Healthier Milky Way Candy Bars (gf, df)
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These healthier Milky Way candy bars are gluten free, dairy free, and refined sugar free!
Or Mars Candy bars, also known as Milky Way Candy bars (in the US)- yes they’re the same bar just made by 2 different brands!
With a silky smooth chocolate nougat and a gooey caramel all wrapped in a rich dark chocolate coating.
Why You’ll Love These Milky Way Candy Bars
- They’re can be made no bake style
- They satisfy your sweet candy fix without the refined sugars, high fructose corn syrup, and gluten, or even dairy!
- They taste even better than a store bought candy bar!
Key Ingredients
- Marshmallow Fluff – Homemade marshmallow fluff is pretty simple, it’s SO fun and gooey, and I love that I can control the ingredients (aka no high fructose corn syrup and no artificial dyes)
- Traditional nougat is made with nutella & marshmallow fluff, so I took a healthier spin on it! You can use store bought marshmallow fluff if you’d like. You can also check out THIS brand, which is pretty darn clean for a store bought marshmallow fluff!
- Chocolate Hazelnut Spread – in the traditional Mars / Milky Way candy bar the nougat layer is made with nutella and marshmallow fluff. So, I opted for a cleaner hazelnut spread. I prefer Artisana Organics brand as they use wholesome ingredients. You can also make your own hazelnut butter with peeled hazelnuts, cocoa powder, and sweetener, like pure maple syrup!
- Peanut Butter – make sure you get a runny/drippy peanut butter (not the hard solid part that tends to accumulate on the bottom of the jars), as this will yield in the gooeiest caramel filling. I always opt for organic peanut butter, since peanuts are a heavily sprayed GMO crop
- Collagen – adds a boost of protein, it dissolves right away when whisked into a warm liquid (like the melted coconut oil), and it adds to the gooeyness, too. It can be left out without overly changing the texture of the caramel
- Dark Chocolate – a rich chocolate, and don’t forget the flakey sea salt on top, perfectly compliments the sweetness from the caramel layer. My favorite is Pascha 85% organic dark chocolate. I also like their 70% stevia sweetened dark chocolate
Serves: 20
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups Dark Chocolate
- 2 tsp Coconut Oil
- 1 whole Homemade Marshmallow Fluff (click for recipe), **
- 2/3 cup Chocolate Hazelnut Spread, **
- 2/3 cup Creamy Peanut Butter, Or cashew, or mix of both!
- 1/3 cup Pure Maple Syrup
- 2 Tbsp Coconut Oil, Melted
- 2 whole Collagen, 2 scoops
- 1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
Process
- Line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper
- Melt chocolate with coconut oil in 30 second intervals, stirring between each interval
- Pour just enough to cover the bottom of the pan and place in the fridge while you make the nougat
- Whip your marshmallow fluff & hazelnut spread until smooth (see notes for these two ingredients specifications)
- Pour overtop chocolate layer and place in the freezer
- Make caramel by combining all ingredients together until smooth and gooey
- Pour overtop nougat layer and use a sprayed spatula to spread evenly
- Allow to set in the freezer for at least 1 hour
- Slice into bars, dip in remaining chocolate, and place on parchment paper, then back in the fridge for a few minutes until the chocolate is firm
- Enjoy!
- Store in the fridge
Variations for Dietary Preferences
- Peanuts – can sub for cashew butter or sunbutter
- Coconut oil – can sub for another neutral oil, such as algae oil or avocado oil
- Collagen – if you’d prefer not to use it just leave it out. It adds a bit to the gooeyness, but the caramel will still taste great without it
- Marshmallow Fluff – again, you can use store bought or my homemade recipe. It is vital for the nougat texture. You can also check out Toonie Moonie brand which makes an organic much cleaner store bought marshmallow fluff!
- Cacao spread – there are quite a few brands with cleaner “nutella” or hazelnut spreads today! I like Artisana Organics
Notes
-my homemade marshmallow fluff can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge. Heat for a few seconds to make it gooey again. You can use coconut sugar since you don’t need it to be bright white for this recipe. -I used artisana organics brand cacao cashew hazelnut spread here. There are several brands of healthier “Nutella” in markets today -I sliced into 10 bars, then halved again to make 20 servings -NOTE your caramel will not be gooey / pull apart worthy right out the fridge (will look like last photo right out the fridge). Let come to room temp or warm slightly first for gooey caramel
More Homemade Healthier Candy Bars You’ll Love!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups Dark Chocolate
- 2 tsp Coconut Oil
Nougat
- 1 whole Homemade Marshmallow Fluff click for recipe, **
- 2/3 cup Chocolate Hazelnut Spread **
Caramel
- 2/3 cup Creamy Peanut Butter Or cashew, or mix of both!
- 1/3 cup Pure Maple Syrup
- 2 Tbsp Coconut Oil Melted
- 2 whole Collagen 2 scoops
- 1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper
- Melt chocolate with coconut oil in 30 second intervals, stirring between each interval
- Pour just enough to cover the bottom of the pan and place in the fridge while you make the nougat
- Whip your marshmallow fluff & hazelnut spread until smooth (see notes for these two ingredients specifications)
- Pour overtop chocolate layer and place in the freezer
- Make caramel by combining all ingredients together until smooth and gooey
- Pour overtop nougat layer and use a sprayed spatula to spread evenly
- Allow to set in the freezer for at least 1 hour
- Slice into bars, dip in remaining chocolate, and place on parchment paper, then back in the fridge for a few minutes until the chocolate is firm
- Enjoy!
- Store in the fridge
Video
Notes
my homemade marshmallow fluff can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge. Heat for a few seconds to make it gooey again. You can use coconut sugar since you don’t need it to be bright white for this recipe. -I used artisana organics brand cacao cashew hazelnut spread here. There are several brands of healthier “Nutella” in markets today -I sliced into 10 bars, then halved again to make 20 servings -NOTE your caramel will not be gooey / pull apart worthy right out the fridge (will look like last photo right out the fridge). Let come to room temp or warm slightly first for gooey caramel