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Chocolate covered sea salt healthy caramels made with just 5 ingredients! Date caramels topped with sea salt flakes – they’re addictive!
*Please note* this post was originally published in 2018. I’ve since redone the text but the recipe remains the same.
So, in anticipation of baby girl’s arrival, we transitioned the boys to one room this past weekend. The first night went as we had somewhat expected, with lots of giggles and playing and getting out of bed – but – the sweetest thing also happened. Etienne and I were watching on the monitor as Oscar crept over to Wally’s crib after he fell asleep, covered him with a blanket and then got back into his bed. Mama heart melt!
The second night went really well, and both boys fell asleep fairly quickly; however, it’s unfortunately been a bit of a roller coaster since then! It’s still new, so I’m confident it will just be routine eventually. Plus we’ve been able to witness so many funny and sweet moments already, like Oscar trying to help Wally climb out of his crib by building a staircase with a stack of books. I just love watching these boys grow up together!
You know what else I love? My evening chocolate habit. It’s not the healthiest of habits, but not the worst. I love to relax after getting the kids to bed with a good show and a bit of chocolate to munch on. Often it’s a few squares of extra-dark chocolate, but sometimes I switch it up with other treats – like a few salted caramel chocolate almond clusters, or these healthy caramels with a sprinkling of sea salt!
What are healthy caramels?
The great thing about this recipe is that it is literally 5 ingredients, gluten-free, and ready in 20 minutes! The chocolates are made with those wonderful bites of nature called Medjool dates. We all know Medjool dates have that smooth caramel flavour, but mixing them with a bit of nut butter (I like to use peanut butter) creates the ultimate healthy “caramel” filling. Coating these caramels with chocolate and topping them with sea salt flakes just rounds things off nicely.
I’ve been making these for a few years now, ever since my friend introduced me to this recipe from Oh She Glows.. These chocolates really do taste like Rolos, but I always amp up the sea salt when I make them to get that salty-sweet combo that I love so much. I seriously cannot walk past a Purdy’s Chocolates without buying a couple of their Himalayan pink salt caramels! So good!
How do you make date caramels?
All you need is a food processor! Combine the dates with the peanut butter and pulse them together until a sticky ball forms. Chill the mixture in the freezer for about 10 minutes before removing and shaping the dough into balls. You can roll your caramels into whatever size you like; I sometimes use a whole tablespoon for a nice large chocolate, but making them smaller means you’ll end up with more and eat less…maybe!? Place the caramels on a baking sheet and freeze the balls for another 10 minutes while you prepare the chocolate.
A 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup is the easiest way to dip the balls in chocolate. After dunking, the balls should be chilled again for another 10 minutes or so to set! At this poinst, sprinkle on some sea salt flakes if you’d like!
How do you store healthy caramels?
I like to keep these treats in the freezer, so they last longer, but you could definitely keep them in the fridge too. They’ll get too soft at room temperature!
It’s so hard to believe that the weekend is already here again – time – slow down!! We’re going to a dinner party on Saturday night, and Sunday I’m getting my toes done with some friends!
I am so hoping the forecast cheers up in the next few weeks – I can’t believe how un-spring this weather has been. The snow really needs to take a hint. Really.
Here’s to a great weekend!
Some other tasty treats from the blog:
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Healthier Sea Salt Caramels
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 14-20 caramels 1x
Description
Chocolate covered sea salt healthy caramels made with just 5 ingredients! Date caramels topped with sea salt flakes – they’re addictive!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups Medjool dates, pits removed (about 15)
- 1 tbsp natural peanut butter*
- 1/2 cup (3 oz) dark chocolate, chopped
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- sea salt flakes
Instructions
- Process the dates with the peanut butter in a food processor until a ball of sticky “dough” forms. Chill the mixture in the freezer for about 10 minutes before removing and shaping the dough into balls (about 2 tsp – 1 tbsp in size)*. Place the caramels on a baking sheet and freeze the balls for another 10 minutes while you prepare the chocolate.
