Healthy Vegan Butterfinger Candy Bars
Healthy Vegan Butterfinger Candy Bars with just 6 ingredients, dairy-free, oil-free and incredibly delicious! Made with whole foods and mulberries!
Servings: 7 bars
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 heaping cups (180g) mulberries dried, not fresh!
- 3/4 cup (120g) roasted peanuts
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoons (40g) raw agave nectar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
CHOCOLATE TOPPING: Choose any 1 of the 3 options
- Option 1: Melt 5 oz of your favorite chocolate bar (5 oz is about 1 1/2 regular size bars (3.5 oz size bars)
- Option 2: Melt 3/4 cup semi-sweet dairy-free chocolate chips
MAKE YOUR OWN
- 1/2 cup (120g) melted liquid cocoa butter
- 1/2 cup (48g) raw cacao powder
- 3-4 tablespoons (60-80g) agave or preferred liquid sweetener
Note
- Keep your mulberries stored in the fridge for extra crunch. Following the exact weight measurements will ensure the right texture result. Agave or coconut nectar works best for the batter. I wouldn't use maple syrup, since it's not quite as thick or sticky. Make sure to store these in the freezer, as they will have more of a crunch and hold together best.
Instructions
- Line a 9X5 loaf pan (make sure it isn't a 10X5 as that will make the bars skinny and fragile) with parchment paper hanging over the sides, for easy removal later.
- Add the mulberries, peanuts and salt to a food processor and pulse until a crumbly flour forms. You don't want it into a paste, just a fine crumbly texture (see pic). Add the agave and vanilla. Pulse several times until sticky large clumps form, being careful not to create "butter". If the batter is not holding as clumps when pressed with your fingers, add a touch more agave. It needs to be forming sticky clumps, as this is what will make the bars hold together.
- Add the batter to the prepared pan and spread out, flat and even, working your way around to the corners. Press down very hard and compact. Overlap the parchment paper and press down really hard and evenly. Place in the freezer for just 15 minutes to firm up a bit.
- Gently melt the chocolate to your preferred method and spread over the top of the dough evenly and quickly since the cold bars will start to harden the chocolate. Place back in the freezer for just a few minutes to harden the chocolate.
- Very carefully, lift up the bars and with a fine sharp knife, cut into 7 bars. If they are too hard to cut, let them thaw 5 minutes. Don't leave them at room temperature long though, as they will soften too much.
- Place them back in the freezer this time to harden for an hour, then you can remove them from the pan and wrap them individually in plastic wrap, if you desire. Keep them stored in the freezer and they will retain their crunch that way. They become more firm overnight. You could also keep them in the fridge, but they will be less crunchy.
Notes
Nutrition info is based on the homemade chocolate coating using the cocoa butter. If you use chocolate chips or a chocolate bar, adjust accordingly. For the homemade chocolate, you can totally get away with halving the recipe (1/4 cup) if you want to save on fat/calories. A 1/4 cup will give a thin chocolate layer, but if you want a thick layer, do the 1/2 cup. I preferred the 1/2 cup layer, but provided nutrition for both.
*For 1/2 cup of the chocolate coating, nutrition per bar: 306 calories, 24.38 g fat, 20.6 carbs, 5.66 g protein
*For 1/4 cup of the chocolate coating, nutrition per bar: 198.6 calories, 16 g fat, 11.72 carbs, 4.98 g protein