Chewy soft dairy-free caramels with just a few ingredients!? Try these AIP, Paleo and Vegan Caramel Chews next time you’re craving this classic!
I have been craving Sucre a La Creme lately but it is incredibly difficult to achieve it’s texture without butter, white sugar, and real cream. Instead, I decided to make Caramel Fudge which has just as rich of a flavor as my childhood favorite, but MUCH less sugar! Basically, I made a simple caramel sauce out of coconut milk, maple, coconut sugar, and vanilla. Then to thicken it up, I added coconut butter and coconut oil (which provides some firmness), and the result was perfectly smooth, chewy, decadent, and rich Caramel Chews OR Caramel Fudge (soft fudge, not hard flaky fudge which is what Sucre a La Creme is) depending on how long you freeze it. Good Sucra a La Creme will crumble as you bite into it, leading a trail of gluttony and shame in its wake. It literally has 2 to 3 cups of sugar in it per tray. Cwwwaaazzzy.
I’m not going to give up on my hunt for the perfect traditional Canadian maple fudge recipe but until then, this recipe was too delicious not to post! You can use either light coconut milk (I did this to save on calories because yes, I am one of those people who thinks balanced eating includes some sort of acknowledgment of caloric value) or full fat coconut milk (which would probably be even creamier).
Next time I would like to top mine with flaked sea salt because flaked sea salt has the ability to make my knees quiver. I also suggest cutting the fudge into small squares because 1 is definitely enough. I had 2 and was like… nope… ONE, ALAENA. ONE. I’m very sensitive to sweets though, so your blood sugar may be able to handle 2. I can’t even have a chocolate chip cookie without feeling queasy. It’s a tough life. I used to be able to handle 1/2 a container of ice cream. What in the world has happened to me? Do you mean to tell me my body only wants to eat meat & vegetables these days? Yes I do mean to tell me that. But that doesn’t mean I won’t be having treats this Christmas! I will be making my Avocado Carob Fudge Bars (definitely my most unique, delicious, and addicting treat on this site!) and my Peppermint Fudge (with chocolate instead of carob this year) because my family is always requesting both of those!
AIP Maple Caramel & Caramel Chews
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 12 to 15 1x
Ingredients
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar (or maple sugar)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 3/4 cup melted coconut butter
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
Instructions
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Combine coconut milk, syrup, sugar, vanilla, and sea salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a low simmer, whisking every couple minutes until this happens, then turn the heat to medium-low to maintain a simmer for 12 minutes. Continue to whisk every couple minutes as it simmers. The sauce will thicken slightly during this time but will remain rather liquidy.
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Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the coconut butter until smooth and thickened. Now stir in the coconut oil until well combined.
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Line the bottoms and sides of a 7″x5″ glass dish such as a Pyrex container with parchment paper. Pour the caramel into the parchment-lined dish and smooth. Follow the directions below depending on whether you want to make caramel chews or caramel fudge.
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For Caramel Chews: Freeze for at least 4 hours until semi-firm. The caramel should be soft enough that you can roll it into a ball in your hands without it sticking to your hands. Roll it into a traditional log shape for the most appealing look. If wrapping in parchment paper, wrap loosely and freeze until ready to serve. Instruct any recipients to do the same or the caramel with soften too much to unwrap nicely.
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For Caramel Fudge (my favorite!): Freeze overnight to allow the fudge to firm up completely. Slice into squares (it’s rich, so the smaller the better) and serve directly from the freezer.
Store in the freezer until ready to serve for best texture.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 piece
18 Responses
So many AIP/Paleo recipes call for coconut, bananas and or plantains, none of which I can have, do you have any good substitution ideas for these? Thank you
Tigernut milk for the coconut milk, bananas or plantains depend on their usage – try butternut, sweet potato or acorn squash.
These look amazing! Seriously my mouth is watering! Can they be made without the coconut butter?
No the coconut butter is needed to firm them up unfortunately!
Do you think I could use cocoa butter instead of coconut butter? I have some cocoa butter buttons in the pantry
It should work – the texture will be a little more solid!
This sounds heavenly! Do you think I could use the appropriate amount of Stevia instead of coconut sugar? I need to cut down on sugar due to Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. I’m new to your site and truly appreciate what you do; thanks so much!
Thank you! Stevia has a peculiar taste to me and I’m afraid it would also affect the texture and setting of these chews. I wonder if yacon syrup would work instead?
the directions say “Bring to a low simmer, whisking every couple minutes until this happens, then turn the heat to medium-low” until what happens?
This looks great!! Is the coconut oil 2 Tbls. Measurement melted or solid?
Solid out of the jar (room temp is fine)
These are so heavenly. May I share the recipe (with the credit to you of course) in a dessert workshop? Thanks
Sure – thank you for asking!
Can you show a picture of what the chews are supposed to look like please? I’m a visual learner. If not, how big should each “log” be? Thanks!
These are amazing! And have saved me from my attempt at restarting AIP! Thank you!
Is it coconut milk in a can or carton?
Canned is best!