Posting a new recipe has been on my to-do list for a while, but it ended up happening in the most spontaneous way possible: After lunch today my boyfriend said he’d love a snickers. Neither of us have had one in ages, but we always have chocolate, nuts and nut butter around, so I knew I could whip something up. While he initially sounded sceptical – how would it be possible to recreate something so highly processed? – he was eating his words after his first bite into these easy bars that are pure chocolatey peanutty bliss.

There are so many posts of vegan snickers on Instagram and I’ve always drooled over them, making a mental note but nothing more. Luckily, they are so simple – I made them in around 30 minutes while sharing links of outdoor furniture with my mom. All you need to recreate this iconically indulgent treat (with a healthy spin!) are some basic ingredients that – if you’re anything like me – are staples in your pantry anyway. Also, there is minimal waiting time – no thumb twiddling while waiting for things to set 😉

Healthy Vegan Snickers

Makes: 4 bars

Ingredients: biscuit base

Biscuit base

• 100g oats (ca. 1 cup), ground
• 2.5 tbsp melted cacao butter (or coconut / other neutral oil)
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp ground vanilla bean
• 1 pinch salt

Ingredients: Peanut caramel layer

• 1 cup packed soft dates (ca. 200g)*
• 1/2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 generous tbsp peanut butter (unsalted)
• large handful of salted peanuts

Ingredients: Chocolate drizzle

• ca. 50g melted chocolate (I used 78%)

Method

1. Line a loaf tin with cling film (so you can easily lift the snickers out before slicing). Alternatively you could use a square Tupperware of the desired size.
2. Combine the ground oats with the melted cacao butter and maple syrup, salt and ground vanilla until the liquid ingredients have been equally incorporated. Press the crumbly mixture down firmly and evenly, based on the height you’d like the biscuit to have. The mix won’t fill the entire tin unless you multiply the ingredients to make a larger batch. (Considering it’s the two of us and I find chocolate, dates & peanuts a highly addictive combo, I decided to start modestly 😀 )
3. Pop the tin into the fridge, while you combine the dates, peanut butter & maple syrup.
4. Remove the tin from the fridge and evenly press the date paste down onto the biscuit base. Optional: spread some peanut butter on top of the biscuit base first for extra goodness. Next, gently press the salted peanuts onto the date layer, until the whole top is covered. Pop the whole thing back into the fridge.
5. Melt the chocolate in a small pan over low heat. Once it is all melted, gently lift the biscuit & date base out of the tin, holding on to the cling film. Using a sharp knife, slice into four snickers-sized slices. Place on some baking paper or a plate and spoon the chocolate on top.
6. Enjoy any way you like! I sprinkled some leftover pomegranate seeds on top for some color and served with tea. You can make a larger batch and freeze some, to always have a sweet treat on hand 🙂

*The dates must be soft. If your dates are dry try soaking them in hot water first and draining, before blending.I use the Sukari pitted dates from Dattelmann (international website), which are gorgeously squidgy. They’re already pitted and (super) soft. Perfect for snacking or using in baking/cooking. Using their pre-prepared date paste is even easier! You can get 15% off items not already on sale with the discount code “blueberry15” {brand collaboration}.

This recipe actually turned out very similar to my Chocolate Peanut Snack Attack Squares, so feel free to check those out too if you want to enjoy this combo in a slighty different format.

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I truly hope you enjoy these as much as we did! My boyfriend’s eyes shone when he took a bite and he’s already asked me to make them again. Definitely a keeper 😉

Feel free to tag @blueberrysmiles22 if you share your creations on Instagram, so I can share in the joy 🙂