No-Bake Chocolate Caramel Slice

🧂 Ingredients

• 1 cup almond meal

  ground almonds
• 2/3 cup pecans
• 3 tbsp coconut oil

  heaped
• 1 tablespoon vanilla essence
• 4 Medjool dates

  pits removed
• 250 g Medjool dates

  about9 oz. weight with pits, about 10 dates, soaked in hot water for 15 minutes
• 1 cup coconut milk

  full-fat, 60% coconut content, shake the can first
• 1 tablespoon vanilla essence
• 2 tbsp cashew butter

  or almond butter, heaped
• 2 tbsp coconut oil

  heaped
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons gelatine powder
• 2 tablespoons warm water
• 1/3 cup cacao powder

  sieved through
• 1/3 cup coconut oil
• 1/3 cup maple syrup

  you can use less if you prefer the chocolate layer to be less sweet

Instructions

• 1 Prepare the slice tin. I used a deep 9” x 9” square tin for the slice. Grease a
  square sheet of parchment or baking paper with some coconut oil. Make sure it’s
  big enough to cover the bottom and the sides of the tin. Place it inside the
  tin, press down to the bottom and the sides, and cut an incision in each corner
  of the paper. Cut away excess corners and flatten the paper to the tin (see
  image below).
• 2 Make the base layer. Add all of the base layer ingredients to a food processor
  fitted with an S-blade. Process on high speed until ground up into fine crumbs
  and the mixture starts to come together. Stop and scrape the sides a few times
  along the way.
• 3 Transfer the mixture into the prepared tin and spread it evenly to cover the
  full surface. Using your fingers, press the mixture well into the corners and
  flatten it until smooth and even. Make sure there are no cracks or gaps. Cover
  with Gladwrap and place in the freezer, while you make the caramel layer.
• 4 Make the caramel layer. Place all of the ingredients, except for gelatine and
  warm water, into a high-speed blender or a food processor. Process until smooth,
  scraping the sides along the way.
• 5 Transfer the mixture to a small pot and place over medium heat. Stir
  continuously for 2 minutes, then remove from heat and set aside to cool
  slightly.
• 6 Dissolve the gelatine powder in warm water, stirring really well. It will turn
  into gelatinous, applesauce like consistency (this is called blooming the
  gelatine). At this stage, add this gelatine mixture to the caramel sauce and
  stir vigorously until well incorporated.
• 7 Remove the tin from the freezer. Pour the caramel mixture over the base layer
  and spread evenly, making sure it goes to the corners. Cover with glad wrap and
  place in the freezer for 15-20 minutes.
• 8 Prepare the chocolate layer. Do this step after the caramel layer has set
  slightly. Add all of the ingredients to a heatproof bowl and place over a pot of
  boiling water (double-boiler style). Allow the coconut oil to melt slightly as
  you stir the mixture gently. Place the pot over medium heat and keep stirring
  the chocolate mixture until completely melted, well incorporated and glossy
  (about 2 minutes). If the mixture gets too hot and steamy, remove from heat and
  keep stirring.
• 9 Remove the tin from the freezer and pour in the chocolate mixture. Spread it
  evenly, filling in the corners, then cover with Gladwrap and place back in the
  freezer for another 30 minutes to an hour. After that you can keep the tin in
  the refrigerator overnight before slicing, if you like. Otherwise, feel free to
  slice once set in the freezer.
• 10 Gently lift the corners of the paper in the tin and transfer the slice to a
  cutting board. Slice into even squares and store in the fridge in the same tin
  or in an airtight container, separated with sheets of parchment paper to prevent
  the slices from sticking to each other.
• 11 The slice will keep up to 7 days in the refrigerator. Serving size is 1-2
  slices.

Nutrition Info