Raw Vegan Chocolate Caramel Candy

My husband loves chocolate caramel with sea salt. We were looking for an healthier alternative.  This is a winner!!! To use all the caramel, we doubled the chocolate candy portion from the original recipe, so it made 23 instead of 12.
We also use just the caramel recipe to spread on apple slices.

Raw Vegan Chocolate Caramel Candy

Ingredients
For the Caramel:

• ½ cup of soft dates, pitted and roughly chopped (soak them in warm water if needed)
• 2 tablespoons of almond butter
• 1 tablespoon of maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon of coconut oil
• 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract (or ½ teaspoon of vanilla powder)
• ¼ teaspoon of Himalayan crystal salt or sea salt (optional, for flavor balance)

For the Chocolate Candy:

• 1 cup of cashews

• 1 cup of soft dates, pitted and roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup of cacao powder, unsweetened
• 4 large pinches of Himalayan crystal salt or sea salt

Preparation

1. For the caramel: combine dates, almond butter, maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla extract and salt in a small food processor. Mix until smooth and well combined.

2. For the chocolate candy base: place your cashews in a small food processor and mix until finely ground. Add dates, cacao powder and salt. Mix until well combined (the dough will gather into a ball).

3. Roll the chocolate candy mixture into small balls. Press each ball into a round candy base with a hole in the middle. Fill each hole with date caramel. Garnish with goji berries and cacao nibs, sea salt, or use other toppings of your choice such as crushed pecans, dried cranberries or orange zest.

These Chocolate Caramel Candies will stay fresh for at least two weeks in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If you don’t have the time to make a batch of fresh caramel, replace it with soft Medjool dates and top it with a pinch of sea salt.

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-15555/how-to-make-caramel-without-using-sugar.html