Crispety, crunchety, deliciously peanut buttery homemade healthy Butterfingers!
Healthy candy bars that defy all logic
As if by magic, the homemade Butterfingers have that exact same toffee-like crunch of store-bought peanut butter Butterfinger bars!
Yet these are whole-grain, high in iron, vegan friendly, and completely free of high-fructose corn syrup. It’s one of those recipes you really have to try to believe.
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Homemade vegan Butterfingers
The inspiration for these healthy butterfingers came from a dollar-bin cookbook that I saw at the fabric store a few weeks back.
The book recipe, which yielded an 8×8 pan just like mine, called for a full 1 cup of sugar, 3/4 cup of corn syrup, and 1/3 cup of shortening!
Yes, 3/4 cup of corn syrup in addition to the cup of sugar…
It was basically screaming for a healthy makeover!
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Healthy Butterfinger recipe video
Screaming so loudly that I had to get to work on the challenge as soon as I got home.
Luckily, this is one of those recipes that turned out perfectly on the first try – they really do taste like actual Butterfinger candy bars!
If you’re looking for a healthy or vegan dessert that will impress even the most skeptical or pickiest of eaters, these healthy Butterfingers are definitely the recipe to try on all your friends.
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In the years since I first posted them here on the blog, it’s become one of the site’s most popular recipes.
Readers often write in to tell me that even their health-food-hating dads, moms, brothers, sisters, girlfriends, or boyfriends love the bars too!
Healthy Butterfingers
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup, honey, or agave (For keto, try these Keto Candy Bars)
- 1 tbsp regular or blackstrap molasses – Or omit and increase agave to 1/3 cup
- 3 1/2 tbsp sugar, unrefined if desired, or additional maple syrup
- 1 cup peanut butter or allergy-friendly sub
- 1 1/2 cups bran flakes or corn flakes, or another flake cereal (56g)
- 1/8 tsp salt, plus a little extra if using unsalted pb
- optional topping: 2/3 cup chocolate chips or 1/4 cup virgin coconut oil mixed with 1/4 cup cocoa powder and vanilla stevia drops or liquid sweetener to taste
Instructions
- Notes: Honey works, but it’s not for strict vegans and will also add a slight honey flavor. Corn syrup will also work, and commenters have said brown rice syrup works as well. If subbing out the molasses, the bars will taste less authentic but still delicious. Almond butter or Sunbutter work, or use peanut butter for the flavor that most closely resembles real Butterfingers.Homemade Butterfingers Recipe: Combine first three ingredients in a small saucepan, and bring to a boil on medium heat. Boil about a minute, stirring constantly, then remove from heat. Add the peanut butter and salt, and stir until it makes a paste. Add the cereal and stir very well to coat, partially crushing the cereal flakes as you stir. Make sure the flakes are very evenly coated. Press into an 8×8 pan—either lined with wax or parchment paper, or greased very well—and freeze until completely hardened. (Cut into bars while only somewhat frozen, or thaw the block a little before cutting.) If you wish to cover in chocolate (they’re good even without it), you can cover them at any time—either pre-cutting or post-cutting. Simply melt the chocolate chips over low heat, stirring constantly until smooth, or mix the coconut oil with the sweetener and cocoa. Then spread over the bars with a spatula and re-freeze to harden. Store in the freezer for optimum “snap.”View Nutrition Facts
Notes
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How are bran flakes healthy? They’re processed junk! 😉
Did you make the bars in the photo with xylitol?
I’ve seen Katie say before that she uses Whole Foods bran flakes. Not processed junk at all.
All cereals have gone through the process of extrusion which makes them processed junk. Even the organic gluten-free ones you find at whole foods or other health food stores. These bars are definitely healthier than the store bought equivalents, but still far from healthy esp if using agave or corn syrup.
Just try getting the most least processed bran flakes you can. A whole foods store might have some good ones…or some in the ‘healthy’ section of a grocery store. At least it’s a lot better than the real candy, haha 🙂
I am so making these today (I had planned on making the Pumpkin Reese’s Cups, but these win.
My daughter’s favorite candy is a butterfinger bar, but she is allergic to the red food dye in them. The only other recipe I had found was melting candy corn (ick) and covering with chocolate.
She will love these I am sure.
I am so making these! Yum!
Still drooling
I love Butterfingers! I have to try this!
We played something like the quiet game, but we knew it by the lovely un-PC religiously insensitive name “Quaker’s Meeting.” I was always terrible because I had to tattle when one of the other kids made a face at me.
I can’t wait to get home and make these tonight.
I always had my girls play it….my boys it never worked….
These look awesome
So excited about these! I don’t eat candy bars anymore because they are so unhealthy but Butterfingers were my favorite!
Oh, and I like the new header! All your photos are so beautiful and the food looks delicious. I think it really adds to have a sampling of that in the header.
KATIE, these look SO good! You amaze me!
I was wondering if you’d be able to achieve the crunch of butterfingers when you said you made a recipe…the other homemade recipes ive seen melt candy corn and add peanut butter to the melted goo. I was so put off of their way of making it, plus they only had the flavour, not the texture which is what i would want. I’ll definitely make these around halloween to keep us out of the candy bowl.
I think you just made my Halloween.
P.S. The new header is my favorite so far. 🙂
I love that your recipes are for everyone from vegan to no restrictions. Thanks so much!
You just made my life better. 🙂
They look so good! I need to make these ASAP!
I actually usually won the quiet game. I’m loud but have always been an actress, I’m good at keeping a straight face and staying quiet.
“Better”finger bars is a genius title 🙂 My husband is going to freak out over these! Haha and just in time for Halloween too!
As for the quiet game, I am an only child and we took loooong car trip vacations and I would chatter SO much that during stressful, high traffic situations my parents would actually pay me vacation allowance to shut up…oh how I am sure the favor will be repayed to me one day 😉
I totally agree about the title. Cracked me up! 🙂