A peanutty, caramel-y and chocolatey dip that is delicious served any time of day! This vegan, gluten free dessert dip is sweetened entirely with dates and has more fiber & protein than the candy bar it's modeled after
Let's be real here for a moment. Candy is delicious, and I believe one should eat candy on the reg if desired. But eating candy often makes me feel awful, and I can bet you'd probably agree if you were being honest.
A sugar crash is not a girl's (or guy's) best friend, and I try my best to avoid them.
That's why I still don't understand those commercials where they offer a Snickers bar to someone who is hangry... how does that satisfy their hunger? Those people aren't looking for a treat; they're looking for a meal... I digress
[clickToTweet tweet="This #vegan, gluten free Peanut Butter, Caramel, Chocolate dessert dip is sweetened entirely with dates and has more fiber & protein than the candy bar it's modeled after. #GF" quote="This #vegan, gluten free Peanut Butter, Caramel, Chocolate dessert dip is sweetened entirely with dates and has more fiber & protein than the candy bar it's modeled after. #GF"]
So when I was trying to find some inspiration for a new dip, I found a snickers dip recipe and it looked mighty tasty. But I knew from the ingredients (cream cheese, brown sugar, cool whip, chopped snickers, and optional caramel sauce and/or chocolate sauce) that it would be delicious but make me feel pretty awful.
I try not to eat foods that make me feel awful very often (check out my mindful eating tips for more on that!), but I knew I needed something like this.
After much brainstorming, I used a snickers bar as inspiration and resorted to my beloved cookie dough dip.
And I have to say it was quite the success in my opinion.
No, this does not taste just like a snickers, but it's peanutty and caramel-y and chocolatey and wonderful! And those are all my favorite things about a snickers, minus the sugar crash that usually goes along with it.
You'll start by making the "caramel" using dates, peanut butter, and some vanilla extract. I made a caramel sauce back in the day for my german chocolate brownies and loved it, so I thought it would be perfect here. (I substituted peanut butter in place of the coconut because I wasn't feelin' coconut flavor in here).
Then make the base of the dip by blending chickpeas (I promise this isn't weird once it's all blended together), peanut butter, oats, and things like vanilla extract and salt.
Transfer this to a bowl, and swirl in your "caramel" sauce and chocolate sauce (made from melting a few chocolate chips & peanut butter) and sprinkle with chopped peanuts. Voila! You have a delicious dessert-like dip that you can eat pretty much any time of day!
Peanut Butter, Caramel, Chocolate Dip
Ingredients
For the caramel:
- 1/4 cup dates
- 1 tsp water reserved from softening the dates
- 1 tsp peanut butter
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
For the dip:
- 15 ounce can chickpeas drained
- 3/4 cup dates
- 2 TBSP peanut butter
- 2 TBSP water
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp almond extract optional
- 1/2 cup oats
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 6 TBSP peanuts divided
For the chocolate sauce:
- 1 TBSP chocolate chips semi-sweet
- 1/2 tsp peanut butter
Instructions
Make the caramel:
- In a mini food processor, blend the dates, water, peanut butter, and vanilla extract until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl. No need to clean the food processor bowl before making the dip.
Prepare the dip:
- Add the chickpeas, dates, peanut butter, water, vanilla and almond extract (if using) to the food processor. Blend until smooth.
- Add in oats and salt. Blend until the oats are completely incorporated and dip is to your desired consistency.
- Pulse in 4 tablespoons peanuts.
Make the chocolate sauce:
- Meanwhile, add chocolate chips and peanut butter to a small microwaveable bowl and heat for 10-15 seconds. Stir until all chocolate chips are blended into a chocolate sauce. Make sure not to overheat.
To serve:
- Transfer the dip to a bowl. Swirl in caramel sauce and chocolate sauce. Sprinkle with remaining two tablespoons of peanuts.
- Serve with apple or pear slices, graham crackers, or pretzels. Enjoy!
Notes
What to Use in This Recipe
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