Salted Dark Chocolate Caramels
Okay I know I said I was posting a cookie a week until Christmas, but I just had to go out with a bang with this seasons Christmas cookie/treat series, and share these salted dark chocolate caramels, they beat any Christmas cookie I would have made trust me, and the cookies I had in mind and recipe tested just weren’t going my way lol! These salted dark chocolate caramels are THE perfect holiday treat, they’re perfect for any time really! But I think they are perfect for Christmas and the holidays because they look exactly like a box of chocolates, they remind me of the purdys ones we always get! The caramel is made out of dates, and they have no added or refined sugar which I love! When you take a bite you will be so shocked at just how good these salted dark chocolate caramels are because they are so easy to make! The date caramel is salty and sweet, then dipped in creamy dark chocolate and topped with flakey sea salt of course! I can’t wait for you to try these!
What You’ll Need
You won’t believe how simple these salted date caramels are.. trust me! The caramel is super easy to make and made out of dates to the texture is exactly like real caramel, personally I think it’s better! Then you just need some almond butter for the perfect texture, some vanilla of course and some sea salt because duh that’s why they are called salted dark chocolate caramels! YUM! I of course had to add the flakey sea salt on top because it just really elevates these caramels and the look and flavour, but it’s totally optional and if you don’t have any you have to try them anyway! Here is what you’ll need my loves…
Salted Dark Chocolate Caramels
dates
almond butter
vanilla
sea salt
warm water
dark chocolate chip
coconut oil
flakey sea salt for topping (optional)
Making These Salted Dark Chocolate Caramels
Okay this recipe is so simple and you end up with the prettiest chocolates made by you!! To start off you will want to make sure your dates are pitted, ( I buy large pitted medjool dates), but if they aren’t pitted that’s fine too just make sure you cut them open and take out the pits! Add your dates, almond butter, vanilla, sea salt, and warm water to a blender or food processor and blend until you get a sticky, thick caramel texture! You might have to stop and scrap down the sides and do this once or twice as it will be quite thick! If you find it’s too thick and not blending, add small amounts of warm water at a time! Just keep in mind you don’t want this to be runny!!
Line a loaf pan or small baking sheet with parchment paper, you want your caramels to be somewhere between 1″ – 1/2″ thick, and place this in the freezer to harden slightly for about 1-2 before cutting into your chocolate shapes!
While this is in the freezer, melt your dark chocolate chips with your coconut oil! Do this on really low heat as you don’t want your chocolate to burn on you! I add the coconut oil because it create a beautiful coating on your salted dark chocolate caramels and I think it makes it easier when dipping! Allow your melted chocolate to cool down to about room temp before dipping!
While your chocolate is cooling, take out your date caramel and begin cutting into little squares like shown below! They will still be sticky, and some what soft so just use a very sharpe and large knife and use your other hand to help the knife pull them apart! They soften up really quickly so I placed mine back in the freezer for about 20 more minutes after I finished cutting them because it’s much easier to coat them the colder they are I found!
Once your ready to dip, use two forks and place each date caramel one at a time in the chocolate flipping them to get an even coating! Allow the excess to drip off for a couple seconds and use a fork to help scrap off the bottom before placing it back down! I recommend placing it back down on a wired cooling rack, this way you get a prettier coating… I forgot to do this lol!
Once all your caramels are dipped in the chocolate you will notice they harden quite fast, this is because of the coconut oil! I like to drizzle more chocolate over top to get that beautiful textured look, but again totally optional! I do this with a fork and just go really fast to get unique lines! It’s really fun and aesthetically pleasing!
Top your salted dark chocolate caramels with some flakey sea salt and voila!!! You have made the cutest chocolates! Don’t even tell me you aren’t going to go make these now, I know you want to! They have to be one of my most favourite recipes to date, and they are literally perfect for a holiday treat! I know Christmas and chocolates go hand in hand so these are the most appropriate holiday treat ever! Gosh I just love these salted dark chocolate caramels! I can’t wait for you to try them! Here is a video of me making mine! xx
Love, e
Salted Dark Chocolate Caramels
Salted Dark Chocolate Caramels
Ingredients
- 2 cups pitted large medjool dates
- 4 tbsp almond butter
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1-2 tbsp warm water more if needed
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 1-2 cup melted dark chocolate chips extra for chocolate drizzle
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- flakey sea salt for topping
Instructions
- Place your pitted dates, vanilla, sea salt, and warm water in a food processor or blender and blend until a thick caramel like texture has formed! You might need to take breaks and scrap down the sides! Add small amounts of warm water at a time if yours is too thick and not blending! You don't want this runny!
- Line a loaf pan or small baking sheet with parchment paper and place your caramel into this. You want them to be about 1" – ½" thick! and place this in the freezer to harden for about 1-2 hours
- Melt your chocolate and coconut oil on really low heat, allow this to cool before dipping your caramels!
- Once your caramels have hardened, cut them into even squares as shown above! You will want to use a large sharp knife and use your other hand to help pull apart the caramels as they will still be sticky and soft. Place them back in the freezer to harden again slightly before dipping in the chocolate (this makes it easier to coat them nicely)
- Dip each caramel individually into the chocolate using two forks flipping them to get an even coating, allow the excess chocolate to drip off before placing it back down. I recommend using a wired cooking rack to let the chocolate drip off creating a beautiful coating! Drizzle with chocolate once they have hardened slighly, and top with flakey sea salt! & voila!
