Date Caramel Nougat Bars

Gooey caramel nougat bars made with Medjool dates and an almond flour nougat base. Dunk them in vegan chocolate for a Snickers dessert feel! 

Lately, I’ve been a recipe-testing machine. 

I’m *this* close to finalizing my recipes for the cookbook, so the fridge is loaded with leftovers and the freezer is nope-ing out on any additions. 

Not to mention the usual creative chaos of recipe testing for my first love, this space on the internet. 

I currently feel like my attention is divided between two needy children, and I oscillate between them like a bobblehead; not wanting to play favorites.

Trying to keep things even. 

Such as, which recipes do I save for the book and which do I keep for the Internet?

I imagine it’s how my mom and dad felt divvying up gifts for my sister and I on our birthdays (exactly one week apart in the Spring). 

Particularly because I kept numerical score, carefully counting the number of Rachel’s wrapped gifts to compare to my own loot tally the following week. 

Haha. 

M and I have a system of passing on decision-making for the evening, meaning the other person has to make any and all decisions, including, but not limited to: what to eat for dinner, which yoga class to stream, and which show to watch on Netflix. 

Life decisions during COVID are hard. 

Luckily, the cookbook is meal-prep focused, which narrows down my scope a bit. 

And while these Caramel Almond Nougat Bars are highly delicious and addicting, they’re not a meal prep essential, freeing me to share them with you now. 

Oh, but they *are* essential; essentially delicious with just six ingredients and an easy no-bake method! 

So, Date Caramel Nougat Bars. 

They were inspired by my Vegan Salted Snickers Bars and Raw Vegan Twix Bars.

But, one can never have too many vegan copycat candy bars, am I right? 

Say yes. 

This version is special because it incorporates crushed almonds, almond butter, and sexy chocolate drizzle. 

Let the candy-making commence! 

Let’s begin with a vegan and gluten-free nougat, made with almond flour. 

Here’s what you need: 

• almond flour
• almond butter 
• Medjool dates, pitted

That’s it!

Let’s get started.

First, line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper and set it aside.

You can also use a baking dish of similar size and shape if you don’t have a square baking dish. 

Add the almond flour, almond butter, and dates to a food processor or high speed blender and pulse until they’re well-combined.

You want the mixture to stick together when pressed between your fingers. 

Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the pan and place it in the freezer while you prepare the caramel layer.

The date caramel layer is super easy to blend up, with no added sugar. 

Here’s what you need: 

• Medjool dates
• almond butter
• unsweetened almond milk
• almonds, crushed 

That’s it!

Lightly rinse out the *same* food processor or blender and add the dates, almond butter, and almond milk.

Blend them together until they’re thick and creamy, scraping down the sides as needed to recombine.

You’ll want the end mixture to be thick, sticky, and gooey without any lumps and chunks. 

If the blades get stuck, try adding a splash of almond milk to loosen things up. 

Remove the pan from the freezer and spread the date caramel in an even layer on top of the nougat. 

Next, sprinkle the crushed almonds over the caramel and press down lightly with your hands to make sure they stick.

Place the pan back in the freezer for half an hour-ish until the date caramel and crushed almonds set in place. 

After the thirty minutes are up, remove the pan from the freezer. Next, remove the entire base from the pan by lifting from the parchment paper edges. 

Transfer the frozen block on-to a cutting board and carefully slice into squares or bars. 

I sliced mine into long rectangles here, for more of a candy bar feel, but you can also do simple squares or even triangles. 

Arrange the bars on a parchment-lined baking sheet or cookie sheet and place them back in the freezer while you prepare the chocolate. 

You don’t need much for the chocolate drizzle, just high quality, vegan dark chocolate.

Here’s what you need: 

• Hu Kitchen Gems 

That’s it!

I heart these dark chocolate hexagonal chunks that are paleo, vegan, and made without any crap ingredients. 

They melt beautifully to create a decadent chocolate base and drizzle for these bars! 

Melt the chocolate in a pan over medium low, stirring them often to prevent burning.

Go ahead and remove the baking pan from the freezer and carefully dip the base of each cut bar into the chocolate.

Drain any excess chocolate from the bar base, then place the bar back on the parchment-lined baking sheet to set up.

Top each bar with melted chocolate drizzle by wiggling a spoon back and forth across the top. 

Repeat this until all bars have a chocolate base and chocolate drizzle. 

The last step is the final freeze!

Place the pan in the fridge for ~30 minutes to completely set.

The bars are done when the chocolate is hardened and firm. 

I like to keep my completed bars in the fridge for a cool candy treat. 

Enjoy these Date Caramel Nougat Bars anytime you’re craving a candy bar, but want to keep it clean. 

They’re perfectly sweet and gooey, with a nutty almond crunch and dark chocolate flourish. 

Feel free to swap out the almond butter for your favorite nut butter to make different variations! 

The bars are perfect to have on hand in the freezer for a quick treat.

Grab one for a decadent dessert or sweet plant-based snack.

Enjoy!

If you make these Date Caramel Nougat Bars, let me know!

Be sure to leave me a comment, rating, and review so I can use your feedback to create more yums.

Give me a shout on Instagram and use #floraandvino to show me your creations. 

Check out my Pinterest page to pin more recipe like this one to make later.

Want more simple clean homemade candy?

Check out my Vegan Salted Snickers Bars, 2-Ingredient Dark Chocolate Coconut Butter Cups, and Raw Vegan Twix Bars.

If you loved this post and want more, go to my homepage and subscribe to get deliciousness delivered right to your inbox!

XO Lauren

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Photography by Hot Pan Kitchen