Salted Chocolate Coconut Caramel Slices (Vegan Gluten-Free)

4-layered no-bake bars of chocolate and caramel deliciousness. These Salted Chocolate Coconut Caramel Slices have a nutty cocoa base with a coconut bounty layer topped with salted no-date caramel and covered in salted chocolate – these bars are vegan and gluten-free.

I am back with another no-bake caramel bars – it’s safe to say I really have a thing for them! I just love that you can pop a few ingredients in a blender, stir some other ingredients together, layer them up and call it a dessert. That said, it took me a few attempts to get these layers just right so all the flavours balance out without one overpowering the other. 

I hope you will love these bars as much as we do, they are:

• Chocolatey and rich
• Sweet and salty
• Sticky and crunchy
• Coconutty and tropical
• Easy to make
• Naturally vegan, gluten-free and grain-free
• A delicious dessert or snack

So, although I’ve made them really easy to make, there’s a lot of thought, trial and error behind it! I think we often forget that when we see recipes posted online. While sometimes recipes just “work” others take a lot of time (and stress and tears) to get just right, but these are pretty perfect right now!

What are the 4 layers for these Salted Chocolate Coconut Caramel Slices?

• A nutty cocoa base
• A coconut “bounty” layer
• A no-date salted caramel
• A thick layer of salted dark chocolate

If you love caramel slices and love coconut bounty bars, you will love these as I’ve basically combined two already delicious chocolate bars into one. Simply make up the layers in order before assembling them into a tin and waiting for them to set and chill. Melt the chocolate and cover them liberally before enjoying with tea or coffee or as a decadent and rich dessert.

They really hit the spot every time!

The ingredients are pretty wholesome and simple and if you don’t have exactly the ingredients as written in the recipe, see the suggestions here:

Base nutty cocoa layer:

• Almonds or cashew nuts: or you can use other nuts like pecans, walnuts or hazelnuts, too. I like a mix for the different textures and flavours. If you are nut-free, you can use seeds like sunflower, pumpkin and hemp.
• Medjool dates: these will always work best for no-bake desserts as they are the sweetest and stickiest but simply soak dried dates in water to re-hydrate them and you could try other dried fruits like raisins, dried figs or apricots, too.
• Cocoa powder: or cacao powder as both will work well and add the chocolate element to the base.
• Salt: just a pinch goes a long way to bring out the rich chocolate notes.

Blitz the above to a sticky dough and then press into a lined tin to make a smooth and thick base before moving on to the…

Coconut Layer:

• Coconut: either flaked coconut or desiccated will work well. I prefer desiccated but you can use flaked coconut and simply blitz it up first to make a smaller meal texture.
• Maple syrup: to add some stickiness and sweetness to the layer. You could use another sticky syrup like agave, brown rice syrup or vegan honey.
• Coconut oil: this helps the layer to bind together and set to a firm yet soft texture.

This layer of these Salted Chocolate Coconut Caramel Slices comes together in 1 minute and then press on top of the nutty cocoa base before the really delicious bit…

Salted Caramel:

• Almond or cashew butter: anything runny and smooth is best here. I like the more neutral flavours of almond or cashew butter, but peanut or hazelnut butter would work or tahini for a nut-free option.
• Maple syrup: this adds the stickiness and sweetness to the caramel and helps achieve the caramel texture. You could use another syrup as above.
• Coconut oil: once cooled down, this helps the caramel to set to a firm yet soft caramel texture without an overpowering coconut flavour from the oil. It really is magic.
• Salt: add as much as you like for the salted caramel.

This caramel is the dream as you don’t need to blend anything, simply whisk together all the ingredients until smooth and then pour over the coconut layer before allowing it to all set in the fridge. The final part of these Salted Chocolate Coconut Caramel Slices is to neatly slice into bars and smother with dark chocolate and some salt. I prefer flaky salt for sprinkling on top as it tastes and looks the best but use what you have.

That’s it for these Salted Chocolate Coconut Caramel Slices – you will be digging your teeth into them in no time. All four layers come together so easily but really are magical when eaten together.

Are these Salted Chocolate Coconut Caramel Slices gluten-free?

Yes, these bars are naturally gluten-free, so no need to make any swaps.

Can I make these delicious bars nut-free?

I do use a lot of nuts for this recipe, but to make these nut-free just swap the nuts in the base for seeds, or even try a blend of oats and seeds. Then for the caramel, use a seed butter like tahini or sunflower seed butter instead.

How do I make these bars perfect?

There are no tricks to this recipe, just follow the steps, make the layers as compact and as neat as possible and you will be enjoying these within a couple of hours (you have to be patient to allow all the layers to set).

How long will these last?

Like most sweet things in my house, a couple of days is all we need to eat our way through these Salted Chocolate Coconut Caramel Slices. But they will keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week and in the freezer for up to 1 month.

If you are looking for more caramel slices and no-bake recipes, how about my:

• Ginger Chocolate Caramel Slices
• Double Biscoff Caramel Bars
• Mini Chocolate Chestnut Cheesecakes
• Salted Chocolate Almond Butter Fudge Cups
• Chocolate Pecan Fudge Bars

I cannot wait to hear what you think of these Salted Chocolate Coconut Caramel Slices so please let me know in the comments blow and if you make them, tag me in your slices! I love seeing your creations – I’m xx I’m @nourishing.amy on Instagram and use the hashtag #nourishingamy. I’m also on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest  – please say hello!

With chocolate coconut caramel love x