These nutty caramel no-bake bites are totally delicious and make perfect sweet treat snacks for hungry kids over the age of three. They taste simply divine and are an amazing crowd pleaser – spot the joy in their faces when they take their first bite!

They are naturally gluten, dairy, soya and egg-free. They are also packed with calcium and iron, as well as fibre and omega 3 – these are much more nutritious than shop-bought chocolate bars and will keep them full for hours and keep the hangry times at bay.

This recipe is from Lucy Shardlow, who is totally supersonic helping to run things at NatureDoc HQ.

Salted Caramel Pistachio Bites

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Prep Time 15

Total Time 4 30

Course Puddings, Snacks & Treats

Servings squares

Suitable for Special Diet (or adaptable) Dairy-free, Egg-free, Gluten-free, Nut-free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Ingredients

Base

50 g Walnuts
50 g Blanched Almonds
0.25 tsp Salt
6 Medjool Dates (pitted)
1.5 tbsp Water

Caramel

150 g Medjool Dates (pitted)
100 g Unsalted Almond Butter
1 tsp Vanilla extract
1 tbsp Maple syrup
0.25 tsp Salt
2 tbsp Water

Topping

50 g Pistachios (unsalted & shelled)
150 g Dark chocolate
1 tbsp Coconut oil

Instructions

Make the base by grinding up the walnuts, almonds and salt in a food processor. Add the six pitted dates and pulse until fully chopped. Add the water in a little at a time whilst pulsing until a thick dough forms and it starts to make a ball in the food processor. Mostly you only need 1 tablespoon to do this depending on how sticky your dates are.
Line a small square cake tin or baking tray with parchment paper and press the base down into it until flat and even.
Blend all the caramel ingredients together in your food processor until smooth, again adding water in slowly as you go. It should be nice and thick, and you’ll need to scrape down the sides of the food processor bowl regularly.
Spread the caramel filling over the crust with a palette knife and then top with the pistachios.
Freeze for a good 4 hours.
Just before taking the caramel topped base out of the freezer, melt the dark chocolate and coconut oil in a small saucepan, and stir until properly combined.
Remove base from freezer and cut it into squares. Then roll them in the melted chocolate and pop them back on the lined tray and stick them in the freezer for 15-20 minutes until set.

Notes

Store in the freezer for up to 3 months or in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Delicious eaten straight from the freezer.
This recipe works really well with other nuts, so try peanuts, pecans or cashews. You can also use organic white or milk chocolate instead of dark chocolate for younger kids.
Nut free: Swap walnuts for pumpkin seeds and almonds for sunflower seeds, swap almond butter for tahini (sesame paste) and pistachios for goji berries, dried mulberries or dried apricots.
Dairy and soya free: choose dairy and soya free chocolate.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!