Salted Caramel is one of my favorite flavor combinations. I love anything with salted caramel. Especially chocolate. I was inspired to fill dark chocolate with salted caramel and I'm glad I did. These caramel cups are divine.
I couldn't decide if I wanted to fully enclose them in the chocolate like a traditional peanut butter cup or just drizzle some on top so I did both. I like them better with just the drizzle. You use less chocolate and they look so pretty. The center stays soft while the chocolate hardens and the sea salt complements the sweetness.
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Ingredients for keto salted caramel cups
Sugar-Free Sweetener - I like to use a blend of xylitol, erythritol, and stevia in my recipes. You can purchase this pre-mixed from the Trim Healthy Mama website or mix your own according to my recipe. By using a combination of sugar alcohols and stevia you can use half the amount required of regular sugar. Since these sweeteners can be more expensive this helps with my food budget.
Sugar-Free Chocolate Chips - Amazon has had a great price on Lily's Chocolate Chips off and on. I like the flavor of these. You can also purchase Bake Believe stevia sweetened chips at many Walmarts. OR 85% Dark Chocolate - This dark of a chocolate bar is naturally low carb because it has such a high percentage of cocoa. There is only a little room left for other ingredients.
Vanilla - With the price of vanilla being astronomical I decided to try a Mexican vanilla extract and have been happy with the results. It is much much cheaper than other vanilla extracts.
Butter - I don't think this one needs an intro. I always use salted butter and normally just buy the regular kind from Wal-Mart or Costco.
Caramel Extract - I don't always add this to caramel but it does boost the flavor
Heavy Cream
Cream Cheese
Fine Salt
Coarse Salt
Can I use a different candy mold?
Yes. If you have a different silicone mold you may need more chocolate. This is the mold I used.
Soft Caramel Centers
I suspect that eventually, the sugar alcohols may crystallize again but after a few days in my fridge (I was surprised they even lasted a few days) the centers were still soft.
How many keto candies will I get?
This makes a full tray of 30 salted caramel cups with a little bit of leftover caramel. Is leftover caramel ever a bad thing? I don't think so. Feel free to half it.
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📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 oz butter
- 8 oz heavy cream
- ½ cup + 2 tbsp Joy Filled Eats Sweetener (or see alternatives in recipe notes)
- 1.5 oz cream cheese
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon caramel extract
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- course sea salt for sprinkling on top
- 3.5 - 6 oz 85% dark chocolate or sugar free chocolate ***
Instructions
- Combine the butter, cream, and sweetener in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook until light brown and thickened stirring frequently. This takes 10-15 min.
- Stir in the extracts, cream cheese, and salt. Stir until the cream cheese is thoroughly incorporated. Set aside to cool to room temperature and thicken further.
- Melt the chocolate in the microwave or in a double boiler. I do it in the microwave stirring every 30 seconds. Put a little in the bottom of each mold and spread it up the sides. Put in the fridge to harden. Do one more layer of chocolate. Harden in the fridge.
- Fill the chocolate cups ¾ full with the room temperature caramel. Put in the fridge to chill the caramel. After about 5 min it should be cool enough to put chocolate on top. You can cover the caramel or just drizzle lines on. Sprinkle with a little coarse sea salt. Store in the fridge.
Notes
Nutrition
Alison says
These look awesome! I notice looking up ingredients that since you posted this Watkins has changed their caramel extract to caramel flavor. It now contains sugar and gets really terrible reviews for taste. Is there another one you like?
Thanks!
Taryn says
Oh darn! I've heard good things about the brand Olive Nation. And Trim Healthy Mama has made their own extracts but I haven't tried them yet.
cathy Bassi says
I would like to try these however I only have Stevia and Erythritol and swereve, can you tell me how much of each with these ingredients please.
Taryn says
You can make my sweetener with just erythritol and stevia and then use that. Joyfilledeats.com/sweetener
I think swerve would work but I haven't tested it.
melissa says
what should i do the sauce will not stay together it separates and then i have not middle filling
Taryn says
You may have overcooked it. You can try gently heating it again and whisking in a pinch of xanthan gum. Which sweetener did you use?
Lori says
This is a game changer!!! I'm glad I waited, and made your sweetener mix. This is now my all time favorite recipe 🙂 Thanks for sharing.
Colette says
Bravo! This is a great recipe! I wondered when I was cooking the caramel mixture whether it was ever going to get light brown but it did finally after boiling for about 16-17 minutes. Then I added in the cream cheese mixture. It got to a beautiful light brown (not beige) color. Very pleased with the color and TASTE! I bought the 3 sweeteners and made your mixture. It worked great. I had a few 1/2 silicone ice trays I used for fat bombs. Worked ok unless if there was chocolate coating on all sides, but sticks if not enough chocolate coating the cube. Next time I would DEFINITELY stick to the caramel recipe you have here. Might add a little less salt. And might try with Keto chocolate bomb recipe (cocoa, coconut oil, almond butter, stevia mixture) rather than melting real chocolate. Will also be purchasing your recommended mold.
