start by making the cashew butter caramel: in a saucepan, add 1 cup of lakanto monkfruit sweetener or cane sugar and melt it over medium heat. this should take a few minutes. once the sweetener has melted, turn the heat up to high and add 1/3 cup of coconut milk. let the mixture boil for a couple of minutes. remove the caramel from the stove and stir in the runny cashew butter. set this aside to cool.

for the base: in a mixing bowl, combine the chocolate protein powder, gluten-free oat flour, cocoa powder, and almond flour.

add the wet ingredients to the base mixture: mix in the maple syrup, runny almond butter, and dairy-free milk. combine until you have a thick, dough-like consistency.

assemble the milky way protein cups: line a muffin tin with cupcake liners. take a generous portion of the base mixture and press it into the bottom of each cup, forming the bottom layer.

spoon the cashew butter caramel over the base layer in each cup. top the cups with the remaining base mixture to create the top layer. press down to make sure it's firmly packed. place the muffin tin in the freezer to set while you prepare the chocolate coating.

for the chocolate coating: in a microwave-safe bowl or using a double boiler, melt the chocolate chips and coconut oil together, stirring until smooth. spoon the chocolate on top of the caramel layer.

place the coated cups back in the freezer to allow the chocolate to set. once the caramel has become pretty firm, your vegan no bake milky way protein cups are ready to be enjoyed. keep them in the refrigerator or freezer until you're ready to serve. enjoy!