This 2-ingredient paleo caramel candy is incredibly sweet and perfectly chewy, just as caramels should be. These little squares of deliciousness are hard to resist and they’re completely guilt free. The coolest thing about this tasty caramel recipe is that you only need TWO ingredients to make it. I’m kind of curious as to whether anyone can guess what the two ingredients are…
So, give it a try. Think you know the answer? I love playing games!
Okay, I’ll tell you: dates and ghee.
So either you’re like “whoa, mind blown” or you’re totally unimpressed. Hopefully it’s the first. I’d love for you to think I’m awesome…
The way you make these caramels is by chopping up dates and sauteing them in ghee. Doing this breaks down the fruit and allows the dates to melt into each other, forming a pliable date fudge. It’s actually pretty fun to watch. Because dates are sugary, they caramelize during the process and soak up most of the melted ghee. Once cool enough to touch, shape the caramel fudge dough into a square and let it set in the fridge. Then, slice and serve!
The ghee adds a nutty and buttery flavor to the caramel. This really and truly tastes like candy.
Now the idea is that this paleo candy can be made with two ingredients, but please don’t stop there. Experiment in your kitchen and make something awesome with this. My favorite way to eat these is to top them with coarse sea salt but you can also add some vanilla, cardamom (I’ve done this and it’s awesome) or chopped nuts (also tried and it’s awesome). Or, try my coconut caramel candy! You can create a million different variations of this sweet caramel recipe. Let me know what you decide to add to yours!
Ingredients
- 10 Medjool Dates remove pits, chopped
- 1 tbs Grassfed Organic Ghee
Instructions
- Remove pits from dates and then chop dates into small pieces.
- Add ghee to a saucepan on medium heat and then add chopped dates. Saute for about five minutes or until dates soak up most of the ghee.
- Flatten the pliable date fudge between two sheets of parchment paper or with a spatula.
- Put in the fridge to cool for an hour.
- Remove and cut into caramel squares.
- Let it cool to room temperature and eat like candy!
Mary Vallarta says
Thank you for the recipe! How long does this keep for? Do I have to keep it refrigerated? These would be good to take camping.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Hi Mary, I think this will be fine out of the fridge for a few days. Enjoy your trip!
Anu says
Can I use noor dates for this? I honestly don’t know the difference😀but that seems to be readily available at my local Costco
My Heart Beets says
I’m sure but they aren’t as soft/caramel-like as medjools in my opinion
Anu says
Ok, yeah I thought so too.
Julie says
OMG Thank you. I did them with coconut oil, and they were amazing. I can’t believe how chewy they are!
My Heart Beets says
Happy to hear that you liked them, Julie!! 🙂
Angela says
I’ve made other date caramel recipes before that involve more steps and they’re incredibly good but these are by far my favourite (and I even burned my batch a bit…date caramel brûlée, oh yeah!) I’m not sure who the genius is who realized that dates could be used as caramel but I am so glad they did!
My Heart Beets says
Hi Angela! I didn’t know there were other date caramel recipes out there! I’m glad my recipe is your favorite 🙂 I came up with the idea for these after making my khajoor ki mithai recipe (check it out, it’s really good!). Glad you like these little candies!!
Lewanne says
These are amazingly good! Must pace myself or the whole batch will be gone in a wink. Thanks Ashley
Sarah Wahrmund says
Would these caramels be good for Diabetics?
My Heart Beets says
Hi Sarah, I don’t know much about diabetes – I’m sorry. Medjool dates do have a high sugar content, so my guess would be no.
Julie says
they can check the glycemic index to see where dates sit for them and whether they can have them http://www.glycemicindex.com/index.php
Cathi says
Wow, you beat me too it. I was thinking about doing the same thing. Yes, Coconut oil would probably work, but it’s not going to have the same taste as Ghee. I use a certain brand of Ghee that doesn’t have any more Lactose or Casein Proteins left in it. I too have Casein Sensitivities, but the brand of Ghee that I use does not brother me at all. So, you may want to look for a brand of Ghee, which is really the oil left from butter. Anyway, it’s just a thought. . .:-)
Suzanne says
I made half a recipe in case I didn’t like it. Well two days later I had eaten it all, so I made the other half. Today I am making the full recipe. Strangely addictive.
My Heart Beets says
Suzanne, I’m so happy to hear this! They’re definitely addictive and I’m glad you think so too 🙂
rt says
These are amazing!!!
My Heart Beets says
thank you!
Kristen says
Would this work with butter instead of ghee? Salted or unsalted? Same amount? Looks delish…thanks!!
My Heart Beets says
Hi Kristen! Yes, butter will definitely work instead – the same amount 🙂 Hope you like it!
Pat says
Ashley, so delicious, I can not even believe my own tastebuds!
My Heart Beets says
Thank you so much, Pat!! I’m so glad you like the caramels 🙂
Connie says
Do you think this would work using coconut oil instead of the ghee? I am allergic to dairy.
My Heart Beets says
Connie – yes, definitely! I plan on posting a coconut caramel recipe next week and I use coconut oil 🙂