As it’s Christmas time, all the stores have got in their tins of sweets and selection boxes and it got me into candy making mode, so the other day I set to making some vegan sweets that are a little too decadent for everyday consumption but for a treat this Christmas are just perfect.

I still need to do quite a bit of Christmas shopping but the weather here has been atrocious and the main road into town has flooded, so we’ve been restricted to our little village, but the rain has stopped this morning, perhaps giving the road a chance to drain off (I say with fingers crossed) and I’m going to venture into town, quickly grab what I need, have lunch with a good friend of mine, then hot foot it back home and dive under my winter blanket, have a green tea and perhaps….. share a nougat bar with the hubby whilst watching a Christmas movie.

Raw Vegan Chocolate Covered Caramel Nougat Bars (Vegan & Gluten Free)

MyInspiration Feel The Difference Range

Makes 8 bars

Base layer (Nougat)

½ cup buckwheat flour

3 tablespoons maple syrup

½ cup chopped almonds

Caramel Layer

¾ cup dates

1 tablespoon olive/coconut oil

½ cup water

1/4 tsp Vanilla

Chocolate Coating

100g Vegan Dark Chocolate

1tbsp Almond/Coconut Milk

Method

1. Make the Nougat layer – In a bowl combine together the flour and syrup until it comes together in a stiff mixture, then add in the chopped almonds and stir through.

2. Using a teaspoon collect little balls of the mixture and roll it in your palm then press down to flatten slightly into an oblong shape (or whatever shape suits you best), pop on a parchment lined plate and pop in the freezer.

3. Next make the Caramel layer. In a soup bowl, or any other deep bowl you have, add the dates, oil, vanilla and water and blitz with a stick hand blender (or pop in your food processor) process until nice and smooth and creamy like in texture. Take teaspoons of the mixture and add it on top of the nougat oblongs you made earlier, making sure it’s evenly spread over the top and pop it back in the freezer for a couple of hours to harden up.

4. Lastly the Chocolate Coating – Heat about an inch of water in a pan. Then place the vegan chocolate in a metal bowl and place over the boiling water making sure that the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Stir the mixture until it starts to melt then add in the almond/coconut milk and stir through. Remove from the heat and keep stirring, the chocolate should start to thicken slightly, coat each of your caramel topped nougat bars with the chocolate (keep in mind that the caramel layer never fully goes hard, so be delicate with your chocolate coating), pop everything back in the freezer and enjoy at your leisure.

Next time I’m going to add in a peanut butter layer to make almost snicker-ish!