Healthier Salted Date Caramel Macadamia Nut Clusters

A healthy twist on a popular chocolate treat, these Healthier Salted Caramel Macadamia Nut Clusters combine a sticky date caramel with macadamias and homemade chocolate. Vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, and refined sugar-free, this tasty treat makes a perfect afternoon sugar-hit to keep you going.

Healthier Salted Date Caramel Macadamia Nut Clusters

The perfect moreish treat to keep you going when the afternoon slump hits, these homemade macadamia nut clusters are sure to become a fast favorite in your house.

Simple to bring together, you are going to need:

• Medjool dates pitted
• coconut oil
• sea salt
• macadamia halves
• 72% cacao chocolate
• Himalayan pink salt

That's it.

Let's get making some (secretly healthier) salted caramel nut clusters.

A Note On Ingredients

With only 5 ingredients, these homemade salted caramel macadamia nut clusters are so much healthier than the traditional store-bought versions, and they still taste amazing. 

Seriously, date caramel is awesome.

It's my new favorite thing.

Dates

Mejdool dates are best for this recipe.

These are the bigger, stickier dates (like these ones) and they will give your caramel that great texture you want.

You will find them in little containers or big boxes in the fruit and veggie section of most supermarkets.

If you can’t find them you can always sub in some neglet or noor dates, although they will need to be soaked in warm water for 5 mins and then drained before using as called for in the recipe.

Macadamia Nuts

You should look for roasted, unsalted macadamia nuts.

Do not buy the salted variety as they will just make the nut clusters too salty considering there is not much in the way of sweetener added.

If macadamia nuts are too expensive where you live, you can always replace these with the nut of your choice, try:

• roasted unsalted almonds
• roasted unsalted cashews
• walnuts
• unsalted peanuts.

Cacao

The 72% cacao that I used was perfect for me.

However, if you are not a fan of dark chocolate, this may prove to be a bit too intense for your.

You can always replace the cacao with milk chocolate if that is your preference.

You are going to need to melt the chocolate for this recipe.

This can be done either with the use of a double boiler, or with a microwave. For detailed instructions on how to do this check out this post from If You Give A Blonde A Kitchen.

Himalayan Pink Salt

These are topped with a sprinkle of Himalayan pink salt for two reasons:

1. The little dash of pink on top looks really pretty
2. The salt balances out the sweetness of the date caramel

You do not need to add the Himalayan pink salt if you do not have it.

Normal sea salt, or no salt at all, will work just as well and your macadamia nut clusters will still taste just as delicious.

If you have a sweet tooth, you have to check out these other little sweet treats I have on the blog:

Happy eating!

xx

Salted Caramel Macadamia Nut Clusters

Whole Food Bellies

A healthy twist on a popular chocolate treat, these Healthier Salted Caramel Macadamia Nut Clusters combine a sticky date caramel with macadamias and homemade chocolate. Vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free and refined sugar-free, this tasty treat makes a perfect afternoon sugar-hit to keep you going.

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 1 hr 15 mins

Cook Time 3 mins

Total Time 1 hr 18 mins

Course Chocolate

Cuisine Dessert

Servings 25 clusters

Calories 88 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 ½ cups packed of Medjool dates pitted
• 2 tablespoon melted coconut oil divided
• ¾ teaspoon sea salt
• ⅓ cup macadamia halves
• 1 cup 72% cacao chocolate or dairy free chocolate of choice
• Himalayan pink salt for serving

Instructions

 

For The Date Caramel

• Add the pitted dates to the food processor (if they aren't super sticky when you pit them you should soak for about 15 minutes in hot water before using)
• Add one tablespoon of the melted coconut to the food processor and combine until a rough paste or ball forms, scraping down the sides as needed. If the mixture isn't quite coming together, add some water 1 teaspoon at a time
• Add the sea salt and pulse to combine
• Transfer the date caramel to a medium sized bowl.
• Add the macadamias to the date caramel and stir to combine.
• Use a teaspoon to scoop out small balls of the mixture and place on a parchment lined tray suitable for the freezer. Freeze for about 30 mins

To Assemble

• While the date caramel clusters are in the freezer, melt the chocolate in a double broiler (or microwave see notes) with the other 1 tablespoon of coconut oil.
• Remove the clusters from the freezer and quickly dip each one into the melted chocolate, shaking off the excess before placing them back onto the parchment-lined tray. (I used a pair of chopsticks for this step but you could do it with a fork and spoon)
• Add a sprinkle of the pink salt and place the chocolates back into the freezer for about 20 minutes.
• Keep stored in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer - just remove about 20 minutes before eating so they have time to get nice and gooey on the inside

Notes

Make sure you don't add too much water when making the date caramel or it won't freeze properly and will be unworkable.

For instructions on how to melt chocolate check out this comprehensive article.

Nutrition

Calories: 88kcalCarbohydrates: 13.1gProtein: 1gFat: 5.5gSaturated Fat: 3.1gSodium: 20mgFiber: 1.5gSugar: 8.8g

Keyword macadamia clusters, nut clusers

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The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.