Homemade Milky Way Bars (Allergy Friendly!)

Homemade milky way bars stacked on top of each other with one split in half to show the nougat and caramel inside.

Homemade Milky Way Bars (Allergy Friendly!)

These Homemade Copycat Milky Way Bars are super rich and chocolatey! They are coated in a smooth chocolate shell and filled with homemade marshmallow nougat with thick and creamy caramel. They are just like the store-bought milky ways you love, but made even better from scratch.

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Diet Gluten Free, Kosher, Low Lactose, Low Salt, Vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 15

Chilling Time 1 30

Total Time 2 15

Servings bars

Calories 254kcal

Author Alana Lieberman

Cost $15

Equipment

Ingredients

For the Nougat

6 tablespoons dairy free unsalted butter (can also use regular unsalted butter)
15 ounces (1 ½ bags) vegan mini marshmallows (can also use regular mini marshmallows)
¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (buy non-dairy kind for dairy free)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon kosher salt

For the Caramel

1 (11.25 ounce) can sweetened condensed oat milk (can also use sweetened condensed coconut milk or regular sweetened condensed milk)

For the Coating

3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (buy non-dairy kind for dairy free)
6 ½ teaspoons coconut oil

Instructions

Prepare a 9-inch square baking pan by lining it with parchment paper.
Make the nougat*: In a large pot over medium heat, melt the butter.
Add the mini marshmallows. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring intermittently, until marshmallows are melted. Turn off the heat.
In the last minute that the marshmallows are cooking, add ¾ cup of chocolate chips to a bowl. Microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until chocolate is melted and smooth.
Add the vanilla extract and salt to the marshmallows. Stir to combine. Then pour the melted chocolate into the marshmallows and mix until mostly combined. It’s okay if there are still some white streaks.
Pour the marshmallows into the prepared pan and spread evenly from edge to edge. They may look a bit odd, but they’ll spread out as you press on them. Then, they will solidify as they cool.
Make the caramel: Add sweetened condensed oat milk to a large microwave safe bowl (so it has enough space to bubble up). Cover with plastic wrap. Microwave for 5 minutes. Remove caramel from the microwave and stir with a spatula or whisk. The caramel should be golden brown and bubbly. Allow to cool for 8 to 10 minutes. It will thicken as it cools.
Pour caramel on top of the marshmallow nougat in the baking pan. Spread it out from edge to edge. Place in the refrigerator to set for at least 1 hour.
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Once caramel has set, transfer the nougat to a cutting board and cut into 24 rectangular pieces**. Transfer pieces to the lined baking sheet. Place in the freezer for about 10 minutes so the caramel can set again.
Make the coating: In a microwave safe bowl, add 3 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips and 6 ½ teaspoons coconut oil. Microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until chocolate is melted and smooth.
While chocolate melts, line another baking sheet with parchment paper.
Dip each piece of nougat/caramel into the melted chocolate, coating all sides. Then transfer it to the prepared baking sheet. Continue with all pieces of nougat/caramel until all are coated. If the caramel and nougat becomes too soft to dip as you go, you may need to refreeze for another 10 minutes before finishing.
Place baking sheet in the refrigerator until chocolate hardens. If you want to add another drizzle of chocolate over top to fully resemble store-bought milky ways, you can do so by melting chocolate in a zip top bag and cutting off a small piece of the corner. Then, drizzle on top of each bar. You can also add flaky sea salt on top too.

Notes

*When making the nougat, you’ll want to work fairly quickly. Overcooking the marshmallows will cause them to burn or harden prematurely. Make sure the chocolate is ready to be poured in as soon as the marshmallows are done cooking.
**It will be messy to cut the nougat into pieces. I highly recommend running your knife under hot water, drying it off, then spraying it with nonstick spray for clean, even cuts. In between cuts, you may need to rinse your knife and spray again.

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