If you love chocolate caramels or chocolate truffles then you’ve probably thought about making your own this Easter.

However, if like me you’re a bit of a novice in the kitchen, the idea of standing over a saucepan of hot, bubbling caramel with a thermometer has likely put you off.

When I came across these super easy chocolate caramels on social media, I was hooked and simply had to try the recipe for myself.

Rather than making a traditional caramel, this recipe involves making a date caramel using Medjool dates and nut butter.

The result? A smooth, surprisingly sweet, sticky caramel with a salty twist.

Enrobed in dark chocolate and finished with a pinch of sea salt, these caramels are decadent yet healthy and are the perfect treat to enjoy over Easter.

You can use any nut butter of your choosing. I decided to use peanut butter but almond butter and even cashew nut butter or tahini would work well.

If you want to use less chocolate, you can add some coconut oil to your chocolate to make it go further.

Ingredients:

Method:

1. Firstly, pit your dates if they’re not already pitted and soak them in boiling water for 10 to 15 minutes to soften.

2. Once softened, drain them thoroughly and put them in a food processor along with the vanilla essence and nut butter.

3. Blend and pulse the dates until they form a loose dough-like paste. If the mixture isn’t blending enough, add a teaspoon of warm water or two. Make sure not to add too much.

4. Scoop out the date paste and spread it into a lined loaf tin. Put it in the freezer and allow it to set for three hours or overnight.

5. Break up your chocolate and melt it in the microwave in 30-second increments. If you wish to include coconut oil, add this in now.

6. Remove the date paste from the freezer, take it out of the loaf tin and cut it up into even-sized chunks.

7. Dip the chunks into the melted chocolate, sprinkle them with sea salt and enjoy.

I’d recommend storing these truffles in the fridge in an airtight container.