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This honey caramels recipe consists of a gooey honey filling that's coated in dark chocolate and made with just 4 ingredients! These caramels are paleo, gluten free, dairy free and refined sugar free.
Growing up, whenever I was gifted a box of chocolates, the chocolate covered caramels were always first to be eaten. Ever since I can remember they were my favorite!
I love pretty much any type of caramel, (paleo date caramels are a favorite of mine), but these honey caramels are something else!
They have a gooey caramel filling that's nearly liquid at room temperature, but firms up nicely in the freezer (if you prefer chewy caramels). These homemade caramels are made without corn syrup and without sweetened condensed milk - all you need for the filling is honey, coconut oil and tapioca starch.
They're coated in dark chocolate; in fact I used 100% dark chocolate for the coating since the filling is so sweet. I also love topping these paleo honey caramels with flaked sea salt for a little extra crunch and flavor, but the salt is completely optional.
Why You'll Love this Honey Caramels Recipe
- paleo friendly - made with real, minimally processed ingredients
- sugar free - honey caramel recipe without sugar (or corn syrup), it only uses honey!
- dairy free - caramel without heavy cream and without sweetened condensed milk
- easy to make - no cooking the caramel
- only 4 ingredients
Ingredients
Only 4 ingredients are needed to make this chocolate covered honey caramels recipe!
- raw honey
- coconut oil
- tapioca starch
- dark chocolate
The caramel filling is made with raw honey (I purchased honey from a local farm), coconut oil and tapioca starch. The coconut oil helps to harden the filling and the tapioca starch acts as a thickener.
For the chocolate coating, I used 100% dark chocolate chips. They worked great with the sweet honey filling, however you can use any type of chocolate.
How to Make this Honey Caramels Recipe
Not only are these the best honey caramels, but these are the easiest homemade caramels! You don't need to cook the filling (just warm it), so no candy thermometer is necessary.
Here's what you need to do:
First, combine the coconut oil and honey in a small saucepan. Turn the heat to low. Once the coconut oil has melted, whisk in the tapioca starch. It will take a little time, but the 3 ingredients will combine to form a golden honey caramel that has a texture similar to honey.
After combining the filling ingredients, pour the caramel into a mini silicone muffin pan. I only recommend silicone liners or a silicone pan for this recipe because the caramel is so sticky. The honey filling pops out of the silicone pan easily, but I'm not sure any other surface would work as well.
Place the miniature muffin pan on a baking sheet and place the caramels in the freezer for at least 1 hour. The caramel needs to fully freeze before you dip them in dark chocolate.
Once frozen, melt the dark chocolate for the caramels. Only when the chocolate is melted and ready, retrieve the caramels from the freezer and remove them from the silicone pan.
Dip the caramels, one at a time, into the melted chocolate and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet or plate to set. You'll need to work quickly, as once the caramels melt they are sticky and hard to work with.
Drizzle any remaining chocolate over the caramels and top with flaked sea salt if desired.
Storage
These honey caramels need to be kept in a sealed container or baggie in the fridge or freezer.
In the fridge, the caramels will have a gooey consistency, similar to the texture of honey. In the freezer, they will harden and have the texture of a chewy caramel.
They are best eaten within 2 weeks if kept in the fridge, or 2 months if stored in the freezer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the filling harden?
The filling is soft and gooey at room temperature, but will harden in the freezer. Straight from the freezer, these caramels have a chewy texture.
Can I omit the tapioca starch?
No, the tapioca starch is necessary for this recipe. It acts as a thickener and helps combine the coconut oil and honey and makes the caramel freeze properly. You might be able to substitute the tapioca starch with arrowroot starch or cornstarch (not paleo), but I have not tried this myself.
More Easy No Bake Dessert Recipes
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Honey Caramels Recipe (Paleo, Dairy Free)
5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star5 from 1 review
- Author: Katie
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Freeze Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 10-12 caramels 1x
Description
These honey caramels are made with just 4 ingredients - gluten free, dairy free and paleo friendly.
Instructions
- Combine honey and coconut oil in a small saucepan. Melt over low heat.
- Once the coconut oil has melted, whisk in the tapioca starch.
- Pour about ½ tablespoon of the honey mixture into the slots of a miniature silicone muffin pan.
- Place the muffin pan on a baking sheet (so that it has a hard, flat surface to sit on) and set in the freezer for at least one hour to harden.
- Melt the dark chocolate*
- Grab the honey caramels from the freezer and dip them, one at a time, into the melted chocolate. (Do this quickly, as the caramel is hard to work with when it softens.)
- Place the caramels on a parchment-lined baking sheet or plate to set.
- Optional: drizzle any remaining chocolate over the caramels and top with flaked salt.
Notes
*You can melt the chocolate in the microwave at 20-30 second intervals, in a double boiler, or melt the chocolate in a small saucepan, over low heat.
