January 16, 2023

Desserts

Healthy Snickers Bars

Healthy Snickers Bars are a simple and easy recipe to make that only requires four ingredients. This recipe is made with healthy ingredients like dates, almond flour, peanuts and vegan dark chocolate. This Snickers Bars recipe is both vegan and gluten-free and I promise it will be loved by the whole family!

JUMP TO RECIPE

A plate full of snickers bars, some cut in half and some whole.

Why you’ll love this recipe

These Healthy Snickers Bars are made with only four simple ingredients.
As written, this recipe is vegan, gluten-free, plant-based, dairy-free, and refined sugar free.
These snickers are a no-bake treat.
Snickers bars save well in the freezer for 30 days.
The perfect sweet treat when you have that sweet tooth.
Made with a creamy, sweet and indulgent healthy date caramel.
They are crunchy, chewy and super indulgent.
This recipe is made with simple and healthy ingredients that are actually good for you!
Vegan snickers are quick and easy to make.
This recipe is ready to enjoy in a little under 1 hour.
Try my samoa cookies, thin mints, or twix bars in my E-book.

What are snickers?

Original snickers are made with: Milk chocolate (sugar, cocoa butter, chocolate, skim milk, lactose, milk fat, soy lecithin, artificial flavor), peanuts, corn syrup, sugar, palm oil, skim milk, lactose, salt, egg whites, artificial flavor.

You won’t find any of those ingredients in this recipe. I’ve swapped out the milk chocolate and instead use coconut milk chocolate which is non-dairy. Instead of the milk fat, lactose, egg whites and artificial flavor, I used almond flour with dates. For the caramel, I made a date caramel which is just blended dates and peanut butter which is both creamy and delicious.

In the end this recipe only requires FOUR ingredients, comes together in just about an hour and will leave you feeling happy and satisfied without any dairy or gluten!

Ingredients and substitutions

As I mentioned previously, the ingredient list for this recipe is short and sweet. We only use four ingredients to make the entire recipe (if that doesn’t sell you, then I don’t know what will).

dates– dates are an incredible super fruit. They have this amazing caramel flavor naturally, and when soaked then blended you get this amazing caramel date sauce. You can use regular caramel, or almond butter caramel instead.

almond flour- I used almond flour for the base of this recipe. I wanted to create something that was grain-free for anyone that is sensitive to gluten. You can use oat flour instead.

peanut butter– I use peanut butter in the base of this recipe to firm up the almond flour and create a nice base. If you have a peanut allergy, try using a different nut butter like almond, cashew, or tahini.

roasted peanuts- you can also use raw peanuts, but I prefer the roasted as it adds a better texture in my opinion.

dark chocolate– I used non-dairy dark chocolate for this recipe. To ensure these snickers remain vegan it’s essential to use a chocolate that doesn’t have any dairy. If this does not matter to you, feel free to use any chocolate that you’d like!

all the ingredients that you need to make these healthy snickers in individual containers.

Kitchen tools needed

food processor or blender
loaf pan
parchment paper

How to make

ONE: Remove the pit from the dates and then soak them in hot water for 10 minutes, then drain. Add the soaked dates to your food processor along with the peanut butter and blend until smooth and creamy.

soaked dates, vanilla extract and peanut butter added to a food processor.

TWO: Remove date caramel from food processor and add in the almond flour, peanut butter and small amount of date caramel. Blend once more to create the nougat layer.

almond flour, peanut butter and date caramel combined together to create the nougat layer.

THREE: Press the nougat dough into the prepared loaf pan and then spread on the remainder of the date caramel. Top with roasted peanuts and freeze for 1-2 hours.

nougat layer added to the loaf pan and then topped with date caramel.

roasted peanuts on top of the date caramel.

FOUR: When ready, melt dark chocolate in a deep/wide bowl. Cut the snickers into bars and then dip and coat in the dark chocolate. Place on a baking sheet that’s lined with parchment paper and freeze once more until chocolate is fully hardened and enjoy!!

individual snickers bars dipped in dark chocolate.

How to serve and store

These Healthy Snickers Bars bars are best stored in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer! If storing in the fridge, enjoy within 7-10 days. If storing in the freezer, enjoy within 30-60 days. Let the snickers bar thaw on the counter for 5 minutes before enjoying.

