Give these to a sweet-lover and see if they can guess what’s in ‘em. Guaranteed they’ll be surprised.

Recipe modified from The Healthy Hour

Cookie Dough Base

1 cup unsalted cashews, soaked for 4 hours in water
2/3 cup oats
2/3 cup coconut flakes
5 medjool dates, pitted and soaked in warm water for a few minutes
dash of almond extract (or vanilla, whatever you prefer)
pinch of salt

Caramel Filling

14 medjool dates, pitted
1/3 cup almond butter
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Chocolate Layer

1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
1/3 cup cacao power
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt

  • Add cashews, oats, coconut flakes, extract and salt to a food processor and blend for 2 minutes until the ingredients are finely ground.
  • Add in the soaked dates and blend until well combined. The mixture should be smooth and sticky, if not add a tablespoon or two of warm water and process again.
  • Line loaf pan with parchment paper. Press base dough into the pan and spread evenly. Cover pan with aluminum foil and place in freezer.
  • Clean the food processor and then add to it the caramel ingredients: dates, almond butter, maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla and salt. Process for 2 minutes until it looks like caramel, adding a tablespoon of water if it doesn’t seem creamy enough.
  • Take pan out of freezer, layer caramel over the base, then return it to the freezer.
  • Whisk the cacao power, maple syrup, honey, vanilla and salt into the melted coconut oil until it is smooth and glossy.
  • Remove pan from freezer, pour chocolate over top of the caramel filling and return to freezer for another 4-6 hours.
  • Slice and enjoy. Store in freezer.