It’s hard to find a “healthy” candy bar these days. Most are packed with really awful ingredients that our bodies don’t even know how to recognize {pretty much all commercialized candy}.
I haven’t had a candy bar in many, many years … but all of a sudden I got a crazy craving for a real deal candy bar. I have no idea why, maybe it’s because Halloween is around the corner? This craving was just not going away. My husband and I even had a conversation one night about all of the junk commercial candy we had as kids {we reminisced over our favorites}. I just couldn’t take it anymore … so I decided to make my own.
Treats like this are very rare in our home and Little Love has never had a candy bar, so I wanted to make something extra special for her to try. I decided to create one of my old favorites … chocolate, caramel and fluffy nougat.
WOW they turned out AMAZING! So delicious and irresistible … Little Love and my husband loved them! Me … well, I am happy to say that I enjoyed most of them, yes I shared, but they were too good to be true and I couldn’t get enough of them. They only lasted in our house for 3 days.
Homemade Candy Bars with Caramel and Marshmallow Nougat
YOU WILL NEED: Medium Size Saucepan, Food Processor, Unbleached Parchment Paper, 9×9 Square Pan, Standing Mixer, Spatula or Large Spoon, Sharp Chef’s Knife

Homemade Candy Bars with Caramel and Marshmallow Nougat
These Homemade Candy Bars are so delicious + they're made with healthier ingredients, so go ahead and have a couple.
***NOTE: ADVANCE PREPARATION REQUIRED ***
Ingredients
For the CHOCOLATE LAYER Option 1:
- 1 cup allergy-free chocolate chips
- 1 tablespoon pasture butter, ghee or cacao butter
For the CHOCOLATE LAYER Option 2:
- 1/2 cup cacao powder
- 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon honey {I used local raw clover creamed}
- 2 tablespoons pasture butter or ghee
- 1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract
For the "CARAMEL" LAYER:
- 1 lb Medjool dates {about 18 dates}
- 2 tablespoons pasture butter or ghee
For the MARSHMALLOW NOUGAT LAYER:
- 2 cups honey {I used local raw clover creamed}
- 2 tablespoons filtered water
- Pinch of sea salt (<--this is my favorite sea salt)
- 2 egg whites from pastured or organic eggs
- 1 teaspoon non-GMO cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prep the square baking pan with unbleached parchment paper making sure the parchment paper is tucked/folded into all of the corners.
For the CHOCOLATE LAYER Option 1:
- Add the chocolate chips and butter/ghee/cacao butter to a medium size saucepan. Heat over medium-low, stir until completely melted. Remove from heat. Pour into square baking pan {lined with parchment paper}. Place in freezer until set, about 15 minutes.
For the CHOCOLATE LAYER Option 2:
- Add cacao powder, honey, butter/ghee and vanilla extract to a medium size saucepan. Heat oven medium-low, stirring constantly until everything has melted and incorporated, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat. Pour into square baking pan {lined with parchment paper}. Place in freezer until set, about 1-2 hours.
For the "CARAMEL" LAYER:
- Melt butter or ghee in a medium size saucepan over medium-low heat.
- Prep date pieces – break them in half and remove the pit. Add to the saucepan and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Heating the dates is important, the heat softens them and the butter/ghee brings out their natural caramel flavor.
- Pour cooked dates into food processor fitted with the “S” steel blade. Pulse until dates turn into a paste, about 30 seconds.
- Pour date mixture onto frozen chocolate later. Grease fingers with coconut oil {water can be used on fingers too if you do not have coconut oil} and spread the date mixture all over the chocolate later - making sure to cover the whole surface.
- Place chocolate-caramel into the freezer to set for at least 1 hour.
For the MARSHMALLOW NOUGAT LAYER:
- Fit your standing mixer with the whisk attachment.
- In a medium-large saucepan, heat the honey and water over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until it starts to bubble and get foamy on the top, about 10 minutes.
