Nutty Caramels

The idea for these tasty little honey-based treats originally came from the wonderful cookbook: Grain-Free Gourmet by Jodi Bager and Jenny Lass. They are suitable for anyone on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet or those looking to reduce their intake of refined sugars.

nutty caramels

Nutty Caramels

  • 1 cup honey
  • 1 cup peanut, almond, cashew or allowed nut butter
  • 1 teaspoon coconut oil (original recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter, which you can use if not dairy-free)
  • Optional: 1/2 cup chopped nuts

Put honey in a heavy saucepan over medium heat until it comes to a boil. Cook, stirring frequently, until mixture reaches 270 degrees F on a candy thermometer.

Turn off the burner, stir in the nut butter and coconut oil (and chopped nuts, if desired) then remove from heat. Place the pot down into a sink filled with a few inches of cold water. Keep vigorously stirring the candy until it is stiff.

At this point you can either: (1.) form the candy into small balls and place in little paper candy cups or (2.) press it out onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment or wax paper, chill for about ten minutes then cut into small pieces.

Store the candy in the refrigerator for a week or so or your freezer for two to three months.

Nutty Caramels SCD legal nut butter and honey candy

I never really count how many candies I make per recipe, but the plate shown above is one-half of a batch of Nutty Caramels.

Nutty Caramels with chopped nuts

These Nutty Caramels, shown in the photo above, were made with chopped nuts and formed into balls then placed in mini candy cups.

You can also try dipping them in melted chocolate chips (Enjoy Life brand are gluten, dairy and soy free); though my kids like them best just as they are!

Occasionally, the oil or butter will separate out of homemade toffee or caramel type candies. This link explains some of the factors that can contribute to this such as: abrupt temperature changes, too thin of a saucepan, humidity and insufficient amount of stirring.

Using a candy thermometer is highly recommended, but if you don’t have one, you can use the cold water test.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

author, herbalist, soapmaker

Jan Berry is a writer, herbalist, soapmaker, and bestselling author of The Big Book of Homemade Products, Simple & Natural Soapmaking, and Easy Homemade Melt & Pour Soaps. She lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains with her family and a menagerie of animals, where she enjoys brainstorming creative things to make with the flowers and weeds that grow around her. You can also find her writing about gardening and foraging over at her family's website: UnrulyGardening.com!

25 Comments

  1. Hi Jan. I am normally more of a salty than sweet person when it comes to snacks…but your candy recipes are too tantalizing to resist! I imagine your children can’t wait to sample your latest creations. Thanks for passing this recipe along. Best regards, Farmer Doug @ “Ladybug’s Mew” in Yellow Point on Vancouver Island.

  3. Are these chewy caramels? My mother loves the chewy texture of caramel, and I’m trying to find a healthy alternative for her. Also, do you think maple syrup would work in place of the honey? Thanks so much!

    1. Hi April! I haven’t tried them with maple syrup, but it sounds yummy. Made just like the recipe, I find they remind me of the Mary Jane penny candies I had as a kid, if that gives you an idea of the texture. :)

      1. Thanks for your reply! I’ve actually never had Mary Jane penny candies… are they chewy, haha? Thanks!

        1. They are! :) These aren’t so chewy like some of the honey candies where you fear you might pull a filling out of your tooth, just the right amount of chew (I think.) If you eat them straight out of the fridge they’re pretty hard; at room temp they are perfect. :)

          These are my favorite caramel type candies though, if she can have dairy:
          https://thenerdyfarmwife.com/honey-lemon-sore-throat-candy-drops/

          You can omit the herbs if you don’t have any.

          I’ll have to try making more candy options with maple syrup – I LOVE it! It’s just the honey is free to me so I use it more often than anything else. But maple syrup… yum!

  4. These look WONDERFUL! I will have to try these for sure, and hope mine come out looking this pretty!

  5. So… do you think I could use this recipe somehow to make caramel apples? I want to make them so bad with my kids but refuse to use artificial ingredients.

    1. Hi Angela! Somewhere around here, I have a healthy caramel apple recipe… I’ll look for it this afternoon and let you know when/if I find it! :)

      1. Thank you! I am so excited and I know my girls will be thrilled that they finally get to have caramel apples!!! And the recipe couldn’t be easier!

  6. These look WONDERFUL! These are going to have to go into our hailday gift baskets for teachers and friends. :)
    Thank you for the caramel apple recipe too!! We have a HUGE bucket of apples and now I have an excellent rainy weekend project with the kiddos!

  7. LOVE this, Jan! I’m pinning and putting this on my weekend to-do list :) Thanks so much for sharing at Tiny Tip Tuesday!

  8. Yum! Yum! I can’t wait to try this.

    I didn’t know you can make caramel with honey. I thought it needed white sugar, so this is a very welcome recipe. :-)

    Bonnie

  9. I am so excited to try these!!! We are in midst a winter blizzard and today will be the perfect day to try them :) I am excited to try your other recipes as well!!! Thank you for sharing!!!

    1. Hi Joleen! I’m glad you like the recipe! Sometimes, candy making can go a little wonky when it’s snowy or rainy out. If you have trouble with the caramels separating, that would be my first guess as to the culprit. However, I have made a batch or two of candy just fine on a rainy day, so hopefully yours turned out well! :)

  10. Hi Jan I have just looked at your nutty caramel sweets are they gluten free as I have stage 4 endometriosis and I’m limited to lot of things. Are they suitable for me with this condition thanks

Comments are closed.