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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These were pretty good and very naughty lol. I keep mine in the fridge which is perfect for me they are still hard and they don’t break my teeth 😉
So good and so easy! These are so flipping good that I have made 4 batches so far. My husband tried them without knowing what they were and said they tasted better than Butterfingers and don’t have little bits that stick in your teeth. We devoured the first batch in two days. Second and third batches were gone within an hour at my book club meeting and a co-workers birthday lunch. The fourth batch was left frozen and whacked into pieces to use in a vegan version of Dairy Queen’s Blizzard, and as a topping to your chocolate bar pie. I will be making these again as Christmas cookies.
After putting the chocolate layer on and firming up in the freezer, mine were stored at room temp and were perfect.
I became a CCK fan after trying the cookie dough dip and everything else has been fantastic. I cannot wait for your cookbook!
These were wonderful! I made them for Halloween, along with your peanut butter rice crispy ghosts. They were a huge hit!
I tried a different homemade butterfinger recipe once with cornflakes, and it turned out rock hard. That is why I am a little hesitant with these, but I shouldn’t be cuz your recipes are awesome!!!
I tried a different homemade butterfinger recipe once with cornflakes, and it turned out rock hard. That is why I am a little hesitant with these, but I shouldn’t be cuz your recipes are awesome!!
I made these with gluten free corn flakes (sister has a gluten allergy) I don’t even like Butterfingers……but these….oh these were fantastic!!! Seriously, amazing texture!
I made these tonight, and they are so good, they practically made my brother giggle like a little school girl.
Thank you so much! They are fantastic!
I made these this week. I used Splenda instead of sugar, honey and maple syrup instead of agave, and Gluten Free Rice Krispies instead of corn flakes. They are yummy!
Katie- I made these for Thanksgiving and they were a hit! I took home the extra and lets just say they didn’t last long in my freezer! Yum! I will be making these again!
Yummy! Betterfinger bars are for me. Question: Could stevia powder be used instead of the xylitol? And what are vanilla stevia drops? Sounds like something I NEED in my pantry! Also, when you say bran flakes, you are referring to bran cereal, not unprocessed bran flakes right? I love your blog–keep up the great work!
These are amazing!!!
I made these for Halloween and everyone loved them! My husband thinks these are what Butterfingers are supposed to taste like! Consider that a huge compliment since Butterfingers are his all time fave. My daughter is allergic to red dye so she’s thankful for an alternative. I made the bars again tonight & was surprised my daughters friend liked them since she’s no health nut like we are! I even made them with stevia tonight instead of sugar & they taste the same. I added a little more corn flakes this time since they seemed too wet – I don’t think the agave mix got as gooey (maybe w/o sugar) or maybe I just didn’t cook it as long as last time. Thanks for the great recipe, Katie!
These are SOOOOOOOOOOOOO good. I couldn’t stop eating them !!! I agree with Katie, cut them before they go in the fridge/freezer. I did not do that and they were hard to cut until they softened up. I ALWAYS LOVED butterfingers !!! THANK YOU !!!!
Not crazy about the chocolate. I used the coconut oil, cocoa and stevia. But I really like the bars…alot!
OK so I am new to the blog and love it!!! I have read nothing but your stuff for three days now and was so excited to try this recipe…..it did not come out the same at all though!
I followed the recipe …not that it was very complicated…and did everything exact but mine look much darker and spread so thin on the pan they are not quite “bars” . Any thoughts?
Unfortunately, I really don’t know what could’ve gone wrong for yours… it’s impossible to know since I wasn’t there, but I can definitely say that they shouldn’t be thin. What specific ingredients did you use? Any specifics you can give will be helpful in trying to figure out what could’ve happened.
I’m eating one of these delicious treats in-between my typing…it’s hard to put it down! Thanks so much for the recipe…this is definitely one of my new faves 🙂 super easy, supppppper yummy *