What do you get when you combine layers of peanut butter, pretzels, caramel, peanuts and chocolate? Besides for heaven in a bite, I’m talking homemade Take 5 bars!
We’re ending candy week with one of my absolute favorite candy bars. They’re crunchy, sweet + salty and pack in ALL the best flavors.
Back when I lived in Brooklyn, I used to sell homemade chocolate bars locally in my community. The menu consisted of stuffed dates, Twix, Snickers, and these homemade vegan take 5 bars.
They were so fun to make, and truly incorporated all the best flavors in a chocolate bar. I haven’t made them in forever, so when an Instagram follower suggested I make the Reese’s Take 5 version, I couldn’t say no!
Spoiler alert: after googling the difference between regular Take 5 and the Reese’s version, critics say they taste the same! Marketing, am I right?
My version is vegan, and gluten-free friendly if you substitute the pretzels for your favorite gluten-free brand!
The 5 layers to these homemade Take 5 Bars:
- Peanut butter layer– I went for the Reese’s Take 5 version, so I made a similar peanut butter base made from natural peanut butter, pure maple syrup and coconut flour
- Pretzel layer: you can use regular or gluten-free pretzels!
- Date Caramel layer: a creamy take on the classic caramel, but made from blended dates, vanilla extract and nut butter
- Peanuts
- Dairy-free chocolate
They all come together to form the perfect chocolate bite with all the best textures!
Now that my freezer is stocked with SO many chocolate bars, i’m ready for all things savory for the next few days.
I hope you try these delicious homemade Take 5 Bars. Let me know which homemade chocolate bar was your favorite in the comments below!
If you missed the rest of candy week, go check out my take on Almond Joy Bars, Peanut Butter Cups, and homemade Butterfingers!
Homemade Peanut Butter Take 5 Bars
Ingredients
Peanut Butter Layer
- 1/2 cup natural peanut butter
- 2 + 1/2 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 2 tbsp coconut flour
Date Caramel
- 1 cup medjool dates, pitted (about 12)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp nut butter, I used cashew but any would work!
- 1/2 cup water
Toppings
- 1 cup pretzels, regular or gluten-free if needed
- 1/3 cup peanuts
- 1 cup dairy-free chocolate chips
- 1 tsp coconut oil
Directions
- Layer a 9 x 5 loaf pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a medium sized bowl, mix together the peanut butter layer (peanut butter, maple syrup and coconut flour) with a spatula. Once fully mixed, flatten into the loaf pan as the first layer.
- Press the pretzels into the peanut butter as the second layer.
- In a high-speed blender, pour in your dates, nut butter, vanilla and water and blend until smooth. Spread over the pretzel layer.
- Press your peanuts into the date caramel layer as the last layer.
- Freeze the bars for at least 2-3 hours. The date mixture should be firm to touch and easy to slice through.
- Once frozen, slice into 10 bars.
- Melt your chocolate chips with the coconut oil in 30 second increments in the microwave.
- I layered my bars onto a cutting board with parchment paper, and poured chocolate over each square, evenly coating the sides. You can also dip each square into the chocolate.
- Place back into freezer for 10-15 minutes to set. Remove from freezer and slice around to clean the edges.
- Keep stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.
I really can’t believe these taste much better than the real thing- and they are home made! These were so easy to make. I substituted almond flour for for the coconut flour (changed to 1/4C) I also used peanut butter instead and both seemed like a fine substitute. The mixture of the sweet/salty never gets old!
I’m so happy you tried them, and that the substitutions worked! ❤️