You’re either going to curse me or bless me for sharing this recipe for raw caramel fudge with you.
You’ll bless me because this would have to be one of the simplest recipes ever. (Short of eating a macadamia stuffed in a date, that is.)
And you won’t believe just how magnificent two simple ingredients can taste. (Think warm tingly glow from your head to your toes.)
Or how easy it easy to clean out of the blender. (It practically falls out.)
And you’ll love how impressed everyone is with your culinary prowess. (I like the sound of that, “culinary prowess”. Yes, I’ll have some of that.)
On the other hand, you’ll curse me once you realise just how addictive this stuff is.
And how quickly it disappears from the freezer, moments after you finish making it. (“Hey, it’s not even frozen yet!”)
And because you can’t use the “I’m too busy” excuse any more.
And once you realise just how easy it is to keep eating more. (“Just one more piece. Oh maybe just one more. One more won’t hurt…”)
Does that make me cruel, sharing a recipe with you that will create so much internal conflict?
Maybe. But you’re an adult. I know you can handle it.
Besides, how could I deny you the magic of this raw caramel fudge with just two ingredients?
Just two. Dates. Macadamias.
That’s it. Nothing more.
Equal amounts of both.
It’s so easy it barely justifies writing it down.
But I will. Just for you.
I dare you to stop at just one piece.
Raw Caramel Fudge
Ingredients
- 1 cup medjool dates , pitted (240g)
- 1 cup macadamias (180g)
Method
- Put dates and macadamias in high-speed blender.
- Blend until smooth (use tamper if available).
- Press into container and freeze.
- Cut into squares and serve.
Preparation
- Before: -
- During: 5m
- After: Freeze for 4-6h or overnight
- Need: Blender
Nutrition Information
Tips
- If you want something a little lighter in fat, you could try using cashews instead of macadamias. I haven’t tried this yet, but I plan to, sometime, eventually…
- You could probably also try figs instead of dates in this recipe, which would of course change the flavour, but in a good way, I’m sure.
- I was a bit hesitant about making something so solid in my blender – I’m more used to making smoothies, dips, cheeses, and other “runnier” dishes – but you have to trust me when I say that this really works in the blender (I use a Vitamix). And it comes out SO cleanly, you’d almost think you hadn’t used the blender, so nothing goes to waste either.
- This can be a bit tricky to get out of a container, even after it’s frozen, so you may want to line your tin/container with baking paper (or something) to make it easier to get out.
- You can eat this amazing raw caramel fudge straight from the freezer. It can be quite firm though, so smaller pieces tender to be gentler on your teeth.
My inspiration
I honestly can’t remember how I stumbled onto this recipe. Maybe I was looking for caramel recipes. Or maybe someone wonderful shared it with me. Sometimes I just find stuff by magic.
Regardless, this recipe was gifted to us by the lovely Bianca, over at Wholefood Simply.
She also shared a nut-free version using tahini (plus an amazing raw vegan caramel slice recipe I might just have to try one day), so head over to her blog and check it out.
And have an awesome day!
39 comments
Elizabeth
Thanks for writing down this recipe that *almost* doesn’t even need writing down :-) I love your commentary and meditation on the potential impact of this recipe on our mental health. Just that alone would be worth the time on your site. Also, the recipe is tasty, so bonus! Though, since I’ve never seen raw macadamia nuts where I live, I used what we have – roasted and salted macadamias, which I rinsed. I also made this in my Cuisinart because there wasn’t enough ingredient volume to work in my Vitamix. So I can’t comment on the recipe exactly as written, but I’m happy with the result and could see this working, with a higher date to macadamia ratio, as a healthier filling for pecan pie or as a caramel sauce. So many reasons to make this again!
Nikki - Eating Vibrantly
Hi Elizabeth,
So glad you enjoyed it – all of it :) I love your ideas for other ways to make it too!
Kylie Bell
Wow this is so simple and yummy! Love it!
Nikki
Hi Kylie,
I’m glad you’re enjoying it!
Suhani Khanna
I am 13 years old and I love to cook but my mother says that I can’t cook all the recipes but this recipe is so easy that I can make it THANKS
Nikki
Hi Suhani,
You’re most welcome. I’m really glad that you found something that’s super easy to make.
A lot of my recipes are what I call “chuck it in the blender” recipes because I don’t like fuzz or fiddle, so hopefully you ‘ll find some other ones you can make too.
Hope you enjoy it :)
awed
Where is the caramel, have I missed something?
Nikki
Hi Awed,
No, you’re not missing anything. Blending macadamias and dates just happens to create something that tastes a lot like caramel.
Jessie
I made this recipe last night, but I already knew it would be good as I’ve been snacking on the dates and mac nuts together since I bought them weeks ago to try this recipe.
I do not have a Vitamix or fancy blender. I used my mini food processor and blended until I thought the consistency was right or at least until it looked like I should stop. From there I lined a container with wax paper and smoothed it into a shape. My container was much larger than my shape but it worked out better and there was no sticking to the container when I took it out the next day.
Some of the oil seperated when I blended it, but that was fine with me.
Yummy “candy”!
Nikki
Hi Jessie,
I love how creative you were with this recipe, and I’m so pleased it turned out well.
