Recipe: Salted Caramel Raw Bites

I'm a big fan of healthy balance. I love fresh fruits and veggies and think the whole 2 and 5 rule is impossible to follow because I probably eat double that amount - but I also love chocolate and ice cream and will never say no to a piece of cake... well.... unless it's full of gluten - but that's not exactly my choice, being a coeliac!

But whilst I'll happily eat chocolate and sweets and icecream, I also love natural sweet treats - and these Three Ingredient Salted Caramel Raw Bites are one of my favourites.

In the SIL house, they've become known as Healthy Candy or Nature's Candy and that's exactly what they are.

Sweet and caramel-y and absolutely delicious - but totally healthy too. With no added sugar (only the natural sugars from the dates) they're a sweet treat that you can enjoy on a daily basis and they're so simple to whip up!

Best of all? They're perfectly portable and freezer friendly so that you can make them up in a big batch, freeze them and pop them into lunchboxes or handbags for a perfect on-the-go snack or sweet treat!

But let me share the recipe with you! >> 

Healthy Salted Caramel Raw Bites makes ~20 bite sized treats!

gluten free, vegan, refined sugar free, no-bake, dairy free, egg free, freezer friendly

1 cup (170g) fresh medjool dates or dried dates*

1 cup (140g) cashews** see notes for substitutions

2 tsp vanilla extract 
Optional but recommended: a pinch of sea salt!

Process all of your ingredients in a food processor until combined, adding a splash of water if needed to bring the mix together.

Roll into balls and place onto a clean plate or baking tray/container. 

Enjoy at room temperature, chill in the fridge (our preferred way of eating these!) or freeze for a quick snack whenever you need them!

The bites will keep in the fridge for up to a month or keep for months in the freezer. When freezing, simply take the bites you want to eat out of the freezer and leave for 5-10 minutes to warm slightly before eating (if you can wait that long!) 

Notes:

*I prefer fresh medjool dates, however, they can get expensive so I've tested it with dried dates and they work perfectly!

**If you don't have or like cashews, feel free to use 1 cup of any nut or seed of your choice. We love using peanuts for peanut caramel bites and many of our nut-free friends love making this recipe with sunflower or pumpkin/pepita seeds.

But tell me, what are some of your favourite healthy sweet treats?

I love raw bites and I'm currently obsessed with what we've been calling "protein nice-cream" - frozen fruit blended with cottage cheese or greek yogurt for a sweet, creamy, protein filled treat (and we often add in peanut flour for an extra protein packed snack!)