raw caramel slice
- ⅓ cup (35g) raw cacao or cocoa powder
- ¼ cup (60ml) melted coconut oil
- ½ cup (180g) rice malt syrup
almond base
- ¾ cup (120g) almonds
- ⅓ cup (25g) desiccated coconut
- 6 soft fresh dates (120g), pitted
- ¼ cup (60ml) melted coconut oil
date caramel
- 12 soft fresh dates (240g), pitted
- ⅓ cup (105g) natural almond butter
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt flakes
- To make the almond base, line a 20cm square slice tin with non-stick baking paper. Place the almonds, coconut, dates and oil in a food processor. Process for 1–2 minutes or until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Using the back of a spoon, press the mixture into the base of the tin and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until set.
- To make the date caramel, place the dates, almond butter, maple syrup, vanilla and salt in the cleaned food processor and process for 1–2 minutes or until smooth. Spread over the base and refrigerate until needed.
- Place the cacao, oil and rice malt syrup in a medium heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (the bowl shouldn’t touch the water) and stir for 2–3 minutes or until smooth. Pour the cacao mixture over the caramel and refrigerate for 2 hours. Freeze for 30 minutes or until set.
- Remove from the tin and cut into bars to serve. Makes 10
Note: This caramel slice needs to be served chilled. If you prefer a harder set, keep it in the freezer until ready to serve.
Photography: Anson Smart
Bianka Nightingale
I made this however the oil seemed to stay separate from the syrup and powder. Should I have done something differently in this step?
donna hay team
Hi Miree, we recommend that the dates are at room temperature before they are added to the food processor. If they are cold from the fridge it may take longer than 1-2 minutes for the ‘caramel’ to become smooth and spreadable. Also depending on the type of food processor it may take a little longer for the dates to become smooth. There will always be a little texture in the caramel, however it should be spreadable. Happy baking! The DH team
miree mccourt
I made this the other day and found my caramel was very difficult to spread - it didn’t blend into a smooth caramel, rather a smooth slightly stiff paste. It tasted lovely but definitely didn’t look like the picture! Did I do something wrong?!
© DONNA HAY GROUP
