Homemade Vegan “Kit Kat” Bars

I must have been really excited to share this post with you yesterday because while I was in the early stages of writing the post, I decided to hit publish instead of save draft. It was really no big deal and I quickly marked the post as private and it disappeared from my blog. Whew. Well, 10 minutes later, I saw the unfinished post pop up in Google Reader! Cue mini freak out. My apologies if you saw a post pop up without an actual recipe. What a tease! Not knowing what to do, I tried to overwrite the post with “ummmm ahhhh sorry, I will be back tomorrow with the post!” message, so you may have witnessed that hilarity instead.

Moral of the story: Do NOT trust me with a computer when I’m on cold meds…ever.

Moving on.

I don’t have much patience when it comes to many things – organization of any kind, taxes, traffic, slow computers, waiting for food to cool…and apparently, writing blog posts. Finicky desserts are high on the list too. Trust me, I have no idea how I ever made these cookies a few years ago. Who was that girl? Luckily, I’m high in persistence and determination (read: stubborn as heck), which is why I stuck with these Kit Kat knock-offs despite my dwindling attention span. After making a third trial this morning, I finally decided on a recipe to share with you.

And I never want to see another Kit Kat bar again.

That is, until the next chocolate craving hits. If you don’t mind spreading several layers of melted chocolate onto thin, easy-to-break wafers and freezing it all several times, then this dessert is for you. If you tend to get distracted by shiny objects like I do, consider yourself warned.

Orange tin-foil candy wrappers are just so pretty…

Now, it’s been years since I’ve had a Kit Kat bar, but from what I remember there are 2 layers – wafers and chocolate. Whoop-dee-doo. I wanted to spruce things up a little so I made homemade coconut whipped cream blended with cocoa powder and maple syrup. Why not?

And of course, melted chocolate. I also added a thick peanut butter layer because it obviously goes amazing with chocolate. I found the tort wafers at Bulk Barn (about the size of a sheet of paper – 5 per package). If anyone else knows where to purchase tort wafers, please leave a comment below!

Speaking of patience, here are step-by-step photos with captions for all the visual learners out there. If you click on the first picture you can click through the entire (enlarged) slideshow all at once. The full recipe is linked at the bottom of the post.

The leftover chocolate whipped cream made the perfect dipping cream for the kit kat bars!

Did I mention this is not a health food?

Note to self: When you leave a huge plastic spider in the kitchen sink, you WILL scream at the sight of it several times throughout the day.

In the end, I’m quite happy with how these turned out. Due to the fussy nature of the bars, I’d probably rather make my Homemade Rolo recipe because 1) it’s much faster, 2) these bars are messy to make, and 3) I like the taste of the date caramel better.

Just my two cents. :) Maybe some of you crafty bakers can make a hybrid of the two?

Homemade Vegan "Kit Kat" Bars

Vegan, no bake/raw

Yield
about 25 small pieces

Prep time
1 hour, 30 minutes

Cook time
0 minutes

Total time
1 hour, 30 minutes

I purchased my tort wafers from Bulk Barn.
Make sure you use good-tasting chocolate because the chocolate will make or break these bars

Ingredients

• 3 Tort Wafers (11.5" x 9 1/4" sheets), cut in half
• 2.75-3 cups non-dairy chocolate chips, divided (approx 450 grams)
• 2 tsp coconut oil, divided
• 3-4 tbsp peanut butter
• 1 can full-fat coconut milk, chilled overnight in fridge
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Chill full-fat coconut milk can overnight in the fridge. Grab 3 tort wafer sheets (11.5 inches x 9 1/4 inches) and slice in half to create 6 halves.
2. In a small pot, melt 1.5 cups chocolate chips with 1 tsp coconut oil over low heat. When 2/3 of the chips are melted, remove from heat and stir until all chips are melted.
3. Place a wafer half on top of a board lined with parchment paper. Spread 2 tbsp melted chocolate over 1 wafer. I found a spatula helpful for spreading. Place another wafer (#2) on top of melted chocolate and press down firmly. Add heavy object(s) on top and freeze for 5 minutes to set.
4. Remove from freezer and spread 3-4 tbsp peanut butter on top. Add another wafer (#3) on top of peanut butter and press down firmly.
5. Spread 2 tbsp melted chocolate on top and cover with 4th wafer. Press down firmly and cover again with heavy object(s). Freeze for 10 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, make the chocolate whipped cream (for step by step photos, see this tutorial). Flip coconut milk can upside down and open lid. Pour off excess liquid (you can save for smoothies). Scoop out the remaining coconut cream and place into a bowl. Beat with electric beaters until smooth. Now sift in cocoa powder and add maple syrup and vanilla. Blend until smooth. Reheat melted chocolate over very low heat if necessary.
7. Remove stacked wafers from freezer and spread on about 3 tbsp of whipped cream until smooth, being sure to coat all edges.
8. Grab the final (5th) wafer and spread on 2 tbsp melted chocolate. Flip wafer (so chocolate side is facing on top of whipped cream) and press onto the whipped cream, firmly. Add more heavy objects on top and freeze for 15 minutes.
9. Meanwhile, melt another 1.25-1.5 cups of chocolate chips with another 1 tsp coconut oil on low heat.
10. Remove stacked wafers from freezer and score with a knife before slicing through. I sliced about 12-13 rows and then sliced those in half to make 24-26 small pieces.
11. Dunk each piece into melted chocolate until fully coated. Use a knife to remove excess chocolate and place on parchment paper. Repeat for the rest. Freeze for 15 minutes or until set. Store in fridge. Use leftover whipped cream as a dip for the bars.

Tip:

Note: On the tort wafers I used there was a smoother side and a not as smooth side (with deeper squares). I prefer to use the smooth side to spread on the chocolate/filling because you don't have to use as much to coat.

I’m hoping to get rid of this awful cold as soon as possible. I’m drinking green things and oodles of tea, eating homemade soup, and trying to keep Sketchie from eating a bag of fresh rolls that are for a photoshoot later today (don’t ask…).

Have a great weekend!