A three-layer freezer slice: an almond meal base, a salted almond caramel middle, and toffee-roasted nuts on top. Collagen goes through the caramel layer.
No baking beyond toasting the nuts, and it needs a minimum of two hours in the freezer.
Key points
- Three layers. Base, caramel, toffee nuts.
- Freezer set. Minimum two hours.
- No oven. Only a pan for the nuts.
- Watch the nuts closely. They burn in seconds.
- Serve cold. It softens fast.
What you'll need
Base
- 150 g almond meal
- 50 g vanilla plant protein powder
- 1/3 cup soy milk
Salted almond caramel filling
- 3/4 cup almond butter
- 1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp rice malt syrup
- 4 tbsp collagen powder
- 2 to 3 tsp vanilla
- A dash of soy milk
- Pinch of salt
Topping
- 1/2 cup mixed nuts
- 2 to 3 tbsp maple syrup
- Sprinkle of salt
Method
- In a bowl, mix the base ingredients with a spatula until thoroughly combined. Press into a small lined baking tin in a thin layer, roughly 0.5 to 1 cm thick.
- Put it in the freezer to set. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, combine all the caramel ingredients until silky.
- Remove the base from the freezer and cover it evenly with the caramel. Return to the freezer.
- Over medium heat, add the nuts to a small pan, turning them consistently so they do not burn.
- Once they begin to brown, add the maple syrup and salt, stirring continuously until the syrup is bubbling and starting to cook down.
- Remove from heat and top the caramel layer. Return to the freezer for a minimum of two hours. Once set, chop into bite-size pieces or bars.
The nut step is the one that goes wrong
Nuts go from raw to burnt faster than almost anything else in a kitchen, and once maple syrup is in the pan you have seconds rather than minutes.
- Do not walk away. Not even to check the recipe. Read the whole step first.
- Keep them moving. Constant stirring, not occasional.
- Trust your nose. When they smell toasted, the syrup goes in.
- Have the tin ready. Once the syrup cooks down it sets fast, and you want it on the slice while still fluid.
- Line your surface. If any topping ends up on the bench, hot sugar welds to it.
Why won't my caramel layer set firm?
Because there is nothing in it that sets hard, and that is worth understanding rather than fighting.
Almond butter and rice malt syrup stay soft at fridge temperature. This layer is meant to be fudgy, and it only firms up properly in the freezer. That is why the recipe specifies freezer rather than fridge throughout.
If you want it firmer, add two tablespoons of melted coconut oil to the caramel. It sets hard when cold and gives you a cleaner cut. The trade-off is that it melts faster on the plate.
Does collagen do anything in this recipe?
Texturally, very little, which is exactly why it works here. Collagen powder dissolves into a wet mixture without changing it, unlike whey which would thicken and dry it out.
Nutritionally, it is worth being straight about what four tablespoons across a whole slice amounts to. This is a small addition per serve, on top of a base of almond butter and syrup.
Collagen is also not a complete protein. It is low in tryptophan and short on several essential amino acids, so it does not substitute for whey or a plant protein if muscle is the goal. Where the evidence is more supportive is skin hydration and elasticity, over 8 to 12 weeks, from trials that are mostly small and often industry funded.
A slice is not a meaningful dose of anything. Treat the collagen as a small bonus, not the reason to make it.
Can I make it nut free?
Not easily, and honestly this is the wrong recipe to adapt. Almond meal, almond butter and mixed nuts appear in all three layers.
If you need nut free, sunflower seed meal and sunflower seed butter will work in the base and caramel, and toasted pepitas in the topping. It becomes a different slice, but it holds together.
Which protein and collagen should I use?
A vanilla plant protein in the base keeps it dairy free and matches the caramel. An unflavoured collagen in the filling is best, since the caramel already has plenty going on.
Collagen+ is our house-brand collagen, 100% Vegan Protein the plant option. The full collagen range has the alternatives.
Note that collagen is an animal product, so this recipe is not vegan as written even with a plant protein in the base.
How long does it keep?
- Freezer. Up to three months in an airtight container, with baking paper between layers.
- Fridge. Up to five days, but noticeably softer.
- Serving. Five minutes out of the freezer. Any longer and the caramel starts to run.
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