These bars are perfect, and by perfect I mean they are everything you are looking for when you want to satisfy a sweet craving. Have trouble deciding if you want chewy or crunchy? How about chocolate or caramel? Decisions, decisions, I know I could not decide. That is exactly why I chose to include all of these components into one delicious Chewy Chocolate Caramel Crunch Bars.
I have also taken the stress out of making caramel by giving you such a simplistic recipe that it is ALMOST impossible to mess up. Coconut Caramel Sauce!
Two recipes in one?! Not bad.
While trying to figure out how to make these chewy I struggled with different grains. I considered brown rice cereal, but knew that would make the texture too crunchy. I then went back and forth with the idea of making an oatmeal crust, but it was not the idea I had in mind. While at the store, browsing the cereal isle, I came across the perfect solution. MILLET! Millet is a SEED, believe it or not. Similar to amaranth and corn kernels, when heated the seed pops open to reveal a fluffy and CHEWY interior. It was the perfect solution, and therefore responsible for the stick-to-your-ribs CHEWY in these bars.
For the Coconut Caramel Sauce:
Find the recipe HERE.
Separate top, thick, layer of coconut cream from liquid:
Before and After coloring and volume once reduced:
Refrigerate until cool and thick:
For the Chewy Chocolate Caramel Crunch Bars:
- 5 c millet
- 1.5 c brown rice syrup
- ½ c nut butter (I used sunflower seed butter)
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 1 batch coconut caramel sauce
- 1 c crushed raw almonds (put in bag and hammer until crushed)
- 12 oz dark chocolate
- 2 tbls coconut oil
- Heat brown rice syrup, nut butter, and salt on stove on low heat until melted
- Pour over millet and mix quickly (mixture will harden)
- Pour into greased 9×13 pan and press into an even layer
- Allow to cool in refrigerator
- After cooled, top millet mixture with coconut caramel sauce and spread evenly
- Allow to cool in refrigerator
- Once cool, top with crushed almonds in an even layer
- In a small pan, bring small amount of water to a boil
- In a small bowl that fits over the small pan without touching the water, combine dark chocolate and coconut oil
- Stir continuously until melted
- Pour over bars and spread in even layer
- Allow to cool in refrigerator before cutting into bars
Prepare syrup and nut butter mixture by heating on low heat JUST until melted:
Pour mixture over millet and stir to combine:
Pour millet mixture into 9×13 pan, flatten out, and cool in refrigerator until set:
Top with Coconut Caramel Sauce and then spread crushed raw almonds on top:
Dark Chocolate and coconut oil in double boiler:
Pour over nuts and spread evenly:
Trick: To cut bars without breaking top layer of chocolate, dip chef knife into hot water and then slice through. Repeat this with each cut, making sure to heat knife before cutting bars.
Do not be overwhelmed by this process. Most of the time is spent waiting for the caramel and bars to cool. The hardest part is trying to wait to eat them until they are cool, but I promise it is worth the wait.
ENJOY! <3
Tagged: bars, caramel, chocolate, coconut, recipe, recipes, vegan, vitamix
These bars look totally delicious!
Thanks! Try them and let me know what you think
These bars sound amazing, but I am so intrigued by the coconut caramel sauce!!
It is super easy to make and you will want to put it on everything! Fingers usually work pretty well around here
How could you go wrong with chocolate and caramel????Seriously, the coconut caramel sounds incredible…once the holidays are over (and everyone gets their favorite here), I will have to try these…and I believe, make new favorites!
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