It’s not often I make a treat so delicious that I jump through hoops of fire to share them. These caramel bites are one of those treats, but I’ll explain more in a minute.
I’d been wanting to try a plant based caramel sauce for quite some time now and after perusing the world wide web for ideas, I complied a few different recipes to come up with this one. Delicious with chocolate, but also a star on its own.
Now back to my aforementioned fire jumping story. When attempting to photograph these delicious bites, my cameras SD card decided it wanted to go to Hawaii..indefinitely. You can imagine my dismay when wanting to document this caramel, because clearly when on vacation things like this become very important.
This picture was one of the many failed results.
I’m all for abstract art, but these wonky photos just weren’t going to work. After many failed attempts I decided to try plan B. I took a different SD card, plugged it into my camera and voila. I probably tried five times to get the photos. Oye.
I guess you could say I wanted documentation bad enough.
Chocolate Caramel Peanut Bites
For the chocolate
- 1 Cup Virgin Coconut Oil
- 1/2 Cup Raw Cacao Powder
- 1/4 Cup Natural Maple Syrup
For the caramel
- 10-12 Large Soaked Medjool Dates
- 2 Tbsp Raw honey
- 2 Tbsp Almond Butter
- 2 Tbsp Coconut Oil
- 1 1/2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
Directions
- Take the pit out of your dates, and let soak for 15-20 minutes/while prepping everything else.
- For the chocolate – place all ingredients into a high speed blender or food processor and blend until well combined. Set aside.
- For the caramel – place all ingredients into a high speed blender or food processor and blend until well combined.
- Coat small muffin tin with a layer of chocolate, thick enough for the bites to pop out easily. Layer in caramel, and top with more chocolate. Once covered I added a few raw peanuts for extra crunch.
- Place bites into freezer until hardened. I left mine in the freezer until I was ready to eat them. The coconut oil makes them a bit soft if left out at room temperature.
From my Instagram
You’d better believe I brought these to work for a coffee tasting. They went great with one of Starbucks Reserve Coffee’s: Columbia El Peñol. Also paired with dried fruit, we hit all the tasting notes of nuts, fruits, and chocolate. Total tongue party.
When it was all said and done, I enjoyed this recipe as more of a “bowl” than a bite. Same layering directions, but into a small bowl to eat with a spoon. Or hands.
Q: Would you have given up after the first camera fail, or persevered to get the photo? I almost gave up, but alas I did not.
76 thoughts on “Chocolate Caramel Peanut Bites”
Nicole
that looks amazing!!! did you use a blender or food processor? am worried w dates a blender wont be strong enough
Brittany
Blender! I pulsed and used a spatula (very carefully) until the mixture was combined. Food processor would be easier, however I don’t have one HA! I do have a Blendtec though, which is stronger than the average blender so that helped.
Nicole
got it! thank you!
SY
Those look so good…..Can’t wait to try these…and they look ‘raw’ friendly!!!!
Brittany
Totally raw friendly!! I always hesitate with the word raw in recipe titles, but yes…it’s as good as raw in my book! 🙂
SY
picked up ingredients yesterday….making these this weekend….. 🙂
paleovirtus
Hehe…another recipe containing those pesky medjools, aka the crystal meth of the fruit world. How could I not?
I’ll only swap out the peanuts for cashews to make it utterly Paleo, and then it’s game on.
Jessica
I want to stick my face in a bowl of this asap. SOOOOOO delicious.
Amy @ A Desert Girl
Looks so tasty! I’m glad you won the Battle of the SD Card.
bobbyjessica2319
You made those. !? Wow. Look so great.!! And delicious. And your camera efforts were definitely appreciated. The pictures look professional. Lol
Brittany
I did, I did!! Made, ate, shared, ALL OF it. Thank you! 🙂
Lety C
So good! Love all the ingredients in them!!!
aliceruns
These look so delicious!
Shawna
i’m actually not a caramel fan at all (shocking, i know — i’m prob the first girl in the history of the world to ever write those words), but girl, these look so good. i can’t believe you made these! you rock. as if you didn’t already know i thought that. xo
Brittany
TO BE HONEST, I’ve never been a huge caramel person either. I’d eat it, but it was never my first or even second choice. I wanted to make THIS version though because I AM SO OBSESSED WITH DATES.
Britta
BRITT! These are absolutely mind blowing and I wanna be sitting on the couch with you, drinking coffee, with our wooly socks on and eating these!!! Swoon. Just Swoon.
Brittany
SWOON x 3907638 to this comment. What a magical scenario, as are ALL your scenarios.
Heather @ HeatherRunsFast.com
MmmMMM! I always keep trying to get the pic, even if it leaves me flustered and annoyed. The worst is when I’m patiently wait to eat the damn thing and I can’t get a good pic. I bet this is awesome on top of a pretzel. Love the sweet salty thang!
matt928s4
OMG those chocolate caramel peanut bites look sooooo delicious! Awesome job, I really get hungry now 🙂
Pamplemousse
Looks divine!! Totally up my alley!!
willrunforpizza
Can I place an order? Just ship them to my mom’s house though so my Hus doesn’t know they exist and then I can eat them all. Thanks.
Brittany
I’m on it!! 😉
Amy
You know me… Photograph food at ALL costs. Especially dessert. It’s the reason I have 2 memory cards! (Well actually, the reason I have 2 is because we went to France 3.5 years ago for a family vacation and I filled up my card in less than 3 days… With another 7 left to go. But it’s definitely come in handy for food blogging!) This needs to go on the list of things we eat when we hang out together!!
