Get ready to treat yourself to these homemade Salted Chocolate Caramels! They’re a fun and easy way to satisfy your sweet tooth with a healthier twist. Think creamy date caramel wrapped in rich chocolate, all finished with a pinch of sea salt. Perfect for sharing, or, you know, keeping all to yourself – I won’t judge 😉
Ever since I was a kid I had a soft spot for caramel. I was that picky kid who had to check the instruction sheet that came with a box of chocolates first, to see which ones had caramel hidden inside! This is why I’m surprised it took me this long to create these chewy and irresistible salted chocolate caramels that taste even better than the ones I remember from childhood.
Ingredients in Salted Chocolate Caramels
They taste better because they’re made with love, using pure wholesome ingredients, without any additives, rancid oils, or refined sugar. They consist of only 8 ingredients, and are no-bake, dairy-free, gluten-free, and vegan!
The best thing about homemade desserts is that you’re in charge of the quality of ingredients and the amount of natural sweeteners that go in. In this case, since the caramel center mainly consists of dates, I used less maple syrup than usual to prepare the chocolate, as I can no longer stand overly sweet treats. However, feel free to adjust that as you wish.
In addition to maple syrup, the chocolate coating includes cacao butter and raw cacao powder. I strongly prefer cacao butter to coconut oil, since it tastes a lot more similar to the chocolate we all know and love. Plus, it’s solid at room temperature, so the chocolate won’t be melting in your hands when it’s hot outside. Also, the texture is super smooth and velvety when mixed with cacao powder and you won’t get the separation you sometimes see with coconut oil. Finally, it’s great if you’re not a big fan of the coconut taste, or you just don’t want it in your chocolate 😉
Cacao butter just requires a bit more work, cause you need to melt it first using the double broiler method explained in the recipe below. Most of the articles and recipes I’ve seen on cacao butter online recommend this method. However, I haven’t found any that explains the reason behind it. So, my inquisitive mind made me try melting it directly over the stovetop once, but it noticeably affected the taste!
If you’re a fan of chocolate and salted caramel, make sure to check out these delicious Chocolate-Covered Salted Caramel Balls that are very similar, but their caramel center is not as soft and chewy as these. Another personal and reader favorite is this 4-ingredient melt-in-your-mouth Salted Caramel Chocolate Fudge that you must try!
Hope you enjoy these chewy and delicious salted chocolate caramels as much as we did! Just be warned that they’re quite addictive!!! I always love hearing your feedback and seeing your wonderful recreations. So, please leave a comment below or tag me on your IG/FB photos if you try them @nutriholist #nutriholist.
Salted Chocolate Caramels
Ingredients
Caramel Center
- 1 cup dates pitted
- 1/2 cup almond butter or other nut/seed butter
- 1/4 cup full-fat canned coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons coconut flour
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Chocolate Coating
- 1/2 cup cacao butter roughly chopped {See Notes}
- 1/2 cup raw cacao powder
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- Pinch of flaky sea salt (like Maldon)
Instructions
- For the Caramel Center: Add all ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth. Line a medium container (I used a 5x5 inch dish) with parchment paper and press the sticky mixture inside, smoothing it out with the back of a spoon or spatula. Cover and freeze for about 4 hours until firm
- For the Chocolate Coating: Start making the chocolate coating 15 minutes before the caramel slices are set. Add 2 inches of water to a small pan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat
- Pour the finely chopped cacao butter in a medium Pyrex or ceramic mixing bowl and place it on top of the pot to create a double boiler (make sure the bowl is not touching the water). Let the bowl sit for 2-3 minutes until the cacao butter is melted
- Add the cacao powder and maple syrup and stir to combine. Carefully remove the bowl using oven mitts and set it aside for 5 minutes to cool
- Assemble: Cut the caramel into small squares, dip them into the melted chocolate, and place on a parchment paper. Quickly sprinkle with sea salt before the chocolate sets within seconds! Enjoy them right away or store in the fridge for best results
Notes
- You can substitute coconut oil for cacao butter. If so, just melt it in a small pot over low heat (if not liquid already) and proceed to step 4.
- Alternatively, you can melt a dark chocolate bark or dark chocolate chips instead of making your own. Just make sure to read the ingredients list and choose a high-quality product that's free from dairy, soy, refined sugar, and additives.
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