The Milky Way That Fooled Me, and the Treats I Make Instead

The Celiac Shack

Real food, faith & gluten-free living

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The Milky Way That Fooled Me — and the Treats I Make Instead

by Steffanie England

Many years ago, around Halloween, I let myself have a dark chocolate Milky Way. I braced for trouble, and nothing happened. I felt fine — quietly pleased that I’d gotten away with a little rebellion.

A different day, I reached for a Milky Way again — the regular one this time — and I got sick. Really sick. Same candy, same aisle, two completely different days in my body, and I could not figure out what had changed.

At my celiac support group, someone finally explained it: the dark chocolate Milky Way is free of gluten ingredients, and the milk chocolate one is not. I hadn’t gotten away with anything that first time. The dark bar was simply clean. It was the everyday milk chocolate one that carried the gluten.

The difference is one word: malt

The milk chocolate Milky Way gets part of its flavor from barley malt extract, tucked into that soft nougat — and barley is a gluten grain. That’s the culprit. That’s what got me.

The Dark Chocolate Milky Way — sold as Milky Way Midnight — leaves the malt out. Its ingredient list has no wheat, barley, or rye, which is why so many of us reach for the dark one.

One catch worth knowing: Mars doesn’t label any Milky Way as gluten-free. Their own answer, when people ask, is that they can’t guarantee it — the bars share equipment with products that contain gluten, so cross-contamination is possible. “No gluten ingredients” isn’t the same as “certified gluten-free,” and for a sensitive gut, that gap can matter.

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What I make instead

I stay away from processed sugar anyway, so even the safe dark bar was never an everyday thing for me — that Halloween was a rare exception. When a chocolate craving hits now, I’d rather make something out of real food. Here are the three I keep coming back to, sweetened with xylitol, naturally gluten-free, and easy to keep dairy-free.

Healthier Milky Way Bars

Chocolate-cloaked, with a soft nougat and a little caramel underneath — no barley malt in sight.

Makes about 10 small bars

Nougat layer

• 1/2 cup creamy cashew or almond butter
• 3 Tbsp powdered xylitol (see the note)
• 2 Tbsp coconut flour
• 1 tsp vanilla
• Pinch of sea salt
• 1–2 tsp coconut milk, only if it needs loosening

Caramel layer

• 1/4 cup almond butter
• 2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
• 2 Tbsp powdered xylitol
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp sea salt

Coating

• 1 cup dark chocolate with no refined sugar
• 1 tsp coconut oil

Method

1. Line a small loaf pan with parchment. Stir the nougat ingredients into a soft dough and press it flat into the pan.
2. Whisk the caramel smooth and spread it over the nougat. Freeze about 45 minutes, until firm.
3. Lift out, cut into small bars, and freeze again while you melt the chocolate with the coconut oil.
4. Dip each bar to coat, set on parchment, and freeze until the shell hardens. Keep them in the fridge or freezer.

Healthier Almond Joy Bars

Coconut, a whole almond, and a dark chocolate shell — three real things.

Makes about 10 bars

Ingredients

• 2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 3–4 Tbsp powdered xylitol
• 3 Tbsp coconut milk or cream
• 1 tsp vanilla
• Pinch of sea salt
• 10 whole almonds
• 1 cup dark chocolate (no refined sugar) + 1 tsp coconut oil, for coating

Method

1. Mix everything but the almonds and coating until it holds together when pressed.
2. Shape into small bars, press one almond onto each, and freeze about 30 minutes.
3. Dip each bar in the melted chocolate and freeze until set. Store cold.

Healthier Peanut Butter Cups

The one I make most. It comes together in the time it takes to melt the chocolate.

Makes 12 cups

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup natural peanut butter (or almond butter)
• 3 Tbsp powdered xylitol
• 2 Tbsp coconut flour
• Pinch of sea salt
• 1 1/4 cups dark chocolate (no refined sugar) + 1 tsp coconut oil

Method

1. Line a mini-muffin tin with 12 liners. Stir the peanut butter, xylitol, coconut flour, and salt into a soft dough; roll into 12 discs.
2. Spoon melted chocolate into each liner, add a peanut butter disc, and cover with more chocolate.
3. Tap to settle, then freeze until firm. Keep them in the fridge.

A note on xylitol. Powder it first (a quick spin in a blender) so the fillings stay smooth. Two cautions: it’s toxic to dogs, so keep these away from pets, and a very large amount can upset your own stomach. A bar or a cup is plenty.

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If you’d rather buy than make

Making your own is the surest way to know what’s in it. For grab-and-go, here’s what actually fits — because not every “healthy” candy skips the sugar:

• Peanut butter cups: Lily’s dark chocolate cups (stevia, no added sugar, gluten-free) are the closest match to how I eat. UNREAL’s dark cups are gluten-free and dairy-free with just a few ingredients, though they use a little organic cane sugar — a “less sugar” option, not sugar-free.
• Almond Joy style: a truly sugar-free version is hard to find on a shelf, which is why I make my own. If you want a store option, look for organic dark-chocolate coconut bars and check the sweetener line.
• Milky Way style: a real copycat is rare, and the ones out there almost always use sugar. Another one I’d just make at home.
• The chocolate itself: for melting, I use a dark chocolate with no refined sugar — Hu (coconut sugar, no cane sugar) or Lily’s baking chips. Plain dark chocolate is naturally gluten-free, but some filled or flavored bars slip in barley malt, so glance at the label.

A little chocolate should be a joy. Make it from something real, sweeten it kindly, and enjoy it.

With love,
Steffanie

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This is one family’s personal experience — offered with love, and not medical advice.