Jane Wadsworth
thanks for sharing and your photo perseverance! can’t wait to try this 😉
P
If I am especially hungry, I don’t mind the photo fails haha
BabetaRuns
OMG!!! Can I please have some??? Yummm!
Meghan@CleanEatsFastFeets
I for one am glad you jumped through fire and even swapped SD cards for these. They’re beautiful, and they sound fantastic. I’d definitely eat these, in a small bowl, with my hands.
The Zen Kat
Alright your first sentence is a lie- you make so many tasty treats like this one! 🙂 I saw it on IG and had to pop over here to see how you made something so delicious looking out of healthier ingredients. So good!
Brittany
You caught me….I do enjoy most of the treats I make. Bahaha. ❤
Lauren Keating
ahhh! this looks divine.
Matt @ Runner Savvy
Yummmm
harveylisam
You need to come live in my house and bake me things. Please and thank you.
bitememore1
Yum! Can’t wait to try!
Ellie
I used to give up…or just tell myself it wasn’t that bad and post it anyway. Since getting a new camera, I just take a billion pictures and eventually one comes out right 🙂
di @ life of di.
I’m surprisingly not a huge fan of caramel. Can I have a giant sweet tooth and feel this way? Seems like a contridiction…Hmm. These do look good though!! 😉
CookItSlim.com
Looks great! 🙂
Amanda Afield
They look so good! Might motivate me to finally try out my blender/food processer contraption. And i suppose I would have perservered but I might have consoled myself by eating some along the way 😉
Brittany
I totally ate some along the way. It’s a must! 🙂
Choc Chip Uru
I need these bites, if only to give me more energy! Struck down by holiday laziness 😀
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
An Unrefined Vegan
Holy crap!! {and as you might say} Face plant into the chocolate, the caramel, the nuts!
Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy
This is pretty much how I make my caramel too. We put it on everything, but the best thing is on banana “ice cream”. SO GOOD!
ingrid
You are killing me !!! This must be so gooooood …
hellotofit
I’m totally craving some of this right now!!! The recipe looks delicious and totally do-able 🙂 I probably would have persevered with the camera, too. Perseverence pays off, right?
foodielovesfitness
YUMMMMM!! I love almond butter caramel. I’ve made it a bunch of times for granola bars, and I find myself eating half of the caramel sauce as I’m making it! Oops.
Natalie @ The Ravenous Mommy
Those look amazing!!!!
Kayse
Whoa whoa whoa, I want to eat theseeeeee!! Amazing, Britt!
Amanda @ .running with spoons.
I was hoping your caramel sauce would involve dates, because I’ve been crushing on them big time for months and months. Especially when paired with almond butter. And chocolate. Omg I’m drooling.
Kadee C.
I love caramel. I love chocolate. I love nuts. I must try this! It looks so tempting! I love that you shared the photo that didn’t work, it is pretty abstract and cool and also very amusing! I enjoyed it immensely.
Christie Wang
This looks like such a delightful healthy treat!!! 🙂 So glad i found your blog today!!!
Aja
3 of my favorite things in one bite? Yes please! I’m terrible at food photography.
Arman @ thebigmansworld
Omg I am actually dying over these. Like gigi dying if she ate an intestine.
kamillej2014
Totally lush Britt. You’ve outdone yourself!
GiGi Eats Celebrities
I get internet and you know what I do? I leave a comment on YOUR BLOG because I LOVE YOU!
Brittany
And I love you, and stalk you.
Hannah
Ugh I hate when things get in the way of taking photos. Like the time I baked some cookies, made finishing touches on the recipe, and set up my shot only to not be able to locate my camera. Like, I’m a blogger. I use my camera constantly. It made no sense. I’m glad you got some beautifil shots worthy of this beautiful recipe!
Brittany
AHHH THE WORST!
aiming4simple
Wow. These bites look SO good. Thanks for persevering in your photography so we can see the deliciousness!
SY
This was so delicious..I didn’t have peanuts so I used raw pecans… Nomnomnom
Brittany
YAY! Thank you for sharing your success, made my day. ❤ Perfect for before AND after a run…and all day. HA.
SY
Hope you don’t mind but I’m adding a picture on this weeks blog and want to link it to your recipe…..
Brittany
I dont mind at all! Please share away!
Pingback: Week 4 Pains, Gains, Detox and Chocolate Bites!!! – I'm Running My Life…
bonnev659
that looks so good… i will have to save this for later on!
Khushboo Thadani (@KhushbooThadani)
Oh the joys of being a food blogger- I think I would’ve given up with the photos after the 3rd attempt! All over these bites- anything chocolate & peanut butter is a win in my books!
Karen
Oh golly these look so rich they make me go ahhhhhhhhhh! Thanks for sharing.
Have an amazing day 🙂
Much Love,
Karen (STYLESMORGASBORD)
kathy@ real talk
OMG these need to get in my belly, asap!!!! your pics are always so awesome; i need to stop using my phone and start using my dslr :s
Brittany
Yes, yes you do!!!
jennifer prod
the treats look delicious, but i’m really loving these pictures – so professional 🙂
The Vegan 8
These look so amazing and decadent, which of course I love because I love desserts so much, LOL!!
Brittany
They were fantastic.You’ll have to take my word since I’m a honey user. 🙂 Your caramel is NEXT ON MY LIST!
Rach @ This Italian Family
I’m glad you stuck with it! This looks amazing and totally worth documenting! 🙂
jgronwal
Looks wonderful
cubicleshark
you don’t heat the caramel mix at all?
Brittany
Nope! It’s more of a raw recipe. 🙂 If you wanted to heat it you could though.
cubicleshark
thanks…..I must try this. You have some fabulous recipes on here.
akeem54
This is sweet.Thank you for stopping by.