3-Ingredient Chocolate-Coated Vegan Date Caramels

3-Ingredient Chocolate-Coated Vegan Date Caramels

Want more vegan recipes? Try 3 issues of Vegan Food & Living magazine for just £3!

With only three ingredients, these vegan date caramels are simple to make, but look and taste impressive.

Enrobed in a rich dark chocolate and presented beautifully in a tissue-lined box, they make a lovely gift for all sorts of occasions.

The blended dates provide the classic caramel taste but are much healthier than sugar and dairy-based caramels. And they’re much more personal than a box of chocolates you’d buy in a shop, too!

For the best results, temper your vegan chocolate well to ensure a polished shine and satisfying snap to the finished product.

Tempering chocolate involves heating and cooling chocolate in a specific way to preserve the integrity of the chocolate, preventing soft, dull chocolate that won’t set properly.

There are ‘correct’ ways to temper chocolate, and you may prefer to look these up, but it is possible to temper chocolate easily in the microwave with the below ‘cheat’s’ method. 60% of the time, it works every time!

How to temper chocolate in the microwave:

The secret to tempering chocolate is to keep it below 32°C, so use a thermometer if you have one. If you don’t, follow the below directions very slowly, allowing plenty of time between each blast in the microwave for your chocolate to cool down.

Start by placing your chocolate into a microwaveable bowl or jug, ensuring that it’s clean and completely dry. If you’re using a vegan chocolate bar, break it up into small, even chunks.

Then, with your microwave on a low heat setting, microwave in 30 second intervals, stopping to stir your chocolate well after each heating.

If you have a thermometer, use it to keep an eye on the temperature between stints in the microwaves, ensuring it does not exceed 32°C.

Continue heating until your chocolate is fully melted. You may wish to reduce the time in the microwave to 15 seconds, and increase the time spent stirring your chocolate as you get closer to the end. Often, the slightly warmer melted chocolate will help to melt the last remaining chunks of solid chocolate as you stir.

The end result should be a silky, shiny melted chocolate, perfect for dipping your caramels.

Change up this recipe:

If you’re really out to impress, why not make your own raw vegan chocolate from scratch? We teach you how to make it in this raw vegan chocolate egg recipe.

If your gift recipient isn’t a fan of dark chocolate, why not use a different chocolate to coat your vegan date caramels? Try melting their favourite dairy-free milk chocolate for a sweeter alternative.

For those with an extreme sweet tooth, a vegan white chocolate coating creates a creamy, cloying confection that’s not for the faint of heart!

For extra pizzaz, why not add decoration to your chocolates?

A sprinkling of desiccated coconut, freeze-dried fruit, or matcha powder while the chocolate is still tacky can add a touch of colour and flavour to your chocolates.

Alternatively, wait until your chocolates have set and drizzle a contrasting melted chocolate over the top to create a striking pattern.