Is it possible to take one of the most beloved Girl Scout cookies ever and turn it into a raw, vegan and all natural treat? You betcha! No refined sugars, no dairy, gluten or preservatives, just pure samoa cookie awesomeness in its’ most natural form.
The base of these bars is comprised of raw cashew halves, raw and unsweetened coconut shreds, dates and salt. It tastes very similar to the texture of a Larabar, and couldn’t be more simple to put together. Just put the ingredients in a food processor with a teaspoon of coconut or regular water, and process until mixture begins to come together like a ‘dough.’ When finished, place your mixture into an 8 x 8 glass baking dish lined in parchment paper, and with your hands, press your mixture out evenly in the dish like pictured below.
Place your bar mixture into the refrigerator to let it firm up a bit while you begin to make your caramel sauce. This caramel sauce is AWESOME. It hardens up when it comes in contact with cool surfaces when boiled, which is what we want for these bars, but if you would like to use this caramel as a sauce, just follow the directions below, without letting it come to a boil. Once the caramel reaches a certain temperature, it will begin to harden when used on cold items like ice cream, so if you want to keep it soft, keep it around 230F on a candy thermometer. This caramel sauce contains no refined sugar, dairy or gluten.
Recipe: Natural Vegan Caramel Sauce
Summary: A vegan friendly caramel sauce that hardens. Gluten, dairy and refined sugar free.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup organic sucanat
- 2 Tbsp. brown rice syrup
- 2.5 Tbsp. full fat coconut milk (Thai Kitchen brand); chilled overnight unless already thickened, only using thick white cream on top.
- 1.5 Tbsp Earth Balance Butter Substitute
- 1/8 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- Add salt if you want salted caramel
Instructions
- Cook sugar, syrup and whip cream over medium heat for 5 minutes, whisking continuously.
- Mixture will come to a boil, which we want, so it will harden on the bars. Make sure not to stop whisking or caramel will burn.
- When finished, stir in Earth Balance butter substitute and vanilla.
Preparation time: 8 minute(s)
Cooking time: 5 minute(s)
My rating
When caramel sauce is ready, remove it from heat and set aside. Remove your bar mixture from the fridge, and lift parchment paper out of the glass baking dish so bar mixture is on a flat surface. With a rubber spatula, spread a very thin layer of caramel over the top of your bars, then evenly cover your caramel topping with unsweetened coconut shreds. To top the coconut, take a spoon and drizzle caramel sauce over the top of the coconut layer as pictured above. When finished, place bar mixture into the freezer to let caramel harden. While waiting, prepare your chocolate.
Recipe: Chocolate Sauce
Summary: An all natural chocolate sauce that hardens
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup virgin, unrefined coconut oil; melted
- 1/8 cup raw cacao powder
- 1/2 Tbsp. all natural honey or coconut nectar (optional)
Instructions
- In a microwave safe dish, melt your coconut oil.
- When melted, whisk in cacao powder and half a tablespoon of honey or coconut nectar, mixing until completely smooth.
Preparation time: 5 minute(s)
My rating
Remove your bar mixture from the freezer once again, and with a small spoon, drizzle melted chocolate over the top, just as you did with the caramel sauce. When finish, place back in freezer to let chocolate harden.
Leave your bars in the freezer for about 15-20 minutes total after finished with your chocolate drizzle. When time is up, remove bars from freezer, and with a pizza cutter, cut bars 4 times vertically and once through the middle to create 8 individual bars. Bars should be kept in the fridge, covered in saran wrap until ready to eat to keep caramel and chocolate firm.
There you have it! Girl Scout worthy samoa cookie bars that are all natural, vegan, and both dairy and gluten free.
- ***Bar Base***
- 2 cups raw cashew halves
- 15 pitted dates
- 1/4 tsp. finely ground sea salt
- 1 tsp. coconut or regular water
- 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut shreds + 3 Tbsp for topping
- *1 recipe for caramel sauce – recipe listed above*
- *1 recipe for chocolate sauce- recipe listed above*
- Place your bar base ingredients in a food processor with a teaspoon of coconut or regular water, and process until mixture begins to come together like a ‘dough.’ When finished, place your mixture into an 8 x 8 glass baking dish lined in parchment paper, and with your hands, press your mixture out evenly in the dish.
- Place your bar mixture into the refrigerator to let it firm up a bit while you begin to make your caramel sauce (recipe above).
- When caramel sauce is ready, remove it from heat and set aside.
- Remove your bar mixture from the fridge, and lift parchment paper out of the glass baking dish so bar mixture is on a flat surface.
- With a rubber spatula, spread a very thin layer of caramel over the top of your bars, then evenly cover your caramel topping with unsweetened coconut shreds.
- To top the coconut, take a spoon and drizzle caramel sauce over the top of the coconut layer as pictured above.
- When finished, place bar mixture into the freezer to let caramel harden. While waiting, prepare your chocolate sauce.
- Remove your bar mixture from the freezer once again, and with a small spoon, drizzle melted chocolate over the top, just as you did with the caramel sauce. When finish, place back in freezer to let chocolate harden.
- Leave your bars in the freezer for about 15-20 minutes total after finished with your chocolate drizzle. When time is up, remove bars from freezer, and with a pizza cutter, cut bars 4 times vertically and once through the middle to create 8 individual bars. Bars should be kept in the fridge, covered in saran wrap until ready to eat to keep caramel and chocolate firm.