You guys I did a terrible thing . . .

A deliciously wonderful, terrible thing . . .

And by terrible I really just mean wonderful . . .

And, I’m not even a little bit sorry about it.

You guys . . .

Deliciously simple, healthy, homemade dark chocolate coated salted caramels . . .

Oh yes I did!

And you should too!

Honestly, I don’t know what more I need to say . . .

Seriously . . .

Do I even need to twist your arm on this one?!

Basically what we are going to do is;

1 – Make a batch of our healthy, homemade 2 minute salted caramel but this time we are going to add a little drizzle of coconut oil because

A – The slight nuttiness of the coconut oil helps to balance out the sweetness of that glorious salted caramel and;

B – It helps our caramel become a little more “rock-steady” so we can shape it into delicious little bite size balls and then proceed to bathe them in a vat of creamy, dreamy, melted dark chocolate.

. . .

Do I really need to go on?

Well, just in case you need a little more convincing . . .

Not only are our deliciously simple, healthy, homemade chocolate coated caramels insanely and I mean INSANELY delicious but, they also happen to be super quick and easy to prepare coming together in around 30 minutes, start to finish!

That includes making your own caramel!!!

They also happen to be naturally  gluten free and paleo friendly –  and could easily be made vegan depending on the chocolate chips you use – but, most importantly, they are get out of town delicious and you need them in your life like, yesterday!

Not even kidding!

I mean it you guys, these chocolate coated caramels are the stuff dreams are made of.

Seriously smooth, incredibly creamy, deliciously dreamy, slightly fudgey, lightly salted caramel encased in a decadent and rich, cool, crisp dark chocolate coating . . .

I mean just look at them . . .

Seriously, stop what you’re doing, this needs to happen now!

I should warn you though, once you have your deliciously simple, healthy, homemade dark chocolate coated caramels made, do not, I repeat, DO NOT turn your back or leave them unattended for a single second or you will lose them!

Trust me . . .

Don’t be like me . . .

I learned this lesson the hard way . . .

Do as I say, not as I do . . .

And right now all I have left to say is that you need to stop what you’re doing and go make these chocolate coated caramels already!

All natural, quick and easy, seriously smooth, incredibly creamy, deliciously dreamy, slightly fudgey bites of lightly salted caramel that have a decadent and rich, cool, crisp dark chocolate coating . . .

I can’t even . . .

Just do it already!

Make them. Eat the. Love, love, love them.

Deliciously Simple, Healthy, Homemade Dark Chocolate Coated Salted Caramels
{Gluten Free& Paleo Friendly}

Makes approx 10 deliciously simple, secretly healthy, dark and delicious, chocolate coated salted caramel bites

Ingredients –

For the salted caramel –

1 cup (firmly packed) Medjool dates,pits removed – I used about 14 large dates*

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 Tablespoon of coconut oil, melted and cooled

1-2 Tablespoons of warm water

1/2 teaspoon of salt flakes + extra for serving

1-2 scoops of Vital proteins unflavored collagen peptides – optional for an extra dose of protein and gut healing goodness

For the chocolate coating –

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Method –

To make the salted caramel –

1 – Place dates, vanilla, coconut oil and salt into your food processor or blender and process until it starts to break down and form a thick sticky mass/paste

2 – While your blender or food processor is running, add water 1 teaspoon at a time until the caramel loosens just slightly to form a deliciously smooth, gloriously golden, naturally sweet salted caramel.

2 – Transfer your salted caramel to a bowl and place in the fridge (or freezer) for 5-10 minutes to set a little so it’s more manageable and easier to handle.

3 – Once your caramel has firmed up slightly, take approx 1 Tablespoon of at a time and roll it between your hands to shape it into a nice little ball, then place onto a plate and repeat until all caramel has been used. Once you have all your delicious little caramel bites rolled pop them into the fridge while you make your chocolate coating.

4 – Melt your chocolate by your preferred method. I like to place my chocolate onto a small plate or bowl and sit it over a pot of gently simmering water, stirring occasionally until nice and melted.

5 – Remove your chilled caramel balls from the fridge and place them one at a time, into your deliciously dreamy melted chocolate then gently toss to coat. You can use a couple of spoons or forks to gently roll the caramel balls through the melted chocolate – works like a charm 😉

6 – Once your caramel has a nice and even-ish chocolate coating, place back onto the baking sheet, and repeat until all caramels have been bathed in chocolate.

7 – Drizzle your chocolate coated salted caramel bites with any remaining chocolate then sprinkle each with a little pinch of salt flakes and pop them into the fridge or freezer for 5-10 minutes to set.

These delicious little morsels will keep stored in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or can be frozen for up to 3 months.

Enjoy xo

* If you find your dates are a little dry you could try soaking them in some warm water for 10 minutes before you begin, then drain and rinse and proceed with the recipe as normal.
_________________________________________

Question of the day –

Are you a fellow date caramel lover? What’s your fave way to to eat it?! Straight up by the spoonful, with fruit, in smoothies, on chocolate?! Tell me . . . details please

Feel free to share recipes, or links to your fave recipes in the comments below or on the Facebook page and please for the love of all that is good in this world when you do make your chocolate coated caramel bites (or any of the recipes you find on this blog of mine) go ahead and snap a pic and share it either on the Facebook page, or tag me on twitter or Instagram. Sharing is caring remember.

Do it, do it You know you want to 🙂

__________________________________________