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Buttercream & Date Caramel Candy Bars {Grain-Free, Gluten-Free}

Leave the refined sugar and additives behind and make your own chocolate bars. Made with high-quality dark chocolate and sweetened with dates and some monk fruit to prevent that blood sugar spike.
Prep Time 40 minutes
Passive Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Course Dessert
Servings 4 bars

Equipment

  • 1 silicone candy bar mold See notes
  • Food processor
  • Microwaveable safe bowl

Ingredients
  

For the Bottom & Top Layers

  • 1 2oz 100% dark chocolate bar chopped
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 1 tablespoon powdered monk fruit
  • 1/2 teaspoon monk fruit

For the date caramel

  • 2 cups Medjool dates, pitted equals about 15-18
  • Hot or boiling water enough to cover
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the buttercream filling

  • 3/4 cup grass-fed butter room temperature
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil room temperature
  • 1/3 cup powdered monk fruit
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions
 

  • Prepare the date caramel first. Cover the pitted Medjool in hot or boiling water for at least 30 minutes. Once soft, scoop out 1/4 cup of the soaking water and set aside. Drain the dates, and transfer them to a food processor. Add the soaking water and vanilla extract. Process until creamy, scraping down the sides of the food processor as you need to. Transfer the date caramel to a medium bowl until ready to use.
  • Make the chocolate. In a microwaveable safe bowl, combine the chopped dark chocolate and coconut oil. Microwave for 50 seconds to 1 minute. Remove the bowl and stir until creamy (chocolate may appear to not have fully melted, but once you stir, it will combine with the hot coconut oil). Add the powdered monk fruit and granulated monk fruit and stir again until everything is blended.
  • Pour 1-2 tablespoons of the melted chocolate into the bottom of the candy bar mold. Transfer the mold to the freezer to harden for at least 30 minutes. Set the remaining melted chocolate aside.
  • Make the butter cream frosting. In a large bowl, combine the grass-fed butter and coconut oil. Beat with a hand mixer, immersion blender with whisk tool or a large whisk until fluffy, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add the powdered monk fruit and vanilla extract and beat again until everything is blended together, using a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl as you need to and beat again.
  • Once the chocolate has set in the bottom of the bar mold, layer in the date caramel and buttercream filling (about 1-2 tablespoons each mold). Pour the remaining melted chocolate over the filling in equal amounts until used up. Place the mold back in the freezer to completely set, at least 1 hour.

Notes

Candy bar mold on Amazon
Otherwise, this recipe could be made as "cups" using muffin liners 
Storage: Bars can be kept frozen for 1 year, refrigerated for 1 month. Keep leftover date caramel in the fridge in an airtight container for up to two weeks. Keep buttercream filling in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 10 days. 
Keyword Egg-free, Gluten-free, Grain-free, Nut-free, Tree Nut-free