Salted Caramel Cups
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.
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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Salted Caramel Cups
Ingredients
- 4 oz butter
- 8 oz heavy cream
- 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp Joy Filled Eats Sweetener (or see alternatives in recipe notes)
- 1.5 oz cream cheese
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp caramel extract
- 1 tsp 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 3/4 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
Oh my goodness! Licking the spoon and I’m in heaven. Can’t wait until they firm up in the refrigerator to eat one with chocolate. These are AMAZING!! Thank you! Hoping to post a pic in the Facebook group when they are done.
What kind of mold do you get for this recipe? I’d like to try it.
This is the mold I have: https://amzn.to/3ooqygW
It is just a peanut butter cup mold.
Could I do these in a metal mini muffing tin lined with paper?
I bought all the ingredients and started making them.
Then realized you were using a silicone tray.
I think paper liners would work but I would spray with nonstick spray first. I just wouldn’t want them to stick.
I did this twice and it didn’t work either time! I used lakanto monkfruit sweetener in the proper amount. It separated, almost looks curdled and won’t thicken! I’m so sad, I was excited for this and it’s a huge waste of money on ingredients 😭
Candies are super tricky. I really recommend trying with the sweetener I use. To save this batch mix it with a stand mixer or hand mixer and slowly add a little xanthan gum until it comes together and thickens.
I make my own vanilla extract. Buy good quality vanilla beans. You only need 3-4. Cut & scrape & add to a good vodka or vanilla vodka for more flavor. Let sit for about 3 weeks. Most info says it’s shelf stable for 7 years.
Amazing, as usual, & in every way! Simple to make, ingredients on hand & also my #1 favorite sweet treat combination, by far. These are right up there with the Pecan Pralines~ for which you have my eternal gratitude, you kind and generous woman =) Have made w/every kind of chocolate, including my own homemade white chocolate, & love them best sprinkled w/Maldon’s flakey salt~ oh my, yes.
Just wanted to stop & say Happy Spring, as well as thank you for such a wonderful website that has become my go-to first stop when I’m either browsing for inspiration or looking for specifics~ Thank You!
Most sincerely, Samantha Whitson P.V./AZ
Seriously one of the best things I’ve made. I am addicted!!!
It says to use 1.5 times the amount if using monk fruit. This would be 1 & 1/2 cups. This sounds like an awful lot of sweetener.
Thanks!
No, it would be 3/4 cup plus 3 tbsp. The original recipe calls for 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp.
Can you just use stevia? The alcohol sugars do not agree with me at all.
No, not in this recipe. Sorry!
Wanda~ you might give allulose a try, along with the stevia. I have found it does not give me any grief, especially when I fully intend to eat more than just one. =) This recipe is absolutely worth figuring it out for! ~Samantha
This sounds so yummy, as do all of her recipes. Do you think I could use just Allulose alone as the sweetener? If so, Allulose is 1 1/3 to one, so would I be able to use approximately 3/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp plus 2/3 tsp? Sorry if my math is off, my brain is dead right now. And, if I use only Allulose, how much xanthan gum should I use to solidify it a little? I’m trying to make something I could give as a gift but don’t want to destroy the texture of the recipe making changes. Thank you!
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!
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.
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.
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.
what should i do the sauce will not stay together it separates and then i have not middle filling
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?
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.
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!