazing for binding things together like energy bites and protein bars, adding delicious natural sweetness AND they create the most divine, gooey caramel mixture- as seen here! Dates are so naturally sweet, you don’t need to add any other sweeteners to the caramel. You can make this using purely the dates and water, but I think that the addition of the almond butter adds an amazing butty undertone and just makes the whole thing that little bit more delicious! You could always try swapping this for other nut butters if you have a particular favourite. Cashew butter also works really well in date caramels.
Ever since I entered the world of raw dessert making, caramel slices have always been my favourite thing to make! They were one of the first raw desserts that I made, so I think will always hold an extra special place in my heart. They taste great, look beautiful and can also be really easily customised to create a whole host of wondrous different flavours. I was prompted to whip up a batch of these little gems after watching the caramel week episode of GBBO. If you’ve been following along with the blog this month, you will have noticed that I’ve been posting regular Bake Off themed recipes in association with the themes each week! I absolutely love watching GBBO and look forward to it all week! It’s one of those real easy watching shows and always leaves me feeling so inspired to get my bake on the following morning!