Taste and Texture

These Healthy Snickers Bars taste just like snickers but are actually much healthier for you. The nougat layer is chewy and sweet, the date caramel tastes like caramel, but with a hint of vanilla and then it’s all wrapped up in creamy dark chocolate.

The texture is soft, chewy with a hint of crunch.

Tips and Tricks

Soak dates for 10 minutes is hot water to soften them. This is going to help the blended dates resemble a caramel texture.

The crust should be firm to the touch. You should be able to pick some up with your hands and press it together without it falling apart. If it’s dry and crumbly, add in more peanut butter and date caramel.

Melt vegan chocolate in the microwave with 1-2 tsp of coconut oil. Heat in 30 second increments, stopping and stirring well in between each cycle.

one of the healthy snickers bars cut in half to show the inside layers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are these snickers vegan and gluten-free?

YES! This recipe is both vegan and gluten-free.

Can I use oat flour instead of almond flour?

Yes, you can! The end result may differ slightly, but it will still work.

Can I use regular chocolate instead of vegan?

Yes, if you aren’t vegan you can use any type of chocolate.

How long will these last?

These gluten-free snickers will last up to 10 days in the fridge, or 30-60 days in the freezer.

Other Childhood Favorites to make:

If you make these Healthy Snickers Bars, I would really appreciate a comment and rating down below, under the recipe card. Don’t forget to take a picture and tag me over on Instagram, Tiktok or Pinterest!

Healthy Snickers Bars

5 based on 1 reviews

Pin Recipe

PREP TIME:

20 minutes

COOK TIME:

1 hour 30 minutes

Author - Hannah

Ingredients

Date Caramel

1 cup medjool dates, soaked in hot water
3 tbsp peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla extract

Nougat Layer

1.5 cups almond flour
1.5 tbsp date caramel
4 Tbsp peanut butter

Peanuts

1/2 cup roasted peanuts

Dark Chocolate

1.5 cups dark chocolate chips
2-3 tsp coconut oil

SCALE:

YIELDS:

12 servings

Directions

To start, remove the pit from the dates and then soak them in hot water for 10 minutes, not quite boiling, but almost there. The key is to have a super soft date that can easily be blended. While the dates are soaking, prepare a loaf pan by lining it with parchment paper.
After the 10 minutes are up, drain the water from the dates and add the soaked dates to your food processor along with the peanut butter and vanilla extract. Blend for about 3-5 minutes, stopping and scraping down the sides a few times during the process. You will start to see a paste, caramel like texture start to form.
Remove the date caramel from the food processor and set aside. Next, add in the almond flour, 1.5 tbsp of the date caramel and peanut butter. Blend once again for a few minutes or until you get a crumbly crust like dough. You should be able to pick it up and press firmly and it should hold it’s shape. If it does not, keep blending.
Add the crust to the prepared loaf pan and firmly press down with a spatula until it molds to the loaf pan and there are no gaps on the edges.
Next, pour the date caramel over the crust and spread until it is evenly dispersed. Top with roasted peanuts and slightly but firmly press them into the date caramel. Peanuts should cover the date caramel with little to no gaps.
Place the loaf pan in the freezer and allow to harden for about 60-90 minutes. You may also leave it overnight.
Next, melt the chocolate in the microwave or over a double broiler with a small amount of coconut oil. This is to ensure the chocolate is creamy and smooth. If using the microwave method, melt in 30 second increments until chocolate is almost melted. Stop and mix a few times in between.
Remove the loaf pan from the freezer and remove the naked snickers bars by pulling on the parchment paper. Place on a cutting board and cut the block into equal sized snickers bars.
Moving quickly, dip and coat each snickers bar with the chocolate and place back on the cutting board that is lined with the parchment paper so the chocolate does not stick once hardened.
Place the snickers bars back in the freezer for about 10-15 minutes to harden completely and enjoy!!

Notes

Soak dates for 10 minutes is hot water to soften them. This is going to help the blended dates resemble a caramel texture.
The crust should be firm to the touch. You should be able to pick some up with your hands and press it together without it falling apart. If it’s dry and crumbly, add in more peanut butter and date caramel.
Melt vegan chocolate in the microwave with 1-2 tsp of coconut oil. Heat in 30 second increments, stopping and stirring well in between each cycle.