Vegan Double Chocolate Peanut

Ingredients

Shortbread Base

• 1 ¼ cup packed fine blanched almond flour (I use Bob’s Red Mill)
• ¼ cup cocoa powder
• 3 tablespoons melted and cooled coconut oil
• 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Peanut Butter Layer

• ¾ cup drippy natural peanut butter (crunchy or creamy works)
• ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
• ¼ cup coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• ¾ cup coarsely chopped roasted salted peanuts (honey roasted are amazing!)

Chocolate Layer

• ¾ cup chocolate chips, dairy free/vegan if desired
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8×8 inch square pan with parchment paper. It’s important to use an 8×8 inch as a 9×9 inch pan may be too big.
2. In a medium bowl add the almond flour, cocoa powder, coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla extract and salt. Mix together with a fork until it forms a nice thick crumb texture. Add to the pan and use your fingers to evenly press down into the pan. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Allow the crust to cool for 10 minutes before adding caramel.
3. After the crust comes out of the oven, sprinkle the crust evenly with the peanuts.
4. While the crust is baking, make the peanut butter caramel layer: Add the peanut butter, maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla extract and sea salt to a medium pot and place over medium-low heat for approximately 2 minutes until caramel starts to just slightly bubble, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and pour caramel over the peanuts and slightly cooled crust.
5. Place in the fridge for at least 30-60 minutes to completely harden the peanut butter. It shouldn’t take longer than this, but if you are impatient, just place it in the freezer for 15-20 minutes, this should speed up the process.
6. After 30 minutes or so, make the chocolate layer: Add chocolate chips and coconut oil to a microwave safe bowl and microwave on high in 30 second increments, stirring in between until chocolate is completely melted. If you prefer, you can also melt the chocolate and coconut oil in a small saucepan over low heat.
7. Pour the chocolate over the caramel layer and tilt the pan side-to-side to evenly distribute the melted chocolate. Place in the fridge for at least 1 hour until chocolate is hardened and bars are completely cooled.
8. Remove bars from the pan and cut into 16 bars (that resemble twix bars). To do this, cut the entire pan of bars in half, and then cut each half into 8 (1-inch) bars (not squares!), so you’ll end up with 16 bars. Enjoy! Bars should be kept covered in the fridge until ready to serve.