Protein Pumpkin Caramel Chocolate Bars
Pumpkin Cookie Dough, Caramel, and Chocolate All in One!
I had made a version of this recipe earlier this year and everyone loved it! I knew I had to put a fall twist on it, so I added pumpkin cookie dough as the bottom layer. This recipe is AMAZING and is made with all simple ingredients.
You don’t have to worry about turning the oven on since this recipe is no-bake. Also, I love how it has added protein, so these bars make the perfect snack. If you use no sugar added chocolate, this recipe has very little sugar. A lot of the sweetness comes naturally from the dates.
Sugar: you can use any granulated sugar you want. I used coconut sugar to keep it refined sugar-free.
Nondairy milk: any nondairy milk will work; I used unsweetened almond milk. Water also works. If you aren’t vegan, you can use traditional milk.
Protein powder: I used vanilla flavored protein powder. If you don’t want to use this, you can add more almond flour or substitute for coconut flour. The measurements WILL BE DIFFERENT.
Almond flour: you can substitute for more protein powder, coconut flour, or oat flour. The measurements WILL BE DIFFERENT.
Dates: if you don’t want the caramel layer to be made from dates, you could use caramel candies and melt them down.
Chocolate chips: any chocolate will work. White chocolate works well with this recipe as well.
Ingredients:
Pumpkin puree
Sugar
Nondairy milk
Protein powder
Almond flour
Chocolate chips
Dates
Water
Recipe:
Cookie Dough:
½ cup pumpkin puree
1/3 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup nondairy milk
2/3 cup protein powder
1/3 cup almond flour
½ cup chocolate chips
Caramel:
6-8 dates
2-4 tablespoons hot water
Top:
1 cup melted chocolate
Directions:
1. Line a baking pan with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray.
2. In a bowl add the dates and cover with boiling water. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl combine the pumpkin puree, sugar, and nondairy milk. Stir to combine.
4. Add in the protein powder and almond flour. Stir until a dough is formed. If your dough becomes too dry add more milk.
5. Fold in the chocolate chips. Transfer to the baking pan and press flat so everything is even. Place in the freezer.
6. Drain ONLY ¾ of the water from the dates. You want to leave at least 2-4 tablespoons. Using a fork, mash the dates until a paste forms. You could also blend this.
7. Once the paste is formed add on top of the cookie dough layer and place back in the freezer for at least an hour.
8. After the hour, slice into bars and coat each bar in the melted chocolate. Place back in the freezer to harden.
Be sure to store these in the freezer. They should last for a month minimum.
If you try this recipe and enjoy it, I would love if you could press the “like” button at the bottom of this page or leave a comment. Either one of those really helps me out!
If you ever have any questions about a recipe or substitutions, don’t hesitate to reach out!