THANKS for a great recipe. One of my favorite low carb treats ever!
Megan says
Is there anyway to use say swerve and Splenda. As the sugars. Money is tight. And those are the ones I have on hand.
Taryn says
Not for this recipe, sorry! I'd look for a caramel recipe that uses one of those. It is very hard to change sweeteners in candy recipes.
sue says
Do you know if this would work with Swerve? Thank you........beautiful candies!
Taryn says
Thank you 😊 I have seen caramel made with swerve so it should. If you try please let me know how they turn out.
Kim Osmar says
i tried swerve; didn't change much color; but turned out yummy evethough
Misti says
Did you use powdered or granular Swerve & did you use the same amount of sweetener that's called for in the recipe?
Thanks 🙂
Kim McTaggart-Osmar says
Yes same amounts
Kari Bohning says
Could I make these into bars?
Taryn says
Good question Kari, I'm not sure how cutting through the caramel would be. If you don't have a mold you could make them in mini greased aluminum cupcake liners.
Tracy says
I can't use this sweetner blend because of dogs. What do you suggest to use and how much?
Taryn says
You can make my sweetener blend with just erythritol and stevia. Joyfilledeats.com/sweetener
Tracy says
How much of what to make the blend? What about using pyure?
Taryn says
The recipe for the sweetener is here: joyfilledeats.com/sweetener
And, sorry, but I don't think pyure will work in this recipe. Caramel is very fussy.
Marilyn says
Don't give it to your dogs 🤭
Ioana says
I made these twice and even served them to my guests for my birthday. They are mouthwatering, and everyone loved them.
becky s says
I absolutely love anything salted caramel! I just put my second coat of chocolate in the molds. Do these come out easily once they have chilled with the caramel in them? 🙂 I cannot wait to try them!! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Taryn says
Yes! They pop right out as long as you are using silicone molds.
becky s says
🙁 ....I used plastic molds....something tells me I may be eating these suckers with a spoon.....*sigh* Lesson learned...will use my silicon next time! 🙂
Beckys says
I got them out. I froze them! After I popped them out I popped the plastic in the garbage and ordered some silicon molds! 😎
Shawna Lyden says
I tried twice and can't get my carmel to brown at all! I didn't use the Mama Gentle Sweet. I used Stevia Raw and Sucralose. Neither worked. Like I said, it didn't turn anywhere close to brown and then if I kept cooking it, it just separated! I never even got to the step of adding the extract and cream cheese. Any ideas of what I'm doing wrong?
Taryn says
You can't use those sweeteners, sorry. The sweetener I use is a blend of sugar alcohols with stevia. I would google for a caramel using sucralose if that is the sweetener you prefer you use. Especially in candy recipes you can't just swap sweeteners.
Cecilia Riley says
Just made these. Just wow. I ate two and had to walk away. Incredible. Thank you for this recipe.
Taryn says
I'm glad you liked them 🙂
Tracey Ewing says
Do you know the calories, fat, and carbs per one of these fat bombs? I just started a keto diet. I do not bake so my melted chocolate looked terrible and they did not turn out at all looking as gorgeous as yours...BUT they tasted amazing!!! I have to learn how to perfect it, but my family loves them as well, even though mine were gooey and falling apart. Tips? And nutritional value if possible? Rough estimate is ok.
Thank you!
Andrea says
It's a the bottom of her recipe/post
Tiffany says
Hi Taryn,
Can't wait to try this recipe! Just wondering on the serving size for "S"??? Apologies if I just missed that.
Thanks!
Tasha says
These look super yummy! Definitely a winning flavor combination.
Holley says
My caramel filling seems runny what did I do wrong?
Taryn says
You may not have cooked it long enough.
Holley says
Man! I did it for 15 minutes! Oh well I'll try again, thanks!
Rosanna Wendlandt says
These are the greatest Fat Bombs!! Thank you
Taryn says
Thank you! Now go tell all your friends 😉
Dianna says
I've been making chocolates for years and I use a small brush to coat the sides of my molds. Brushes can be bought at stores that sell candy making supplies. I've had mine for years.
Joellen says
How do you spread the chocolate up the sides? When I've attempted recipes like that in the past, it's been a mess. Yours look so pretty. 🙂
Taryn says
Chocolate is always messy. I like eating it much more than working with it. I put a little in the bottom and spread it up the sides with a small rubber spatula. When that hardened I did it again but the second time I just used my finger and that worked a little better. By the end I was covered in chocolate though. Lol.