Inspired by her favourite café snack, author of ‘Well Being: Recipes and rituals to realign the body and mind’, Danielle Copperman shares her caramel peanut slice recipe.
I’ve always been a fan of anything with caramel in so, pair it with peanuts and chocolate and I’m pretty much uncontrollable. There’s a vegan cafe in Bath that makes the most amazing caramel peanut slices and these are inspired by them. Consisting of a crunchy, peanutty biscuit layer topped with chewy caramel and finished with a smooth chocolate ganache, they are hands down one of my favourite desserts and I hope you love them as much as I do. They make the perfect afternoon snack served with a hot drink, or an indulgent after dinner dessert.
Base
100g peanuts, without skin
80g oat flour (or any other gluten free flour)
2 tbsp peanut butter
4 tbsp natural syrup of choice
2 tbsp coconut sugar
25g coconut oil or vegan butter
pinch of salt
Method
Preheat the oven to 160°C.
In a food processor, start by pulsing the oats until they resemble a flour consistency. Then add the peanuts and pulse again until they resemble a coarse flour texture. Finally, add the peanut butter, syrup of choice, coconut sugar and coconut oil or butter and pulse again for 30-60 seconds, until the mixture becomes smooth and begins to stick together slightly.
Transfer to a small-medium baking tray (a loaf tin works well), and use the back of a spatula or spoon to press the mixture down until compact.
Bake for 15-20mins, until golden brown, then remove from the oven and allow to cool.
Middle
80g natural syrup of choice
or 150g medjool dates*
150g crunchy peanut butter
20g coconut oil, melted
1 tbsp coconut sugar
pinch of salt
Method
Fill a medium saucepan with a few inches of water and sit a heatproof bowl resting on the top, slightly touching the water, to make a bain-marie. Heat over a medium to high heat for 3-5 minutes, until smooth. Then pour over the biscuit base layer and place in the fridge whilst you prepare the chocolate.
* if using dates, place all the ingredients in a food processor with 5tbsp of water or milk to help blend smoothly
Topping
30g cacao powder
20g coconut oil
25g natural syrup
2 tbsp plant-based milk
1 tbsp smooth peanut butter (optional)
Method
Make another bain-marie. Add your syrup and whisk in the coconut oil and cocoa powder. Remove from the heat then gradually whisk in the milk, followed by the peanut butter, if using. Pour over the caramel layer and place in the fridge to set again.
Once the top layer has set slightly, slice and enjoy.
Try Danielle‘s vegan ice cream recipe for another indulgent treat.
If you’ve got chocolate on the mind, try Lauren Lovatt‘s brain boosting candy.