Carene
Wow! My Blendtec did NOT like this recipe!! Could not get it to blend so I added a bit of water which must have been a terrible idea because it turned into a terrible gloopy mess! I’m sure it’ll still taste good, but ended up with a lot of waste and a lot of work for an easy two ingredient recipe that is supposed to clean my blender jar lol! Has anyone else tried this recipe in a blendtec? I even doubled the recipe because I know it has trouble with small amounts. Will have to try it again if I ever get the twister jar.
Nikki
Hi Carene,
I’m so sorry to hear that. I haven’t tried it in anything other than my Vitamix, so I can’t help you there.
And the usual wealth of knowledge on the internet doesn’t seem to be there on this one either. Hopefully someone else can share their experience.
Fingers crossed it’s still edible and thanks for letting me know.
Carene
Awe thanks for the reply Nikki! Yes, still edible but not sure I’ll be attempting it again anytime soon *lol* No fault of the recipe!
BR
Hi! Just wanted to say that these are ridiculously amazing! I wish I’d never made the recipe….I can’t stop eating them!!!!
Nikki
Hi BR,
They are pretty amazing, aren’t they? I couldn’t believe how good they tasted when I first made them. Hopefully your regret is short-lived ;)
Sara
Made it. We do bless you! Only curse is the price of macadamias. We used salted and cheated using a few drops vanilla…. . So good.
Nikki
Hi Sara,
I’m so glad it turned out well. It sounds delicious. You could also try it with cashews if they’re less pricey and see how that goes.
Teresa Mazur
I am in my first year of eating raw and have perused hundreds of recipes. I always read the comments prior to making a recipe. I have to say that there are a couple of sites where the creators of the recipes are NOT as polite as you. I love reading ALL of your answers because you do not come off condescending. A simple question deserves a simple answer, not, “if I meant ….. I would have written the recipe that way” kind of snittiness from some. You’re a breath of fresh air and I have added your site to my bookmark bar for quick access. I use raw food sites daily to help me stay on track with my new raw foodist lifestyle, to have variety and especially for learning combinations, substitutions etc.
Nikki
Hi Teresa,
Thank you so much for taking the trouble to let me know that you appreciate my style. You’ve made my day <3
Kristy
Thanks Nikki, I just made these now…tastes so good! My young girls love them too. I have loved making the recipes that you post.
Nikki
Hi Kristy,
I’m so glad you’re enjoying them. I enjoy sharing the food I make too, because it just multiplies the fun.
Michelle
Thanks Nikki – am definitely going to try these out over the school holidays, in my thermomix. And I’m not going to tell the kids what’s in them until after they’ve tried them….
Nikki
I like your approach. I still feed my son “alien shakes” (spirulina & banana smoothies) and “dino squares” (vegetable pastries), and even though he’s now old enough to know what’s in them, it was what we needed to do to get him to eat them initially. So sometimes a bit of creative marketing, or even just keeping quiet about the ingredients, is a very effective strategy. Let the food speak for itself, and this fudge will definitely win them over!
Michelle
Hello, this is probably a silly question, but do you use salted macadamias? or raw ones? not sure what to buy for this recipe but very keen to try it, cheers Michelle
Nikki
Hi Michelle,
There’s no such thing as a silly question around here ;) I used raw macadamias for this recipe. Enjoy!
roger roseman
use Barhi dates, they taste very much like Caramel candy
Nikki
Hi Roger,
I haven’t come across Barhi dates, but they sound AMAZING! I will have to keep my eyes open for some :)
kristen
OMG – yummie-ness
Nikki
:D
Erica
I cannot wait to make these tomorrow! I might go a little crazy and add unsweetened shredded coconut. I love these kind of desserts!
stephanie moore.
mmmm.. yes just made them into small balls and covered some in cocoa and others in coconut. I think i have eaten 5 already- they finally made it to the freezer. Will be adding dried whole cranberries in next batch – just want something tart in them.
Nikki
Hi Stephanie,
They sound delicious, and I like the sound of the cranberries too.
Nikki
Hi Erica,
That’s a great idea, and not crazy at all ;) Someone else said they’d rolled the mix into balls and coated them in shredded coconut, which sounds awesome too. Have fun making them!
laci
Do you use the dry cup or the regular cup for the vitamix?
Nikki
Hi laci,
I just used the regular wet jug with my Vitamix for this (and my tamper). Once you blend the dates and macadamias, it turns into a kind of sticky, squishy, greasy ball that comes out easily.
Carrie
Can’t wait to try these! I think maybe using silicon ice cube trays to freeze them in might just be a genius way of sorting out the ‘messy to get out of the container’ problem?
Nikki
Hi Carrie,
That sounds like a great idea. I haven’t tried it myself, but I’d love to know how it goes.
Katrina Smith
Mmmm! Definitely can’t wait to try this. Should it be stored in the freezer even after the initial freezing or is it then fine in the refrigerator or at room temp in an airtight container?
Nikki
Hi Katrina,
I confess that ours hasn’t lasted long enough to test out all of these possibilities, but I do seem to recall that it gets quite soft at room temperature, probably too soft I would say, and it couldn’t be stored for as long at room temperature (and it would be far too easy to eat this way as well!). I’ve always stored mine in the freezer, and you can just eat it straight from the freezer (although it can be quite firm), and I would guess that it should also be fine if you stored it in the fridge.
The freezing stage certainly makes it easier to mould and cut, and you can store it for longest of all in the freezer. And if it is a bit hard straight from the freezer, you can always leave it to sit out on the bench for a few minutes to soften before eating.
I hope this helps, and if you try storing it in the fridge or on the benchtop, I’d love to hear how it goes.