Date + Peanut Butter Candy

Happy Halloweeeeeen!

When I started eating vegan, no word of a lie, one of the first things I was sad to let go was Halloween candy. Hear me out – like… I know that if I had M&Ms and Twix now, I would be like… uhhh this is so fake! Nasty – too sugary. Bleh. BUT… if I am being 100% honest, I do miss the pigging out on Halloween candy all week long. It’s not even the actual candy really… it’s just, the art of living off of candy for a week. Does that make sense? Probably not at all, but it’s fine. It’s how I feel!

So one of the first things I wanted to do was figure out some vegan recipes for all my favorite Halloween treats. Sara actually shared homemade vegan peanut butter cups on here to replace Reeses (the only one that really matters, right?) and this recipe is a go-to for me. I can’t even tell you how often I’ve made these since she posted the recipe. I’m also a huge caramel fan, so that is where these bad boys come into play. Dates are literally caramel – bonus that they are a natural sugar option!

Just to be clear – this recipe is totally everywhere. It is that simple… it’s not unique or anything. This is just me sharing one of my favorite easy and simple candies. I make them often and store in the freezer for the times when my sweet tooth attacks. And the best part is the fact that dates are SO sweet that all you need is one and you are totally satisfied. Okay, sometimes two.

Just a note – I have tried making the caramel in an older blender and it didn’t come as smooth as it should. I recommend using the best you have to really get a smooth caramel. I used my ninja bullet and it worked great. But honestly – even if it isn’t 100% smooth, chunky is good too. I have done both ways and they both kill a sweet tooth!

YUM, DATE CARAMEL.

Recipe

You will need:

• 2 cups pitted dates, soaked in hot water for at least 10-15 min.
• 1 tbs peanut butter
• 1/4 cup water (use your judgement for more or less… start with less)
• 1 cup melted dark chocolate (I melted morsels)
• Himalayan pink salt

To make:

• Add soaked dates, peanut butter, and water to your blender and run until smooth.
• Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick – dollop the caramel as neatly as you can into the sheet and stick in the freezer for about 20-30 minutes (it can get a little messy but whatever, just go with it!)
• While chilling, melt chocolate morsels in a bowl – I just used the microwave but you can totally break out some double broiler action.
• Take sheet out and dollop each one with dark chocolate and top with sea salt – stick back into the freezer for at least 2 hours before diving in.

Seriously – make these right now and have them for later. It’s the only way to celebrate a very vegan Halloween!And save for waaaay later by storing in an air-tight container in the freezer. I hope you enjoy, babes ;) xx bianca