Why is it that it’s only acceptable for kids to eat their weight in candy come Halloween?

When I was younger, I used to have the perfect method to eating my Halloween Candy. The first step took place on Halloween night itself: I would visit the neighborhoods with the highest percentage of houses with bowls of candy left on the front step for kids (which you were only supposed to grab two pieces from… but everyone took a handful) and make sure to go to all the houses that gave out King Sized candy bars.

That night, I would enjoy a few snickers and a jollyrancher or two. However, after that I would hide my pillowcase of candy under my bed for the next few months. After all, out of sight, out of mind- right?

The next thing I knew it was winter break and I had two weeks to do anything I pleased (aka watch TV and play Pokémon for hours on end). It’s then that I would finally pull out my stash of candy and absolutely feast on it with my sisters until it was all gone (or I fell into a sugar coma- whichever occurred first).

Unfortunately, now that I’m 18 (aka an adult?? When did this happen?) I can’t seem to find a good excuse to eat all the Halloween Candy I want. Not without immense guilt, that is! So, instead I’ve chosen to take my favorite childhood candy bars and transform them into more “sophisticated” (and healthier) desserts!

I began with a few classics, such as Almond Butter Cups– a much healthier version of classic Reese’s cups. I’ve also made candy corn into something you can enjoy for breakfast, with this Candy Corn Smoothie recipe and have done countless things with candy cane (such as these delicious Candy Cane Brownies!)

So I thought it was only natural to continue the trend with my absolute favorite childhood candy bar: Snickers!

These brownies have three layers, just like classic Snickers Bars: peanut butter, caramel, and chocolate. (Well, to be precise the third Snickers layer is nougat, but I figured including that may be overdoing it on the brownie decadence! 😉 )

Layer One: The Brownie

This brownie is fudgy, extremely chocolatey, and absolutely decadent. It’s hard to believe that it’s also gluten free, vegan, and all natural!

Layer Two: Peanut Butter

Of course, I used crunchy peanut butter. While creamy PB would certainly be delicious, crunchy provides a great texture that balances the fudgy texture of the brownie and sticky texture of the caramel! Plus, it’s a great replacement for the peanuts used in Snickers bars.

Layer Three: The Caramel

The salted caramel sauce topping the brownies only requires three ingredients and is dairy free and raw vegan! Using dates, I replicated the caramel taste of a Snickers, but with an all-natural ingredient that won’t leave you with a sugar hangover! 😉

All in all, these brownies are gloriously decadent and even better than Snickers bars. And they’re the perfect way to enjoy all the taste of a candy bar, without the processed ingredients or judgemental looks by your family (as you eat all the candy you were supposed to hand out to the kids on Halloween!).

Bring them to a Halloween Party to impress your friends, or enjoy them in between Trick-or-Treaters Halloween night! They’re *scary* delicious 😉

Snickers Brownies (*vegan*)

• 1/2 c gluten free flour
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 c unsweetened cocoa powder
• pinch of salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbs Flax seed meal
• 1 tbs water
• 1/3 c agave (or honey)
• additional sweetener, if desired
• 1/4 c softened coconut oil
• 1/4 c dark chocolate chips
• 1/4 c unsalted crunchy peanut butter
• 10 pitted Medjool dates
• 1/4 tsp sea salt