Caramel and chocolate, the ultimate dessert and sweet treat combination. I find it hard to decide on my top dessert spot. It’s usually a toss up between caramel slices and brownies. I say dessert when really I’d much rather indulge in something like this with a big mug of tea…usually of the herbal kind rather than milling in to it after a savoury feed.
The base is hazelnut based and oh so incredible if I do say so myself. I’ve tagged these as vegan and they are easily made vegan but I did use butter in this particular photo snapped version which adds so much flavour. There really is nothing that can compete in terms of flavour. I think butter or ghee (clarified butter) potentially has greater super powers than sugar when it comes to making anything taste good.
Date caramel and nicely thick chocolate layer on top. Perfection in every bite.
My top tips for slicing these without creating any cracks in your chocolate layer…
- Make sure to add the coconut oil so that the chocolate layer remains just a teeny bit softer.
- Slice them when they have just 25 minutes in the fridge!
- Run your knife through the chocolate layer and then go back over the lines cutting down fully through the squares
Easy peasy… I’m a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to slicing up treats! I just like to have them looking super pretty!
Ultimate hazelnut caramel squares
Print RecipeIngredients
- **For the Base**
- 150g roasted hazelnuts
- 100g oats, gluten free if necessary
- 60g butter, ghee or coconut oil melted
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- **For the Filling**
- 270g pitted Medjool Dates
- 3 tbsp hot water
- 80g butter, melted (coconut oil for vegan friendly version)
- Generous pinch of Pink Himalayan Rock Salt
- ***For the Topping***
- 150g 70% dark chocolate roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp (28g) coconut oil
- Salt to garnish
Instructions
Line an 8 inch square tin with baking paper and lightly grease with spray oil.
Blend together nuts and oats to a fine crumb in the food processor.
Add melted butter (or oil), and maple syrup. Place into prepared tin, spread evenly and press down with the back of a spoon to ensure it's nice and compact.
Clean out food processor. Blend dates to a smooth paste. Add water and butter or oil and blend until completely smooth. Add salt and blend to incorporate.
Spread caramel over the base and place into the fridge for a couple of hours to firm up.
Melt chocolate and oil in a microwave safe dish for 2 minutes - 3 minutes; stir every 30 seconds.
Pour chocolate over caramel layer and return to the fridge to set for 25 minutes. Remove and slice into 9 - 12 squares.
Notes
Slice after 25 minutes to ensure the chocolate doesn't crack. Run knife through the chocolate layer first and then go back over the lines. Store in the fridge for up to 1 week or freeze for up to one month.
