February is National Chocolate Lovers Month! With Valentine's Day coming up, why not indulge and enjoy some delicious chocolate?
These Homemade Chocolate Caramels are sweet, delectable and oh so good! They remind me of the See's candy that I grew up eating.
The best part is they're so easy to make and only have 3 ingredients. Make up a batch in time for Valentine's Day {or any day} and share some with those you love.
Homemade Chocolate Caramels
Equipment: Small Saucepan or Saute Pan, Food Processor, Unbleached Parchment Paper, Baking Tray, Double Boiler or Medium Size Sauce Pan and Medium Size Heat Proof Glass Bowl
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Note: Advance Preparation Required
- 1/2 cup allergy free chocolate chips
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
1. Melt 1 tablespoon ghee or coconut oil in small saute pan over medium heat.
2. Prep date pieces - break them in half with fingers and remove the pit. Add to the saute pan and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Heating the dates is important, the heat softens them and the ghee or coconut oil brings out their natural caramel flavor.
3. Pour cooked dates into food processor fitted with the "S" blade. Pulse until dates turn into a paste, about 30 seconds.
4. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Grease fingers with coconut oil {water can be used on fingers too if you do not have extra coconut oil}. Using about a teaspoon or more, roll date paste into tiny caramel centers - I make them into balls/circles, then form a flat bottom and then make a flat top, which I make a little smaller than the bottom. This should make about 12-14 caramel centers. Place caramel centers into the freezer to set for at least 1 hour or overnight.
5. Make a double boiler by setting a heat proof glass bowl over a medium sauce pan that has been filled with about an inch of tap water. The water should not be touching the glass bowl. Heat over medium heat. Add chocolate chips and 1 tablespoon coconut oil to glass bowl. Stir until melted.
6. Remove frozen caramel centers from the freezer. Working quickly, drop one caramel center into the melted chocolate - using a fork or spoon, fully coat the caramel with chocolate and set back onto baking sheet. Repeat until all caramels are covered in chocolate. {For an extra touch, once caramels are covered in chocolate, use a fork dipped in chocolate and quickly move the fork back and forth in the air above the chocolates to make chocolate drizzles. If you find it's not working, place the chocolates in the freezer for one minute to set, then remove and try again.} Place chocolates in the freezer and freeze for about 1 hour or more.
7. Serve chocolates frozen, right from the freezer. Make sure to freeze them at least 1 hour before eating for the full caramel texture.
Enjoy and share some with someone you love!
Yield: Makes 12-14 chocolates
Vegan Option: Use coconut oil instead of ghee.
Looking for more CHOCOLATE recipes? Check out some of my favorites:
... and a few recipes that I have made and loved:
Raw Freezer Fudge from my friend Amber @ The Tasty Alternative
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles from Common Sense Homesteading
Double Chocolate Cookies with Chocolate Chunks from Gourmande in the Kitchen
Fudgy Brownies from Real Food Girl Unmodified
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This post is part of Real Food Wednesday @ Kelly the Kitchen Kop.
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