These Crispy Date Caramel Balls might just be the BEST thing I have ever made! Like a homemade Toffee Crisp, I made date caramel and then mixed crispy cereal and puffed quinoa into it, rolled into balls and dipped it in melted dark chocolate. Refined sugar free, some added protein and a little nostalgic throwback.
Is there anything you can't do with dates? I am just to find out! They are a staple in a low sugar kitchen, because although they are fairly high in natural sugars, they are refined sugar free and they make homemade desserts and snacks taste super sweet without having the same effect on your blood sugar.
If you haven't made a healthy caramel using dates then you are seriously missing out! You might be sceptical, but TRUST me on this. Softened pitted dates blended with some nut butter tastes so similar to traditional caramel and it has SO many uses in low sugar desserts like these date caramel balls.
If you grew up eating Toffee Crisps (maybe you still eat them) and want something a bit more nutritious, then these crispy date balls are it! The crispiness comes from the puffed quinoa (hello added protein) and puffed rice cereal and they are the perfect afternoon pick-me-up. Kids love them too! Plant based, minimal ingredients and so simple to make.
Looking for more chocolate covered treats? Try my easy Chocolate Covered Dates or so simple Chocolate Covered Blueberries.
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Ingredients and Substitutions
A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Dates - We prefer Medjool dates because of how soft they are, but they are quite expensive. So, any dates will do, you might just need to soak them a bit longer.
- Nut butter - Any nut butter will work here. Make sure it is a smooth one though.
- Maple Syrup - There is already a lot of sweetness from the dates, but Toffee Crisps are really sweet, so we added some liquid sweetener to give it some extra sweetness. You could use honey or agave instead.
- Coconut oil - This helps to loosen everything up.
- Salt - The salt really brings out the sweetness of the other ingredients.
- Crispy cereal - You can get some puffed rice that's only ingredient is rice (brown rice if you can). It's basically Rice Krispies, but less ingredients. If you use Rice Krispies then you will be adding a lot of sugar.
- Quinoa puffs - You could just use puffed rice, but these are super crispy, and they also add some extra protein which we aren't going to say no to. You will find this hard to find in the supermarket, but I buy it on Amazon. You can also puff it yourself if you prefer. Follow this Puffed Quinoa Recipe.
- Dark chocolate - You could use milk chocolate, but dark is always our choice. Go for a refined sugar free bar of chocolate if you can.
More ingredient substitutions and variations can be found in the recipe card.
How to Make Crispy Date Caramel Balls - Step by Step
- Step 1: Add the dates to a bowl of hot water and soak for 10 minutes.
- Step 2: Drain the dates and put into a food processor along with the nut butter.
- Step 3: Blend until a smooth caramel consistency is achieved.
- Step 4: Transfer the date caramel to a mixing bowl and add the rice cereal, puffed quinoa, maple syrup, coconut oil and salt.
- Step 5: Mix everything to combine.
- Step 6: Roll the mixture into balls. Each ball should weigh around 1oz/30g.
- Step 7: Melt the chocolate.
- Step 8: Coat the balls in the melted chocolate. Put onto a lined baking sheet and refrigerate until the chocolate has set.
Top Tips
- When soaking the dates, make sure you drain them after really well. If there is too much liquid left once drained, then when it is blended, the mixture might be a bit wet. If this is the case then you can add some extra puffed rice.
- You can make this extra crunchy by toasting this puffed quinoa in the oven or in a dried pan for a few minutes. Be careful not to burn it though.
- If you wanted to make this school friendly, or because of nut allergies, then you can use a seed butter instead.
- If you want to make these more authentically like a healthy Toffee Crisp, then you can make it in chocolate bar moulds rather than rolling into balls.
- Make sure you are using a high powered food processor to make the date caramel much easier.
- Use a cookie/ice cream scoop to scoop out the mixture to make the balls an even size.
Storage
Store: These date caramel balls keep really well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. Any longer than that and they won't be very crispy any more.
Freeze: You can keep these crispy date balls in the freezer, and actually that might be a good idea for portion control. Leave them out of the freezer for 10 minutes or so before biting into them though.
More Low Sugar Chocolate Recipes
If you’ve tried these date caramel balls, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Find us on Instagram @mylowsugarkitchen. Tag us in your creations using the hashtag #lowsugarkitchen.
Recipe
Crispy Date Caramel Balls (Toffee Crisp)
Ingredients
- 1.5 cup (250 g) Dates
- 2 tablespoon Almond butter
- 1 cup (30 g) Rice cereal
- 0.5 cup (15 g) Puffed quinoa
- 3 tablespoon Maple syrup
- 1 pinch Kosher salt
- 2.6 oz (75 g) Dark chocolate
- 1 teaspoon Coconut oil
Instructions
- Add 1.5 cup Dates to a bowl of hot water and soak for 10 minutes.
- Drain the dates and put into a food processor along with 2 tablespoon Almond butter.
- Blend until a smooth caramel consistency is achieved.
- Transfer the date caramel to a mixing bowl and add 1 cup Rice cereal, 0.5 cup Puffed quinoa, 3 tablespoon Maple syrup, 1 teaspoon Coconut oil and 1 pinch Kosher salt.
- Mix everything to combine.
- Roll the mixture into balls. Each ball should weigh around 1oz/30g.
- Melt 2.6 oz Dark chocolate.
- Coat the balls in the melted chocolate. Put onto a lined baking sheet and refrigerate until the chocolate has set.
Notes
- When soaking the dates, make sure you drain them after really well. If there is too much liquid left once drained, then when it is blended, the mixture might be a bit wet. If this is the case then you can add some extra puffed rice.
- You can make this extra crunchy by toasting this puffed quinoa in the oven or in a dried pan for a few minutes. Be careful not to burn it though.
- If you wanted to make this school friendly, or because of nut allergies, then you can use a seed butter instead.
- If you want to make these more authentically like a healthy Toffee Crisp, then you can make it in chocolate bar moulds rather than rolling into balls.
- Make sure you are using a high powered food processor to make the date caramel much easier.
- Use a cookie/ice cream scoop to scoop out the mixture to make the balls an even size.
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