This rich and gooey caramel is made using just natural ingredients by blending dates with nut butter, coconut oil and vanilla and then freezing and dipping in melted dark chocolate. These Chocolate Date Caramels are incredible! Super simple to make and make a lovely homemade gift.
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We grew up eating chocolate caramels. That chewy sweet caramel centre, with a little crunch as you bite into the chocolate that surrounds it. SO good!
We are always trying to make healthier versions of our favorite treats and because dates have a natural caramel taste and texture to them, they were the perfect choice.
We often make date caramel by blending dates and nut butter together, but then I thought: what if we could harden it by freezing, and then cutting it into squares and dipping it in chocolate? This date caramel recipe was born and our kids LOVE them too. It is next level! I can't explain just how good they are!
We just make them for snacks and desserts, but just look how pretty they are! They would make a great homemade Valentine's Day or Christmas gift.
Looking for more date recipes? Why not try our easy Individual Date Bark Bites, quick Banana Date Smoothie or our delicious Chocolate Topped Seed Bars?
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Ingredients and Substitutions
A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Dates - You want to use Medjool dates to make these date caramel bites as they are the softest ones and have a real caramel flavor to them. Dates do need to be soaked before using, as it makes them easier to blend.
- Nut butter - We used almond butter, but any nut butter like cashew butter or peanut butter will work. Just make sure that it is smooth and not crunchy.
- Coconut oil - This helps the date caramels to set.
- Vanilla extract - Always use extract, not essence.
- Chocolate - Use a 80% dark chocolate to coat the date caramels. You could also drizzle them with some melted white chocolate to make a nice color contrast. If you want to keep these date caramels vegan, then use a vegan dark chocolate.
- Salt - This really helps to bring out the sweetness of the dates and chocolate.
Variations
Nut free - If you wanted to make a nut-free version of these chocolate date caramels, then you could swap the nut butter for a sunflower seed butter or tahini. These are a little more bitter, so you might need to add a couple of extra dates.
How To Make Chocolate Date Caramels
- Step 1: Put the pitted dates into a bowl of hot water and allow to soak for 10 minutes.
- Step 2: Drain the dates and put them into a food processor with the almond butter, coconut oil and vanilla.
- Step 3: Blend until a smooth consistency is achieved.
- Step 4: Line an 20x12cm (8x5") tin and pour the date mixture in. Use a spatula to spread it out evenly. Freeze for 4 hours.
- Step 5: Melt together the chocolate and coconut oil until smooth and silky. Once melted, allow to cool slightly.
- Step 6: Remove the frozen date caramel and cut into 28 squares.
- Step 7: Coat the caramel cubes in the melted chocolate. Sprinkle with a little salt (optional) and refrigerate until set.
Tips For Making The BEST Date Caramels
- To make it easier to spread the date mixture in the pan, put a sheet of parchment paper on top of it and use your hands to spread it out and push it down.
- Make the caramel has fully hardened in the freezer before you try to cut them. This will take around 4-5 hours.
- You can melt the chocolate in the microwave instead if you prefer. Just do it for 30 seconds at a time.
Frequently Asked Questions
These store really well in the fridge or the freezer. Put them in an airtight container and they will keep in the refrigerator for 2 weeks of the freezer for 2 months.
More Chocolate Recipes
If you've tried these caramels made with dates, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - Use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.
Recipe
Chocolate Date Caramels
Ingredients
- 20 Medjool dates - pitted
- 150 g (0.5 cups) of Almond butter
- 0.5 teaspoon of Vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoon of Coconut oil - for the caramel
- 1 teaspoon of Coconut oil - for the chocolate
- 100 g (3.5 oz) of Dark chocolate - 80%
- Sea salt - to serve; optional
Instructions
- Put 20 Medjool dates into a bowl of hot water and allow to soak for 10 minutes.
- Drain the dates and put them into a food processor with 150 g of Almond butter, 2 tsp of Coconut oil and 0.5 tsp of Vanilla extract.
- Blend until a smooth consistency is achieved.
- Line an 20x12cm (8x5") tin and pour the date mixture in. Use a spatula to spread it out evenly.
- Freeze for 4 hours.
- Melt together 100 g of Dark chocolate and 1 tsp of Coconut oil until smooth and silky. Once melted, allow to cool slightly.
- Remove the frozen date caramel and cut into 28 squares.
- Coat the caramel cubes in the melted chocolate. Sprinkle with a little Sea salt (optional) and refrigerate until set.
Recipe Video
Recipe Tips
- To make it easier to spread the date mixture in the pan, put a sheet of parchment paper on top of it and use your hands to spread it out and push it down.
- Make the caramel has fully hardened in the freezer before you try to cut them. This will take around 4-5 hours.
- You can melt the chocolate in the microwave instead if you prefer. Just do it for 30 seconds at a time.
Nutritional Information
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The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
As all appliances vary, cooking times are a guide. Please note that by changing the serving size, the cooking time may also need to be altered.
alison says
I have made my 4th batch just now. They are absolutely delicious. Loved by all my family. Much rather we all had a bit of one of these than a crap chocolate/treat full of miscellaneous ingredients. Just delicious. Might try and make some for Xmas gifts.
Diana Gilmore says
These are really delicious! So good, especially straight from the fridge/freezer. Loved by even the fussiest members of my family.
Jenna says
These taste nice but don’t freeze? They have so far been in the freezer for three days and still soft so they look very…rustic. They taste nice but the recipe doesn’t work?
Dannii Martin says
They won't be super hard. But if you have followed the recipe exactly, they will be hard enough to cut in to squares and they can be dipped in to the chocolate. You can see the hardness/softness in the video. Also, once dipped in chocolate they go in the fridge or freezer, but it's meant to be soft caramel - not a hard chewy caramel.
Janet says
Made these yesterday, they are fab
Michelle says
These are so yummy!!