Vegan Glutenfree 7 Layer Bars w/ Date Butterscotch Sauce, Toasted Coconut, and Dark Chocolate Chips

Difficulty: 3/5 (5 being hardest)
Spice Level: 1/3 (3 being spiciest)

Prep & Cook Time: 80-90 minutes
Servings: 12-14 bars

The Challenge: 7 Layer Bars

7 Layer Bars … a holiday magical treat!

What’s in the traditional sweet bar of wonderfulness:

• Graham Cracker Crust

• Butter

• Condensed Milk

• White Chocolate

• Milk Chocolate

• Butterscotch

• Coconut

• Nuts

So, yeah … not exactly a vegan’s best friend haha. That’s okay we’re going to do it up Cavepeople style!! Not only will this treat be 100% vegan, but its also way better tasting. We use fresh ingriedents and cook from scratch as well as use no gluten. It is still a treat but it will sit pretty!

Here are your new and improved layers:

• Gluten-free Oat/Pecan/Macadamia Nut Crust

• Vegan Butter

• Condensed Coconut Milk

• Dark Chocolate Chips

• Date Butterscotch Sauce

• Toasted Coconut

• Chopped Pecans + Macadamia Nuts

You in? Of course. These bars will be the bell of your Christmas ball. The bee’s knees of your holiday soiree. The absolute slam dunk that your family + friends will be saying “HOW DID YOU MAKE THESE? And they’re vegan.” Oh ya!

The coolest thing on this dish in my opinion is the date butterscotch sauce. We take dates + turn them into butterscotch. Like are you joking?! Its amazing how much it tastes like the real thing and is such a healthier take on the traditional dish.

Okay enough enough enough…

Let’s get into it!

Ingredients:

---

Layer 1: Crust

• 1.5 cups rolled oats

• 1 tsp salt

• 1/2 cup pecans + 1/2 cup macadamia nuts

• 1/2 cup coconut flour

• 1.5 tbl maple syrup

• 1/4 cup vegan butter, melted (or 1 tbl vegan butter extra in place of coconut oil)

• 1 tbl coconut oil (or 5 tbl in place of vegan butter)

• 6 dried dates, pitted

Layer 2: Butterscotch Date Sauce

• 1/4 cup vegan butter

• 1/2 cup dates, finely chopped, pitted

• 2 tbl date syrup

• 1 tsp salt

• 1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk

Layer 3: Condensed Coconut Milk

• 1 can full-fat coconut milk

• 2 tbl organic cane sugar

Other

• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (vegan, cocoa butter is vegan FYI)

• 1/2 cup raw pecans

• 1/2 cup raw macadamia nuts

• 1/2 cup coconut flakes

---

Equipment You'll Need:

Mixing Bowls . Sharp Chopping Knife . Measuring Cups + Spoons . Cutting Board . Parchment Paper . Baking Dish (8x12) . Medium Sauce Pot . Small Sauce Pot . Food Processor

---

Before You Cook:

• Chop + wash fresh ingredients

• Preheat oven to 375F

1. To start, add coconut milk + sugar for condensed milk to a small sauce pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and let it simmer for 45-50 minutes until reduced and thicker.

2. Next, add the dry ingredients for the crust (oats, nuts, coconut flour) to a food processor. Pulse until a fine meal is formed. About 15-20 times.

3. Next, mix in the wet ingredients and dates. Pulse until a dough form.

4. Line a 8x14 baking dish with parchment paper. Pour in the crust and press into the dish. Keep an even layer and press into the corners. Place into the oven and bake for 12-14 minutes at 375F.

5. While the crust bakes, add vegan butter for the sauce to a medium pot and cook down over medium heat. Once melted add in finely diced dates, date syrup, salt, and coconut milk. Simmer for 10 minutes until it forms a gooey sauce. YUM!

6. Pour the sauce over the crust. Set aside.

7. Next, add the nuts for the topping to a food processor, pulse until fairly broken down.

8. Add the nuts to the dish. Add the condensed milk next. If its not done, add once its done then the coconut flakes and dark chocolate chips. Add to oven and bake at 375F for 12-14 minutes. Watch carefully so coconut doesn’t burn.

9. Optional Step: While the bars bake, add another 1/4 cup coconut to another baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes to toast.

10. Recommended step: let the bars refrigerate for about 4 hours so that the milk thickens up. Otherwise, let it cool for at least 60 minutes before eating.

---

ignore this…its some metadata for Pinterest:

Slowcooker Winter Vegetable Vegan Chili w/ Southwestern Green Hatch Cornbread I love my slowcooker. If you don’t have one, its such a godsend. Put in a bunch of ingredients and cook away for hours. It is super helpful for the hectic days when I don’t have time to cook something from scratch when I get home, but it still allows you to have a really delicious meal with homemade ingredients. For vegans, one of those classic slowcooked recipes is CHILI. First off, chili is heaven. Spicy, salty, soupy yum that warms your heart and is so good from fall to spring. You can have it more like soup, more like a dip, more like a topping on spaghetti (say what…check it out!), and more like stew. What I love about chili is its a great way to eat up a lot of your veggies on hand. Tonight, in celebration of the holiday season I wanted to celebrate winter veggies and pair it with EPIC cornbread that uses real corn kernels + green hatch chiles for a splendid bread that pairs well with our winter vegetable chili. I love to cook SEASONALLY. It is a great way to use what is locally produced, have a smaller impact, and cook from scratch. Seasonal + scratch = WHERE ITS AT!   Aggregate rating will show here Serves 8 Ingredients: 2 tbl olive oil, 1 onion, chopped, 2 medium garlic cloves, very finely chopped, 3 stalks of celery, diced , 1 cup winter greens (chard, collards), roughly chopped, 2 medium parsnips, washed, peeled, chopped into bite size chunks, 2 cups diced carrots (about 2 medium carrots), 2 - 14 oz cans of organic chopped italian tomatoes, 1 chipotle in adobo sauce, diced + 2 tbl adobo sauce, 2 cups low-sodium veggie stock, Vegan Green Chili Cornbread, fresh cilantro, diced, vegan sour cream, diced avocado,