CREAMY, 100% PEANUT BUTTER

One of the 3 main flavors of a snickers candy bar is roasted peanuts, so I just had to use creamy, 100% peanut butter as the base to imitate the second main flavor of snickers candy bar: caramel. Peanut butter is the main ingredients in the wet mixture, which brings out that peanut butter taste and compliments the crunchy dry roasted peanuts so well.

You want to use an unsweetened, natural peanut butter that has only 1-2 ingredients: peanuts OR peanuts & salt. Peanut butter doesn't need anything else but that. Just those 1-2 ingredients are what make the smooth, drippy peanut butter needed for my recipes!

PURE MAPLE SYRUP

The pure maple syrup is what gives the peanut butter caramel wet mix its sticky and sweet taste. It also adds a stickiness needed to bind together with the dry ingredients!

Pure maple syrup is my go-to to sweetener for most of my recipes. I love it for it's depth of flavor and natural sweetness. Other liquid sweeteners would work here as well if you prefer. Agave would be the best substitute, although honey and date syrup would work as well! They just have a more distinct flavor and might change the overall flavor slightly.

PLAIN OAT MILK, GF

The oat milk loosens up the wet mix to make it easier to stir and combine with the dry ingredients.

Homemade or store bought will work here! My favorite brand is Elmhurst because of the simplicity of their ingredients (just oats and water!), but go ahead and use any brand you like! Other plant or dairy milks would work here as well if you prefer! Avoid using water as a substitute.

Gluten free oat milk is not required if you aren't sensitive or allergic to gluten!

PURE VANILLA EXTRACT

FLAVOR, FLAVOR, FLAVOR. Pure vanilla extract add the soft & subtle vanilla-y taste that takes these bites from good to GREAT.

Pure vanilla extract only, none of that imitation stuff!

ROLLED OATS, GF

They are called oat bites for reason! The rolled oats are the bulk of the dry ingredients. Why? Because they are a good source of wholesome, complex carbohydrates and provide energy to the body and brain.

Gluten free rolled oats are not required if you aren't sensitive or allergic to gluten!

FINE OAT FLOUR, GF

The oat flour is used to bind up the bites and make them doughy, soft, and chewy.

Both store bought or homemade work here! If you are using homemade - make sure that the oat flour was made in a high powered blender, such as a Vitamix, and that it is a fine, fluffy flour texture. We don't want any grainy oat flour here, or in any recipe really. If you do not have the proper equipment to make a fine oat flour at home, I would suggest sticking with store bought.

You can substitute the oat flour for additional almond flour if you prefer. I use two types of flour here just to provide more nutritional variation.

FINE ALMOND FLOUR

Same as the oat flour, the almond flour helps make these bites soft and binds them together! Find a variety of almond flour that is fine and fluffy.

You can substitute the almond flour for addition oat flour if you prefer. I use two types of flour here just to provide more nutritional variation.

CHOPPED DRY ROASTED PEANUTS

These are both rolled into the bites and sprinkled on top for the ultimate peanut experience and to complement the peanut butter caramel sauce! I mean, there is no such this as too much peanut flavor!

If you can find pre-chopped dry roasted peanuts, GREAT! If not, no worries - you can buy whole, dry roasted peanut instead. If you do, you can:

• pulse them in a food processor until chopped

• add them to a Ziploc bag, release the air, seal the bag, & use the bottom of a measuring cup or a meat tenderizing tool to slightly crush the peanuts

• chop them on a cutting board using a knife

DARK CHOCOLATE, DF

These wouldn't be snicker bites with a covering of melted chocolate, right?!

You can use chocolate chips of chocolate chunks here. You can swap out the dark chocolate for semi-sweet chocolate chips or other chocolate variety you prefer. The chocolate does not have to be dairy free unless you have an allergy or preference!

COCONUT OIL

The coconut oil gets melted in with the dark chocolate chips to thin it out and make it the perfect drizzly consistency to easily coat the bites.

If you are interested in making this recipe oil free, you can substitute the coconut oil for chopped cacao butter. You may also omit the coconut oil entirely, although the melted chocolate will be thicker and more difficult to evenly coat or drizzle.

CACAO NIBS

Crunchy little pieces of cacao beans that add a subtle hint of dark chocolate. I included these as a topping because 1. I love them, and 2. they provide a variation in texture to the chewy bite!

PINK SALT

Pink salt is added to the wet mixture to give it the sweet and salty flavor that snickers candy bars have. I also suggest adding a light sprinkle over the top of the finished bites before they go into the freezer to set to compliment the sweetness of the chocolate.