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The following recipe and photography were provided by our partner, Yoko Segawa of Yoko’s Kitchen.
Coming up with the perfect gifts to give loved ones, friends, neighbors, teachers and even your mail person at the holidays can be challenging and expensive. You want to get everyone something meaningful but also something they’ll use and enjoy. If you’re struggling with gift giving this year, let me share a piece of wisdom that has never failed me: everyone appreciates something sweet and homemade at the holidays! That mantra is what inspired these Date-Sweetened Chocolate Covered Caramel Bites!
I am all about finding inventive and easy ways to make the foods I enjoy a bit healthier, and since the holidays are often filled with sugary treats, I opted to sweeten these caramel bites with dates. Trust me, the caramel flavor is just the same!
To add even more indulgence to these already delicious treats, I dipped each bite in dark chocolate and sprinkled flaky sea salt on top, which creates the ultimate sweet and salty combo. To keep things on the healthier side, I recommend using a chocolate with a 70% cacao content or higher, but if dark chocolate is not your favorite, feel free to use milk chocolate instead.
If I don’t devour the entire batch of caramel bites in a matter of days, I love packaging them into mini mason jars or clear baggies with ribbon to gift to others. They make a great host/ hostess gift, teacher gift and stocking stuffer!
Give this recipe a try and share a little sweetness this holiday season!
- Prep time:
- 135min
- Total time:
- 135min
- Servings:
- 20 Caramel Bites
Ingredients
- 1 cup soft pitted Medjool dates, packed
- 2 Tbsp. Heinen’s fresh ground almond butter or cashew butter
- 2 Tbsp. Heinen’s coconut milk, refrigerate overnight and use only the solid part
- ½ tsp. vanilla extract
- A pinch of pink Himalayan salt
- 2 Tbsp. coconut flour
- 2.8 oz. dark chocolate, chopped
- 1 Tbsp. Heinen’s coconut oil
- Flaky sea salt, for garnish
Instructions
- Refrigerate the canned coconut milk overnight. Carefully open the can without shaking. Scoop out only the solid part of the coconut milk. Reserve 2 Tbsp. of the coconut solid and use the rest for other recipes.
- In a food processor, blend the dates, almond or cashew butter, coconut milk, vanilla extract and salt until smooth, scraping down the side occasionally. Add coconut flour and blend again until smooth.
- Transfer the mixture onto parchment paper and place another piece of parchment paper over top. Use a rolling pin or a glass to roll the mixture out to ½-inch thick. Use a spatula or bench scraper to shape it into a 4×5-inch slab. Place in the freezer for 2 hours to harden.
- Using a sharp knife, cut the caramel into 20 1×1-inch squares. Wipe off the knife after each cut. Place the caramel bites back into the freezer until ready to use.
- In a measuring cup, add the chocolate and melt using a double boiler or microwave. Stir in the coconut oil.
- Remove the caramel bites from the freezer and use your fingers to shape each bite into a clean square, if necessary. The caramel is soft, so handle it carefully.
- Dip each square into the chocolate and coat completely using a fork. Drip off any excess chocolate and place the bites on a clean sheet of parchment paper. Immediately sprinkle on flaky salt before the chocolate is set.
- Store the caramel in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Best enjoyed straight from the refrigerator.
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