Go Dairy Free | Homemade Coconut Joy Candy Bars (and Other Wickedly Vegan Halloween Treats)

Sweet Sundays: October is what I call the beginning of dessert season. It all starts with bags of candy and chocolate bars for Halloween, followed by the pies of Thanksiving, and onto cookie swapping in December before those New Year's resolutions set in. But have you noticed? The pies and cookies are all about homemade, while Halloween is left in the pre-packaged dust. Sure, you may not be able to pass out 'made with love' goodies to trick-or-treaters thanks to Halloween scares, but you can feed such preservative-free (and dairy-free!) goodies to your little ones, their classmates, and party guests.

Enter Wicked Treats. Not long ago, my good friend Hannah added this little e-cookbook to her Sweet Vegan eBook Collection. The recipes within can easily be used for anytime of the year, including to create bags for gift-giving as the holidays progress, but they were dreamed up in the fun spirit of Halloween. For just $3 you get the following vegan (dairy-free, egg-free) and gluten-free recipes in Wicked Treats: Ghostly Vanilla Fudge (white fudge!), Jelly Bites, Licorice, Peanut Butter Fingers (think Butterfingers with a peanut vibe), Rice Crackle Bars (look out Nestle!), and Tootsie Chews.

And if you need some extra assurance before diving into this little purchase, I have a sample candy bar recipe from Hannah to share ...

I made these bars myself, and they were met with sighs of delight. With my husband, myself, and two foodie guests as taste-testers, I can honestly say that these no bake treats are positively delicious and very easy to make. Of course, my bars didn't come out as pretty as Hannah's, chocolate dipping really is a skill to master, but they were every bit as delicious ...

Recipe: Cashew (Coconut) Joy Bars

Ingredients

3 Tablespoons Full Fat Coconut Milk
3 Tablespoons Coconut Oil, Melted
1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 Cup Confectioner’s Sugar
8 Ounces (About 2-2/3 Cups) Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
1/2 Cup Chopped, Toasted Cashews
1/2 Cup Whole Toasted Cashews
12 Ounces Rice Milk Chocolate, or Semi-Sweet Chocolate, Finely Chopped

Instructions

In a medium bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, coconut oil, vanilla, and confectioner’s sugar.
Once smooth, switch over to a spatula, and stir in the shredded coconut and chopped cashews, until fully incorporated and no dry patches in the mixture remain.
Transfer the mix into a lightly greased 8 x 8-inch square pan, and use the bottom of a measuring cup or drinking glass to press down and smooth out the top.
Place the whole cashews at regular intervals in even lines down the pan, pressing them in gently.
Move the pan in the freezer for at least 3 hours, until chilled and firm.
When you’re ready to enrobe your bars, melt down your chosen chocolate in the microwave, stirring thoroughly at 30 second intervals, until smooth.
Set out a silpat or piece of parchment paper, and go retrieve the frozen coconut centers. Slice into bars, and then carefully dip them into the chocolate. A few flakes of coconut may come off, but just fish them out of the pool of chocolate and continue.
You may wish to store the pieces in the freezer until the moment that you’re ready to dip them, if them seem particularly fragile.
Tap off the excess chocolate, and place the bars on your silpat or parchment paper, and let cool until set.
Store at room temperature in an air-tight container.