- Add two egg whites to the mixing bowl of the standing mixer. Beat on medium-high speed until firm peaks form, about 1 minute.
- With the mixer still on medium-high, add the sea salt and cornstarch and continue to mix for about 1 minute.
- Still beating on medium-high speed, SLOWLY and carefully drizzle the hot honey in a thin continuous stream until all the honey has been added, about 3-4 minutes {it should take this long to add the honey, that gives you an idea of how slow you need to add it}. ***Remember the honey is extremely hot, so use caution.***
- Continue beating the mixture for about 10 minutes, then add the vanilla extract. Continue beating for about another 5 minutes or until the mixture has tripled in volume.
- Using a spoon or spatula, scoop the mixture out into the baking pan on top of the "caramel" layer. Smooth it out and cover the whole surface.
- Allow to cool at room temperature for about 3 hours then place in the freezer to freeze for at least 7 hours, best overnight.
- Once set in the freezer, remove the baking dish from the freezer and use the parchment paper edges to lift the large candy out of the pan and place on a flat surface or cutting board.
- Using a well-greased sharp chef's knife {I used coconut oil to grease my knife, but you can also do this without greasing, you might have to wash the knife between slices though}, cut the candy into 2-inch wide strips, then into 2 or 3-inch long pieces.
- Store IN the freezer. These will not set up properly at room temperature, they need to be stored in the freezer.
Notes
CHOCOLATE LAYER OPTIONS: There are two options for the chocolate layer. If you are not worried about using the allergy-free chocolate chips, then choose that option. Otherwise, make the homemade chocolate instead.
Storage: Keep candy bars in the freezer until ready to serve. Keeps well in freezer for a few months, but trust me, these are so good, they will not last that long before someone gobbles them up.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 21 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving:Calories: 273Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 47mgCarbohydrates: 53gFiber: 3gSugar: 48gProtein: 2g
This nutritional information was auto-generated based on serving size, number of servings, and typical information for the ingredients listed. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, please calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients and amounts used, using your preferred nutrition calculator. Under no circumstances shall the this website and the author be responsible for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on the given nutritional information. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
INGREDIENTS I USED: For the Chocolate Layer, I used this cacao powder. If using chocolate chips instead, I use this brand. If you use the cacao butter, I use this brand. For the Nougat Layer, I used this vanilla extract and this non-GMO cornstarch.
CHECK OUT My Store to see what kind of sea salt, pasture butter + ghee I use.
Are you on Pinterest? I pin lots of yummy real food recipes + more there. I have a board just for Gluten Free Treats too. Come follow along.
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I love making candy. I want to try this.
I hope you get to. They are so good!
These look so yummy and it’s such a pretty presentation too!
Thank you Marjorie! So kind of you.
Such a pretty recipe!
Thanks!
Cannot wait to try this! What a fun recipe!
Thanks! Hope you get to make them. They are so yummy!
I genuinely drooled while reading over this. Pinning for later. 🙂
🙂 thank you so much for pinning it!
I’m drooling…
🙂 awesome … I am too, I think I need to make another batch soon.
Wow, I’m drooling~! Yum!
🙂 thanks!
Wow, that is quite a recipe! Maybe, just maybe, I’ll find a chance to make these for the holidays this year… Half the time I see recipes like this, and I dream about making them, but just never get the time to do it. 🙂
I know what you mean. I hope you get a chance to make them over the holidays. 🙂
Ummm.. hello delicious-ness! These look fabulous. Thank you!
Thanks so much!
This recipe looks amazing. It wouldn’t last in my house more than an hour.
LOL I know what you mean! It didn’t last long here either. I went for a long hike the day after I made these and I came home starving and had a bunch. Of course, I shared some with my family too 😉
We’re featuring these at this weekend’s Savoring Saturdays! Thanks so much for sharing, Emily! I hope you’ll come by again. 🙂
Thanks so much!