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Healthy Superfood Caramel Delights {vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, no-bake}

A healthy, superfood-packed rendition of Girl Scout caramel delights! They are vegan, no-bake, oil-free, gluten-free, and packed with nutrition!

Happiness is your 9-year-old finally trying a Medjool date at vacation bible school and declaring that he loves them.

“Really, Mommy, they are SO good! They taste just like caramel!”

When he asked if I could buy some, I told him to open the pantry and look on the second shelf.

We always have them. I’ve been secreting them into his food his entire life, despite his outright rejection of plain, whole dates.  But it made all the difference for him to discover them on his own while learning about the life of Joseph.

Nick’s comment about the dates tasting like caramel prompted today’s post, a no-bake homage to Girl Scout cookies. Specifically, caramel delights.

No baking, no fussy procedures and no artificial ingredients, these energy pucks get their caramel flavor from–you guessed it–luscious dates. Unlike real caramel, however, dates are a a fantastic energy food. They are a good source of  of fiber and include a host of essential minerals (calcium, iron, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, magnesium and zinc) and  vitamins  (thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folate, vitamin A and vitamin K).

A double helping of coconut (unsweetened coconut flakes and coconut flour) offers another signature flavor of caramel delights. Once again, it’s flavor plus multiple benefits, such as healthy coconut oil from the flakes and fiber from both.

Almonds and chocolate clinch the deal with more great flavor as well as vitamin E (almonds), antioxidants (the cacao nibs), and yet more fiber from both. In short, these treats are more than worthy of their superfood moniker.

I’m not the only one who thinks they taste utterly amazing workout fuel. A certain little boy has had these in his lunchbox all week during baseball camp (powered by caramel delights!). Thanks to bible school the week prior, he’s now delighted by what makes them so caramel-y delicious!

Happy eats, everyone, and stay cool!

 

Healthy Superfood Caramel Delights {vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, no-bake}

Healthy Superfood Caramel Delights {vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, no-bake}

Yield: 9
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

A healthy, superfood-packed rendition of Girl Scout caramel delights! They are vegan, no-bake, oil-free, gluten-free, and packed with nutrition!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup whole pitted dates
  • 1-1/4 cups rolled oats (certified GF as needed)
  • 1/2 cup whole raw or roasted almonds
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened flake coconut
  • 1/4 cup cacao nibs
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons coconut flour
  • Optional: 1 to 2 tablespoons semisweet chocolate chips, melted

Instructions

  1. Grease or spray 9 cups in a standard muffin tin.
  2. Place the dates in a small bowl; cover with hot (not boiling) water to just cover. Let stand for 10 minutes; drain, reserving 2 tablespoons soaking water.
  3. In a food processor, process the oats, almonds and coconut into a fine powder. Transfer to a a bowl. Place drained dates in food processor; process into a paste, scraping down bowl as needed. Add oat mixture back to bowl, along with cacao nibs, salt and reserved soaking liquid. Process until well blended, stopping to scrape down bowl several times. Add 2 tablespoons coconut flour; process to combine. If mixture is still fairly moist, add the remaining coconut flour.
  4. Scrape dough from processor and divide into 9 equal portions; Roll each int a ball and press into prepared cups, flattening tops. Drizzle tops with melted chocolate. Refrigerate at least hour before removing from cups.

Notes

Storage: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or freeze for up to 3 months. These will keep well at room temp for 2 to 3 days so long as it is not boiling hot!

Nutrition Information
Serving Size 1 puck
Amount Per Serving Calories 132Total Fat 4.5gSaturated Fat 1.3gCholesterol 0mgSodium 64mgCarbohydrates 22.6gFiber 3.9gSugar 12.3gProtein 3.2g

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Tag @powerhungrycamilla on Instagram and hashtag it #powerhungrycamilla

 

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