Healthy Homemade Twix Bars (Vegan, Gluten Free, Soy Free)

If I could choose three foods that I could eat an unlimited supply of and not get fat and/or sick I'd pick Nacho Doritos, Pineapple Pizza with extra cheese, and Twix candy bars. This recipe makes a healthier, cleaner Twix bar that you can actually make yourself - oh, and it has absolutely no sugar. This is a vegan, soy free, gluten free, refined-sugar free version of my all time favorite candy bar. All ingredients can be bought at your local supermarket or health food store. Who knew that you can enjoy yummy, sweet tooth fulfilling treats and still eat clean. Don't buy in to the hype that eating clean means that you'll have to munch on nothing but grass, leaves, and bland tasting foods. =)

Ingredients:(Makes 14-16 bars)
Cookie:
2 Cups almond flour
3/4 Cup sweet sorghum flour( I use Bob's Red Mill Brand)
1/4 t baking soda
1/2 Cup Soy-Free Earth Balance buttery spread (softened)
5 tbsp agave nectar
1 tbsp vanilla extract

Caramel:
1 T vanilla extract
2 T softened Earth Balance
1 ½ Cup large medjool dates (approx 15-18)
1 T nut butter (peanut or almond)
3 T brown rice syrup
1 T agave nectar
¼ t salt

Chocolate:
2 Cup coconut oil

½ Cup coacoa powder
Up to ½ Cup agave nectar
Dash of salt
1 T vanilla extract 
Coconut oil for lining baking pan

Directions

Preheat oven to 350˚

Mix all dry cookie ingredients together. Continue by mixing all wet ingredients into the bowl.

Grease large baking pan with a very little amount of coconut oil. Place your cookie batter on to the tray and flatten out into a square/rectangle shape, about 1/2 inch thick. Place in oven for approx. 10 mins (until it's starting to turn golden brown). Remove and place in fridge or freezer (freezer is best)

Blend all of your caramel ingredients together in a food processor until smooth. Once blended, place in freezer.

Melt your coconut oil for the chocolate, and then mix all of the chocolate ingredients together in a bowl. Set aside.

Remove cookie from fridge/freezer, and cut into the size of chocolate bar you'd like (mine were about 1/2 inch wide by 2 1/2 inches long).

Remove the caramel mixture from the freezer and form the caramel into tube shapes with your hands to place over top of the cookie.. The cleaner (less bumpy/messy) you make the caramel, the nicer your chocolate bar will look. The chocolate will take form around the caramel. Once all of your cookies have caramel on top, place back in the freezer to cool. Leave them in the freezer for at least 10-15 mins.

Remove the cookies from the freezer, and cover them in chocolate. To make things easier for you, have your chocolate bars sit on parchment paper. If you don’t have any, make sure they’re sitting on something that they won’t stick to. Once the chocolate bars have been covered, place them back in the freezer for at least 30mins.

After the chocolate has hardened, they can be kept either in the freezer or fridge. Since the chocolate is coconut oil based, as long as it’s cold it will stay in tact.

Bon Appetit