no-bake coconut caramel peanut butter bars

i went to the loveliest community event over the weekend that celebrated and embraced winter, while taking a deeper dive into why our love of, and often inherent sadness with winter, is stitched into the ribs of all minnesotans. the nordic winter party was hosted by the faux martha and kate of wit and delight, and in it we were snuggled up with an incredible, intricate spread of scandanavian bites and sips, a chocolate cardamom cookie decorating bar, an origami snowflake station, and a gorgeous space to roam, mingle, and just ‘be’ amongst everyone. for me it brought to light that we can look for bright spots everywhere in a season that’s hard on most of us, and that often times we can do it by filling ourselves up with tiny, joyful practices everyday. sometimes it looks like an evening much like that, cozied up with beautiful food and activities to keep our minds off of gray days. sometimes it looks like getting outside even in the frost just to stand in the sun. sometimes it looks like laughing so hard you ache everywhere. sometimes it looks like creating boundaries to protect your time and space. sometimes it looks like deep breaths.

for me, most often, it looks like this. making something, for no real reason other than that it fills me up in a way satiates my head, my heart, my belly. cooking relaxes me and let’s my mind chew through things I can’t always make space to focus on, it gives me room to play, and it feels so good to think that someone else might get something out of it, too.

these are fancyish no-bake protein bars that i imagine go well with coffee, are meant to have a few bites snuck when you tiptoe to the kitchen at night, and are hopefully something that makes this season a little easier for you. it’s the hardest part, and the best part.

no-bake coconut caramel peanut butter bars
makes 8 bars
prep time: 30 minutes
cook time: -

for the bars:
1c rolled oats
1c unsweetened coconut flakes
1 scoop of vanilla protein powder, optional
3/4c creamy peanut butter
3/4c maple syrup or honey
1tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt

for the coconut caramel:
1c full-fat canned coconut milk
1/2c creamy peanut butter
1/2c coconut sugar
1tsp vanilla extract
few pinches of salt
1/2-1c water

pulse all the ingredients for the bars in a food processor until a thick dough forms. the dough should stay together if you pinch it between your fingers. line a bread baking tin with parchment paper, and press the dough evenly into the tin. chill the dough while you set to work on the caramel.

heat a sauce pan over medium heat. add the coconut milk, peanut butter, and coconut sugar. whisk every couple minutes until the caramel starts to thicken and darken, about 20-25 minutes. add the water as necessary if the caramel starts to ‘break.’ once the caramel is thickened, whisk in the vanilla extract and salt.

pour a thick layer of caramel over the bars, sprinkle a little more salt on top, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes so the caramel can set. slice into 8 bars, and fall in love.

*store the bars in the fridge. if you store them in the freezer, let them thaw for a minutes before tucking in.
*you will have leftover caramel sauce. you will be v happy about this.