- Melt the chocolate with the coconut oil in a heat-proof vessel. I like to use my Pyrex measuring cup for easy dipping! Using a spoon or a dipping tool, dip each caramel in chocolate, place it back on the baking sheet and sprinkle with sea salt flakes. Place the caramels in the fridge or back in the freezer to set for another 10 minutes.
Caramels keep best in the freezer (and can be eaten frozen) but will keep for up to 2 weeks in the fridge as well.
Notes
- Substitute with almond butter or another nut butter.
- Using 1 tbsp of dough will yield about 14 large caramels.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: candy
- Method: no bake
- Cuisine: american
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I lol’d at “staircase out of books.” That’s too adorable! And I have yet to hop on the Medjool dates bandwagon, but I’m thinking I need to give it a try because oh, man, do these look yummy!!
Haha it was so cute to watch on the monitor!! He’s an inventive little fellow when he wants to be 😉 You’ve got to get on the Medjool train – they’re amazing! Thanks Tracy!
Looks so amazing! Wanna dive in those tempting chocolate caramel balls!! xo
Thanks Kim! They are so delicious – a great way to satisfy those cravings 🙂
ahhh your sons sound so adorable! and these caramels sound so good. dark chocolate sounds like a good move for dipping these into, since the dates are so decadent and rich (:
Thank you Heather! They are pretty cute – they are more fun every day! Yeeessss so good – it feels much more decadent than it really is!
Hey, greetings from Bucharest, Romania!
This is an easy recipe we can make at home; me and my girlfriend will have fun with these delicious caramels…
Greetings! Yes! You guys will have to try it. I hope you love it!
Awe, so sweet. It is a lovely thing to have the kids in the same room. I did the same thing with my girls when we were expecting our son. It makes for the best of friends at this stage anyway (ask me in 10-12 years and maybe it will be a different story). These caramels sound spot on. I tried to make some (for my blog) and they were just too watery to roll out. Excited to try these!
That’s so nice to know you did the same thing and it worked out well! We do love having them in there together, it seems like it would be so comforting for both of them! Thanks so much, I really hope you love them!!
These look so amazing! I absolutely love dates and they can be made into so many wonderful treats. Your boys sound so adorable together. Too bad you can’t record on the monitor 🙂 . Take care.
I love dates too – such a great way to get that sweet craving!! I know, I would have some good memories recorded if I could record using the monitor!! Cheers, Stacey!
You have the cutest little boys Kathy and they are so gonna pamper the baby sister:) I make many sweetened treats with dates, but have never combined them with nut butters. I’m totally gonna try it with almond butter (allergy issues)!
I can’t wait to see them with their sister! I think it’ll make for some great memories 🙂 You can definitely use almond butters for these! Hope you love them! Thanks Maria!
Awwww, your boys are adorable. Better enjoy this stage now before they’re teens, am I right? 🙂
I’ve been eating date based desserts for the last couple of weeks so this recipe is a perfect addition to my date based dessert addiction. ZING!
Thank you!! They are too cute right now – definitely enjoying it now because you never know what’s coming haha. Ooh I’m happy to hear you’re on the date train – they’re so good! Such a great natural substitute for sugar!! Hope you love it!
I HAVE DATES AND HAVE BEEN WONDERING WHAT TO DO WITH THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!! yay problem solved, and yes, totally need for caps to show my excitement! this recipe looks bloody delicious! i am also a big chocolate at night fan! and during the day now i think about it!
HAHA!! Love the caps!! Your enthusiasm is contagious 😉 I hope you love this recipe, Georgie!!
The joy of seeing how your boys are interacting with each other is what parenting is all about. It is one of the best things in life isn’t it? The filing sounds delicious as I’m a fan of dates. These are perfect treats to satisfy a sweet tooth and get a chocolate fix without all of the guilt 🙂
I completely agree, Thao. Having another child was initially so challenging, but seeing how well these two get along and their love for each other makes it all pay off 10 fold!! YES! That’s exactly what I was going for. Thank you my friend!! Enjoy the weekend!