Peanut Butter Date Caramel Chocolates

0 Flares Pin It Share 0 Twitter 0 Facebook 0 0 Flares ×

In case you don’t know me in real life, know this: I love Halloween. Like, so much. I love the silliness, nostalgia, costumes, witches, skeletons, the whole nine.

And while I won’t be turning down a fun-sized Twix anytime soon, I thought these whole food-based date caramels with peanut butter were totally appropriate for the season (slash any season). I could also see these being a really great homemade holiday or hostess gift, especially for a friend who’s trying to lead that low-processed-sugar life.

I know these aren’t the most uniform perfect-looking caramels, but I kind of love their wonky haphazard style. Plus they’re so good you won’t care what shape they come in. If you prefer to roll them in balls, go for it. If you prefer to roll out your date “dough” between two sheets of parchment and cut it into squares after step 1, awesome! Do whatever sounds good to you. The idea of making candy and caramels stresses me out to be honest, so the method below is meant to be low-maintenance and fun for everyone.

Sending you spooky vibes.

Date Caramel Chocolates


Five Ingredients, naturally sweetened, decadent. Store in the fridge for 1-2 weeks.

Ingredients

  • 1 packed cup soft medjool dates , about 12 large, pitted
  • 2 tablespoons natural peanut butter or you can sub almond butter or sunflower butter
  • ¼ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
  • 3.5 oz /100 grams dark chocolate chopped into small chunks
  • Flaked sea salt like Maldon for topping (optional)

Instructions

  1. In a food processor or high speed blender, combine dates, peanut butter, and salt and pulse. Add water 1 teaspoon at a time, if needed to bring things together. I used 2 teaspoons the first time I made it and 3 the second, it depends on your dates and the consistency of your peanut butter. Process on a medium speed until a sticky dough forms with minimal clumps.
  2. Form the date dough into small balls (smaller than a ping pong ball) and then flatten with your palms and squish the sides to make a square shape. Place squares on a plate lined with parchment or wax paper. Repeat until you’ve used all the date dough. Pop the squares into the freezer for 30 minutes or the fridge overnight.
  3. When you’re ready for step two, make a double boiler with a pot of 2-3 inches of boiling water at the bottom and stainless steel mixing bowl on top (the mixing bowl should rest comfortably on top of the pan but not touch the water). Place chocolate in the mixing bowl and stir with a rubber spatula until just melted. Remove from the heat.
  4. Take your date squares out of the freezer/fridge and dunk them, one at a time, into the melted chocolate flip with the rubber spatula and when coated in a thin layer of chocolate, use a fork to place them back on the parchment paper. Top with a small sprinkle of flaky sea salt. Repeat with all of the date squares and pop in the freezer again for another 30 minutes. Store in the fridge until you’re ready to eat.
0 Flares Pin It Share 0 Twitter 0 Facebook 0 0 Flares ×

2 comments

  1. Mary Campbell11/02/2017 | Reply

    Where is the caramel? Or is this just a name for these chocolates or did I miss that ingredient? Thank you

    • Leah11/02/2017 | Reply

      Hey Mary, the "caramel" is made from the pureed dates. The taste is similar, it's just a more basic, whole food-based version. :)

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating