While I was making Healthier No-Bake Cookies, I wondered what would happened if I left out the cocoa powder and turned them to a caramel version. And… here we are with Chocolate Chunk Salted Caramel No-Bake Cookies which, (dare I say it?) are better than the originals because chocolate + caramel = better than just chocolate!
A little sprinkling of sea salt over the the top is the perfect addition because it brings out the caramel flavor. For the chocolate chunks, I used an 80% bar that I brought back from Choklat in Calgary. To keep this recipe 100% dairy free and vegan, be sure to use a dairy free chocolate.
I like to use both big flake and fine shredded coconut in these cookies for textural interest. In the recipe there is an optional 1/2 cup of almond or cashew butter which is a really nice addition to these cookies, but be sure to try it both ways because each has it’s own merits.
Coarsely chop your chocolate being sure to leave some larger chunks. Too many small pieces will melt into your cookies and you will definitely want to bite into some chocolate chunks!
The base is made the same way as the traditional no-bakes, it’s boiled on the stove for a couple of minutes until the caramel mixture thickens. Once you remove if from the heat, add the coconut flakes and the nut butter if you’re using it. After everything is thoroughly mixed, add the chocolate chunks and stir as little as possible to keep the chunks intact.
Portion the cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet.
This version of no-bakes takes a full 3-4 hours to set up. Not to worry though, you don’t have to wait – they’re so good warm and gooey!
PrintChocolate Chunk Salted Caramel No-Bake Cookies
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 10 mins
- Yield: 15 cookies 1x
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups coconut sugar
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 1/2 cup coconut milk, (from the can)
- 2 Teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 Teaspoon sea salt
- 2 1/2 cups finely shredded coconut
- 1 cup big flake coconut
- 2/3 cup dark chocolate chunks or Enjoy Life chocolate chips (I used 80% dark chocolate)
- Optional: 1/2 cup almond or cashew butter
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, combine the coconut sugar, coconut oil, and coconut milk. Bring the mixture to a boil, and boil for 2-3 minutes until the caramel thickens, stirring constantly to keep the caramel from sticking.
- Remove the caramel from the heat and add the vanilla, sea salt, and coconut. Stir to combine. If you’re using the almond or cashew butter, mix it in thoroughly. Finally, add the chocolate chunks and combine, stirring as little as possible to keep the chunks intact.
- Portion the cookie on a parchment lined baking sheet and let cool. This version of no-bakes takes a full 3-4 hours to fully set up, but you don’t have to wait that long because they’re really good warm and gooey.
Notes
To keep this recipe 100% dairy free and vegan, be sure to use a chocolate that is dairy free.
60 Comments on “Chocolate Chunk Salted Caramel No-Bake Cookies”
Tastes pretty good, but way too much sugar for my taste. Plugged the ingredients into myfitnesspal to see how “healthy” these are…..not even close.
★★★
Sorry you didn’t like the sweetness level, no bakes are known to be super sweet! And I’d agree with you that these are only healthy in that they’re made with whole food ingredients, and there’s no processed sugar, but it’s still quite decadent!
Delicious! Made these today for my co-workers and everyone loved them. 🙂
Thank-you! <3
I’m so glad to hear you all enjoyed these! 🙂
Hi there Kari~First off, big huge kudos AND thanks for the delicious recipe! I’ve made a version with oats and coconut, but never all coconut and with the coconut milk and oil. My question is if you used natural, unsweetened coconut? it looks like it in the photos of the two bags of coconut, but cannot quite read the label….it almost looks like I can see where it says”ingredients” and there seems to be just one word, which I assume is “coconut”? Thanks, in advance~ Samantha in AZ
★★★★★
I’m so glad you enjoyed these cookies, and yes it’s unsweetened coconut milk. It never occurred to me to list that in the recipe because they don’t sell anything other than unsweetened coconut milk here!
Are these gluten free ??
Yes these are gluten free, as long as each of your ingredients is gluten free/processed in a gluten free facility. Definitely look out for the chocolate, I make mine with the Enjoy Life brand which is gluten free. Just be sure the brands you use are actually gluten free, all these ingredients should be gluten free, but if you have a severe gluten allergy/celiacs you need to make sure of each of your ingredients. I hope this helps, and be sure to let me know how it goes, or if you have anymore questions!