My First Homemade Vegan Chocolate Bar

It took me awhile but I have finally made my first vegan chocolate bar! I have been thinking about doing it for awhile and this firsts theme for Vegan MoFo has finally pushed me to give it a go. I couldn't find a deep chocolate bar mould (like a Go Max Go kinda bar size) anywhere but I did find a silicone mould at C.A. Paradis here in Ottawa that would do the trick. As for the filling, my mom has been bugging me for ages to recreate a chocolate bar that she remembers from when she was little. She said it had caramel, peanuts and marshmallow all layered inside a chocolate coating. This gave me the perfect way to make something with Dandies for their MoFo contest! Here's what the final result looked like...

And here's how I did it...

Dandies Bars

1 package of Dandies

2 tbsp vegan margarine

400g of vegan dark chocolate, chopped up if not chocolate chips

3 tbsp coconut oil

1/3 cup of dry roasted peanuts (no salt or seasoning on them)

1/4 cup of crisp rice cereal

1 recipe of your favourite thick caramel sauce 

(I used Dulce de Coco from Vegan Desserts by Hannah Kaminsky)

You'll need a deep chocolate bar mould as well. This is the one I used http://www.bakedeco.com/a/flexible-bakeware-c-13924.htm.

1. Combine the chocolate and coconut oil in a medium sized glass bowl and microwave for 1 minute, stopping and stirring every 15 seconds or so until it is mostly melted. Stir until completely smooth and let sit for a few minutes before using to coat the mould.

2. Meanwhile, melt the Dandies and the margarine in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat. Keep stirring and continue to heat them until they melt and come together. It will happen all of a sudden. When they are melted pour onto a greased half sheet pan and spread it out over half since you want it to be a bit thick. Using a hand held kitchen torch, brûlée the top of the Dandies, like seen below. Set aside.

3. Place your mould on a half sheet pan to help keep it stable while moving it around. Using a small spoon or pastry brush, coat the walls of the mould with the melted chocolate. Place in the freezer for a few minutes to get it to set up. Take out and coat again with chocolate. This time it will set quickly because it's so cold so you have to move quickly. Place in the freezer again for a few minutes to let set. 

4.While your mould is in the freezer get the rest of the filling ingredients ready. Spray a pizza cutter or knife with spray oil and use to cut the brûléed Dandies into slices that will fit inside of the mould. Remove the mould from the freezer. Spoon in about a tablespoon of caramel sauce, top with a sprinkle of peanuts (5-6 halves), place a slice of Dandies in followed by a sprinkle of crisp rice cereal and then another slice of marshmallow. Repeat with the rest of the cavities. Pour melted chocolate over the top of each completed bar, smoothing it out on the top. You might have to add a bit more once it settles and fills in all the space. Place in the freezer again for a few minutes to set the chocolate. Remove from the freezer and then release each bar from the mould, trying not to touch the smooth tops or sides because you will leave fingerprints. Really no one will mind if you do leave fingerprints...they will forget all about that once they have a taste of these!