Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Caramel Squares
If you ask me, nothing beats a sweet and salty treat. As if these truly simple squares couldn’t get anymore amazing, they include an ideal match made in heaven — rich chocolate + dreamy, homemade caramel. These no bake bites are perfect for satisfying a quick sugar craving, but without the ultraprocessed, refined sugars involved. Bonus: they are super filling, so they last long and will keep your family from asking for more, incessantly (okay, maybe that’s a bit of a stretch). Fair warning, the hardest part is the freezing time!
Ingredients:
1/2 cup coconut oil, refined
1 cup dark chocolate chips
2-3 tbsp cacao nibs (optional)
1 cup almond butter
1/3-1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp pink salt + more, for sprinkling on top
Optional Drizzle On Top:
3 tbsp dark chocolate chips
1/2 tsp coconut oil, refined
Directions:
On the lowest heat possible, in a small saucepan, melt the coconut oil. Pour the chocolate chips in, and stir frequently. Once almost all the chips have melted with the oil, take the pan off the burner, and continue to stir until they are all melted. This is so the mixture does not burn and become clumpy!
Either lightly greasing a small baking dish with coconut oil, or line it with parchment paper. Once the oil + chocolate mixture has cooled for 5-10 minutes, transfer it into the prepared dish. If desired, sprinkle the cacao nibs into the melted mixture as evenly as possible.
Allow to freeze for about 30 minutes, or until the chocolate layer is hardened along the edges, not entirely.
Meanwhile, make the salted caramel! In the same saucepan (if dirty dishes aren’t your thing either), combine the almond butter, maple syrup, cinnamon, and pink salt over low heat. Frequently stir here as well, until everything is well-incorporated (won’t take long).
Remove the caramel from the heat, so it can fully cool, for at least 15 minutes,
Once the chocolate’s edges are hardened, as I mentioned previously, pour the homemade caramel on top. Since some of the chocolate is still liquidy, you can now mix it with the caramel to form swirls!
Once finished, place back in the freezer for about 20 minutes, or until fully hardened.
If desired, melt the two-ingredient drizzle ingredients together, which are mentioned above.
Drizzle on top, or even create dollops of the melted chocolate, totally up to YOU! If done, allow to freeze for a final 5 minutes.
Sprinkle with flakey sea salt, then slice into squares, by using a large chef’s knife.
Enjoy right away!
Store leftovers, if any, in an airtight container in the freezer.
Notes:
If you would rather have two, separate layers, as opposed to the swirls, that is no problem. Simply allow the underlying chocolate layer to freeze completely, for about 40 minutes, then continue following the directions as normal. This way, the layers will be chocolate on the bottom, followed by homemade caramel, then optional drizzles of chocolate + flakey sea salt on top.
You can use any creamy nut or seed butter here, though I recommend using a neutral one, such as cashew or sunflower.
