Gut-Healthy Chocolate Caramel Slice
This delicious chocolate caramel slice is practically guilt free! It’s made with whole-food, gut-friendly ingredients and sweetened naturally… plus it’s super simple and quick to make. Wooo!!
Ingredients
Base
200g pecans
200g cashews
80g unsalted butter or coconut oil, plus extra for greasing dish
4 pitted medjool dates
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
Filling
300g pitted medjool dates
150g ghee, unsalted butter or coconut oil
300g coconut cream or sour cream
1 tsp vanilla paste or 1/4 tsp vanilla powder
1 Tbsp gelatin powder
1 tsp fine sea salt
Chocolate* (or see Notes for other ideas)
200g cacao butter
50g cacao powder or 30g Dutch cocoa
50–60g honey or pure maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla bean paste or 1/4 tsp vanilla powder
1/8 tsp fine sea salt
Instructions
Thermomix Method
Base:
- Place all base ingredients into Tm bowl and mix 20 sec/speed 6, or until mixture comes together. Blend longer if you want a finer result. (If you use other nuts/seeds you may need to add another date, if mixture is too dry.)
- Press base mixture into a greased rectangular baking dish (approx 26x19cm). Place into freezer while making the filling.
Filling:
- Place all filling ingredients into bowl and cook 5 mins/80C/speed 3.
- Blend 30 sec/speed 6.
- Pour filling over base and place back into freezer to set. (Make sure dish is on a flat surface!)
Chocolate:
- Chop cacao butter roughly with a knife on a chopping board to approx. 1-2cm cubes then mill in Thermomix 20 sec/speed 8.
- Melt cacao butter 6 mins/50°/speed 2, scraping down sides of bowl with spatula towards end of cooking time to ensure all the cacao butter is melted.
- Add remaining chocolate ingredients and blend 30 sec/speed 6.
- Pour chocolate over cold filling, place back into freezer to set chocolate.
Conventional Method
Base:
- Mix all base ingredients on medium-high speed in a food processor or blender until mixture comes together – blend longer if you want a finer result. (If you use other nuts/seeds you may need to add another date, if mixture is too dry.)
- Press base mixture into a greased rectangular baking dish (approx 26x19cm). Place into freezer while making the filling.
Filling:
- Chop dates finely. Place all filling ingredients into a saucepan and simmer for 5 mins over medium heat, stirring, until ingredients have melted together.
- Using an immersion blender, blend in pan until smooth. Or pour mixture into a blender once slightly cooled and blend for 30 seconds at medium speed.
- Pour filling over base and place back into freezer to set. (Make sure dish is on a flat surface!)
Chocolate:
- Chop cacao butter roughly then melt in a saucepan over medium heat until completely melted. Add remaining ingredients and whisk until well combined and smooth.
- Pour chocolate over cold filling, place back into freezer to set chocolate.
To serve:
Slice into squares as soon as chocolate is just set (about 10-15 mins) as it will crack if you slice it when the chocolate is very firm. Store in the fridge or freezer.
Notes
- Swap the nuts for pepitas and sunflower seeds for a nut-free version.
- Omit the gelatin, use coconut oil rather than butter/ghee, and use pure maple syrup to sweeten the chocolate for a vegan version.
- If you prefer a softer chocolate use this recipe: Nutty Chocolate from Life-Changing Food cookbook/app.
- If you don’t have cacao butter, use this recipe: Peanut Butter Chocolate Fudge (with or without the chopped nuts).
- Make a very simple, soft chocolate layer with coconut cream, honey and cacao powder using the chocolate in my Chocolate Gingerbread recipe, which can be found in “A Taster” ebook.