Salty Chocolate Date Caramels • HeartBeet Kitchen

Salty Chocolate Date Caramels • HeartBeet Kitchen might be a good recipe to expand your side dish repertoire. This recipe makes 12 servings with 115 calories, 2g of protein, and 6g of fat each. For 51 cents per serving, this recipe covers 3% of your daily requirements of vitamins and minerals. From preparation to the plate, this recipe takes roughly 40 minutes. It is a good option if you're following a gluten free, dairy free, lacto ovo vegetarian, and vegan diet. This recipe from Heartbeet Kitchen has 2961 fans. A mixture of water, dates, sea-salt, and a handful of other ingredients are all it takes to make this recipe so flavorful. Overall, this recipe earns a rather bad spoonacular score of 25%. Similar recipes include Layered Vegetarian Egg Bake • HeartBeet Kitchen, Date Caramels with Crunchy Chocolate Coating, and Dark Salty Caramels.

Servings: 12

 

Ingredients:

Equipment:

Cooking instruction summary:

Pulling out the flavor map, my first move was discarding any chocolate-covered cherries and maple cream bon-bons that obstructed my path. My mission was finding the chocolate caramels before any of my cousins snagged them.

They’re much easier than making the traditional kind too. Using a food processor, you’ll blitz sticky medjool dates until creamy and smooth, with a touch of almond flour, almond butter and vanilla.

Super creamy and decadent……

Enrobed in dark chocolate (which I took the time to temper so it would have a shiny, flawless appearance and not have to be refrigerated, notes below), and flaky sea salt……

And to no surprise, my adult self is picking these over any other candy right now as I did with the Whitman’s sampler box. They even look like tiny little presents, just in time for Christmas.

Happy week before the holidays, and stay tuned for one more recipe before Santa arrives. Hopefully he brings a long some snow with him to Minnesota! xo

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Salty Chocolate Date Caramels {paleo, vegan}

makes 12 caramels
A note about tempering chocolate: Although I’ve always melted chocolate in a double boiler and added a bit of oil to make it “set”, I was frustrated with the condensation that sometimes appears on the chocolate. I also noticed its susceptibility to heat and humidity, melting more easily and spoiling more quickly. Tempering is the process of slowly heating and cooling melted chocolate to certain temperatures while stirring. It’s why the chocolate you buy at a gourmet candy store is so perfect. ow that I’ve done it myself, I have to say it really isn’t any more difficult than melting chocolate in the microwave, it just takes a thermometer and a little time.

1 cup packed, soft & pitted Medjol dates (161 grams)
1 tablespoon creamy almond butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon warm water
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
2 1/2 tablespoons almond flour/meal
120 grams dark chocolate (at least 70%)
flaky sea salt for finishing

Add dates, almond butter, vanilla, salt and warm water to a food processor. Blend until completely smooth, scraping down the sides to make things easier. Add almond flour/meal and process until incorporated.
Line a small bread pan or narrow pan with greased parchment paper (you can use coconut oil). Scrape date mixture out of processor, and smooth with another greased sheet of parchment paper, using your hand or a spatula to press on top of the paper and make even. The caramels should be about a 1/2 inch thick.
Place in freezer for one hour. Meanwhile, temper chocolate using these instructions. Remove caramels from freezer, and cut into 12 small squares. Then dip and coat with chocolate using a fork, tapping on the side of the bowl to get chocolate to drip off. Set on a piece of parchment paper to dry.

Sprinkle with sea salt as you work, waiting a few seconds so that the chocolate has started to harden a bit and the salt will adhere. Caramels will last at room temperature for 1 week if you temper the chocolate. You can also use the regular method of melting the chocolate over a double boiler or in the microwave, and adding a 1/2 tablespoon coconut oil. If you make this way, the caramels will need to be kept refrigerated until serving.

 

Step by step:

1. Pulling out the flavor map, my first move was discarding any chocolate-covered cherries and maple cream bon-bons that obstructed my path. My mission was finding the chocolate caramels before any of my cousins snagged them. They’re much easier than making the traditional kind too. Using a food processor, you’ll blitz sticky medjool dates until creamy and smooth, with a touch of almond flour, almond butter and vanilla.Super creamy and decadent……Enrobed in dark chocolate (which I took the time to temper so it would have a shiny, flawless appearance and not have to be refrigerated, notes below), and flaky sea salt……And to no surprise, my adult self is picking these over any other candy right now as I did with the Whitman’s sampler box. They even look like tiny little presents, just in time for Christmas.Happy week before the holidays, and stay tuned for one more recipe before Santa arrives. Hopefully he brings a long some snow with him to Minnesota! xo . Salty Chocolate Date Caramels {paleo, vegan} makes 12 caramels A note about tempering chocolate: Although I’ve always melted chocolate in a double boiler and added a bit of oil to make it “set”, I was frustrated with the condensation that sometimes appears on the chocolate. I also noticed its susceptibility to heat and humidity, melting more easily and spoiling more quickly. Tempering is the process of slowly heating and cooling melted chocolate to certain temperatures while stirring. It’s why the chocolate you buy at a gourmet candy store is so perfect. ow that I’ve done it myself, I have to say it really isn’t any more difficult than melting chocolate in the microwave, it just takes a thermometer and a little time. 1 cup packed, soft & pitted Medjol dates (161 grams) 1 tablespoon creamy almond butter 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 1 tablespoon warm water 1/4 teaspoon fine salt 2 1/2 tablespoons almond flour/meal 120 grams dark chocolate (at least 70%) flaky sea salt for finishing

2. Add dates, almond butter, vanilla, salt and warm water to a food processor. Blend until completely smooth, scraping down the sides to make things easier.

3. Add almond flour/meal and process until incorporated. Line a small bread pan or narrow pan with greased parchment paper (you can use coconut oil). Scrape date mixture out of processor, and smooth with another greased sheet of parchment paper, using your hand or a spatula to press on top of the paper and make even. The caramels should be about a 1/2 inch thick.

4. Place in freezer for one hour. Meanwhile, temper chocolate using these instructions.

5. Remove caramels from freezer, and cut into 12 small squares. Then dip and coat with chocolate using a fork, tapping on the side of the bowl to get chocolate to drip off. Set on a piece of parchment paper to dry.Sprinkle with sea salt as you work, waiting a few seconds so that the chocolate has started to harden a bit and the salt will adhere. Caramels will last at room temperature for 1 week if you temper the chocolate. You can also use the regular method of melting the chocolate over a double boiler or in the microwave, and adding a 1/2 tablespoon coconut oil. If you make this way, the caramels will need to be kept refrigerated until serving.

Nutrition Information:

covered percent of daily need