>U Mom Knows Best: Vegan Chocolate Dipped Salted Caramels That Are Dairy Free

Tuesday, April 16, 2019

Vegan Chocolate Dipped Salted Caramels That Are Dairy Free


 A couple of months ago, I discovered this amazing recipe for dairy-free caramels and I was so happy that I could enjoy caramels once again. Ever since I discovered that a dairy allergy was causing my asthma to be out of control, I thought that I would never enjoy the sweet taste of caramels. I was excited when I discovered a vegan recipe for healthier caramels that were made from dates. Dates are a healthy fruit that is loaded with fiber so using them to make a candy that tastes like caramels is so awesome. These healthy dairy-free caramels also have peanut butter in them so they also have protein in them. So these vegan desserts are a guilt-free, dairy-free delight for me.



Vegan caramels dipped in chocolate are amazing


 I have not consumed any dairy products on purpose for nine months and I have been learning more about what products are vegan and dairy-free. I have had to learn the hard way, having an asthma attack, about products that claim to be dairy-free. It is amazing how dairy hides in so many foods. I have become a label reader for sure. Did you know that non-dairy creamer has milk in it? Non-dairy creamers contain Casein, which is an ingredient derived from milk and I discovered that a couple of months ago after I used some in my coffee. That cup of coffee made me sick to my stomach and gave me that annoying asthmatic cough.

I discovered an awesome vegan chocolate


 Reading labels has paid off for me in a huge way. While I was shopping at Trader Joes for a can of jack fruit for my Plant-Based BBQ Pulled "pork" Jackfruit Tacos, I decided to read the ingredients in their semi-sweet chocolate chips and I discovered that they had no dairy ingredients in them! I was so happy to discover vegan and dairy-free chocolate chips that were half the price of other allergy-friendly chocolate chips. So I grabbed several packages so I could use them in all my dairy-free recipes. These dairy-free chocolate chips allowed me to enjoy my low-fat chocolate chip cookies again. I have learned to swap the butter in my cookie recipes with vegan butter.

These dairy-free caramels are soft and taste like real caramels


  A dairy-allergy is not always easy for me but since I like breathing, I have learned to say no to favorite treats that contain milk and instead make dairy-free versions of my desserts. You have to check out my recipe for Dairy-Free Strawberry Shortcake With Balsamic Glazed Strawberries! To think that all these years, I thought that my nausea was due to lactose problems. My wake up call came last year when my asthma got worse and I discovered that I was more sensitive to dairy. An elimination diet and a food allergy test confirmed that I had a dairy allergy.

Chocolate always tastes better with salt


    If you follow a vegan diet or have a dairy allergy then you know how difficult it can be to eat out. I have a few favorite allergy-friendly restaurants that I visit as they make ordering simple. I have learned to look at a restaurant menu before visiting them so I know which menu items can be made without dairy. My husband has told me that I need to be that pain that informs the waiter about my allergy and I now request my food to be cooked in oil instead of butter. My kids are also great label readers as they don't want to see me have an asthma attack. They remember how sick I was a year ago and how I could not read to them without gasping for air. 

These tasty treats contain no butter or sugar




Check out this recipe for Dairy-Free Protein Chocolate Donuts that uses a delicious dairy-free & plant-based protein powder 
https://www.momknowsbest.net/2019/01/dairy-free-protein-chocolate-donuts.html


 I discovered that the caramels are easy to mold into balls. After I sliced the frozen caramels into squares, I had some scraps leftover. So I realized that the caramels were thick enough to roll in my hands and I rolled the scraps into balls. So you decide which shape that you want your dairy-free caramels to be. These caramels taste good plain but I love them best when dipped in chocolate with a sprinkle of salt.

Do you follow a vegan or dairy-free diet?


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Yield: 36

Vegan Chocolate Dipped Salted Caramels That Are Dairy Free

A healthier vegan candy that is also dairy-free

ingredients:

  • 1 cup pitted dates
  • 1/2 cup natural creamy almond butter
  • 2 Tablespoons coconut oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups vegan chocolate chips
  • Coarse sea salt

instructions

  1. Soak the dates in hot water for 15 minutes. Drain the water. Then line a loaf pan with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. Place the soaked dates and all the rest of the ingredients, except the flaky sea salt and vegan chocolate chips into a food processor. Blend until smooth. 
  3. Spread the mixture into the prepared loaf pan and freeze for 60 minutes. 
  4. Once frozen, slice the caramels into 1-inch squares and place them back into the freezer. 
  5. Melt the vegan chocolate chips in the microwave, in a microwave safe dish for 2 minutes. Stir the chocolate and microwave for 30 more seconds. Stir the chocolate chips so they melt thoroughly. 
  6. Take the frozen caramels out of the freezer and dip one at a time into the melted chocolate.  Place the caramels on wax paper and sprinkle them with the coarse salt.  
  7. Let the chocolate get hard and then store the caramels in an airtight container in the freezer up to 2 weeks.
Calories
86.22
Fat (grams)
5.60
Sat. Fat (grams)
2.49
Carbs (grams)
9.91
Fiber (grams)
1.26
Net carbs
8.66
Sugar (grams)
8.03
Protein (grams)
1.23
Sodium (milligrams)
32.23
Cholesterol (grams)
0.00
Created using The Recipes Generator

16 comments:

Why Girls Are Weird said...

YES PLEASE. These look absolutely delish! I pretty much love anything salted caramel so I'm down!

GiGi Eats said...

Holy Moly these look ADDICTIVE! They would totally NOT last long with my mouth around LOL!

AiringMyLaundry said...

Oh yes, I know I'd love these! I'm all about chocolate. I am not vegan or dairy free, but I try everything once!

Passion Piece said...

You don't need to repeat it twice! I love sweets and cannot ignore this recipe! :)

Erin @ LullabyLark.com said...

I am a sucker for chocolate and caramel! And the fact that they’re dairy free makes it even better!

Sarah Bailey said...

Oh my goodness I feel like I can smell these throw the screen! I really want to try one for myself, how great that they are vegan as well.

Noonetocompare said...

I had no idea that such a thing existed but now I need feel that I need it in my life!! It looks so yummy and its what a plus that it's vegan. I will be giving this a try for sure.

Maysz said...

Vegan Chocolate sounds amazing! This is perfect I love chocolate sweet! I would love to try to make this I'm so excited!

wendy said...

I'm not vegan but I would definitely love to try this. It looks beautiful and tasty. Looking at it makes my mouth water...

Anonymous said...

I'm trying to get closer to a vegan lifestyle and these look super yummy. Thank you.

Devyani said...

I want to eat these off of my screen. So yummy!!

Parul G said...

OMG these look amazing! I've got to try these!

Enriqueta E. Lemoine said...

Tara, regarding the salt, did you use a particular brand or any coarse sea salt?

S. Graham said...

I love that these are dairy-free! That's right up my alley and exactly what I need currently!

holyveggies said...

It's not easy to find vegan treats that are also soy free and refined sugar free. Excited to try this recipe!

Nicole said...

It is so hard to find a good recipe that is dairy free when it comes to chocolate. My son has a dairy intolerance, so he can't have a lot of chocolate often. I'll have to try this one out and see how he likes it. Thanks for sharing!

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