A delicious refined sugar free paleo toffee, that also happens to be be vegan too!!
Paleo AND vegan toffee? Yes!!
I was more than a little excited to receive my new copy of Paleo Indulgences in the mail. I was ecstatic, giddy, and positively antsy to get cooking!
Tammy Credicott is author to one of my very favorite allergy cookbooks: The Healthy Gluten Free Life. So when I discovered she was writing a Paleo cookbook, I was excited to get a copy to support my grain-free trial.
Just like her previous cookbook, Tammy has filled this cookbook with beautiful photos, an amazing pictured index, and loads of crave-worthy recipes. I was hard-pressed with where to begin!
Every recipe I have made thus far will be a repeat in this house. A quick ‘bread’ whipped up in a mug (delicious!), cinnamon swirl rolls, orange chicken…..we have loved them all. I can guarantee that I will be making my way through this book, one page at a time, with great pleasure. Next on my list: No-Bake Pumpkin Tarts, Hazelnut Chocolate Chunk Cookies, Breakfast Biscuit Bowls, and Sweet Potato Fried w/ Garlic Oil.
If you are looking for some super creative, Paleo-legal treats to indulge in once in awhile, or you’re trying to find foods that your kids will eat along side with you, or maybe you just love good food that happens to me made with healthy ingredients: this is a perfect cookbook for you!
Mine is already taken on a well-worn and loved look, and I couldn’t be happier! Thank you Tammy for another winner!
And in case you needed any convincing, I leave you with a a little teaser recipe of Tammy’s: Paleo Toffee Caramels!
Paleo toffee ingredient note:
Coconut nectar may be new to some of you.
It is a thick syrup with a lovely caramel flavor and is a lower glycemic sweetener.
Almost a cross between honey and maple syrup. I have a hunch this recipe would work with any variety of liquid sweetener: honey, maple syrup, etc.
Is chocolate paleo?
Commercially prepared chocolate almost always has sugar and soy in it which is technically not allowed in paleo diets.
BUT….it is generally accepted. You’ll have to make your own choice!
I use Enjoy Life Dark Chocolate Chips which are soy free….but you could easily make your own using a sweetener of choice: here is a recipe using cocoa powder.
Additionally, you can also melt unsweetened chocolate squares (almost always soy free) and sweeten to taste!!
Lily’s is a popular low carb brand sweetened with stevia and erythritol, so it is another tasty option.
It is definitely a gray area, so do what feels right you!
Additional paleo and vegan treats:
- A popular recipe: Dense & Fudgy Chocolate Brownies. No nuts or eggs!
- My Nutella Cookies celebrate a winning combo: chocolate and hazelnuts!
- These Sweet Potato Muffins are super allergy friendly with no nuts, eggs, dairy, or grains!
- Raw Chocolate Macaroons take just 5 minutes to prepare!
- Wonderfully pink and tart, Raw Strawberry Macaroons are a unique twist!
Paleo Vegan Toffee Recipe:
If you try this vegan toffee, be sure to come back and leave a comment below!
Paleo Toffee & A Review of Paleo Indulgences Cookbook
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup almond butter sunflower seed butter would work for a nut-free version
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar
- 1/2 cup coconut nectar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips chocolate chips or a chopped bar would both work!
- 1 oz unsweetened chocolate
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil or palm shortening
Instructions
- Measure your vanilla and almond butter and have ready to go.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (I used a 9 x 12 size and my Silpat)
- Make the toffee: Place the coconut sugar, coconut nectar, and water in a medium saucepan over medium/medium high heat, stirring occasionally until it comes to a boil and the sugar has dissolved.
- Insert a candy thermometer (don't let it touch the bottom of the pan) and boil until it reaches 285 degrees.
- Remove from heat and quickly stir in almond butter and vanilla.
- Quickly pour the mixture into the awaiting pan, spreading evenly to about 1/2" thick. The mixture thickens quickly and you get to spread it to your desired thickness: it does not spread on it's own.
- Use a greased knife to score the candy while it is still warm, into bite-size squares. Continue scoring until you have cut through the mixture.
- Cool completely for 2-3 hours.
- Prepare you chocolate coating by melting the remaining ingredients together.
- Use two forks to dip each piece of toffee into the chocolate and cool on the same parchment lined cookie sheet until firm and set.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge to keep it crisp.
Nutrition
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I’m looking forward to trying this. My sister and I make a mass quanity of toffee for the holidays every year. Not sure if you have tried Hu chocolate but it’s paleo! It can be expensive in the store but right now they have been at my local Grocery Outlet for half the cost.
Hu chocolate is great!! Back when this recipe was written, it wasn’t! So much more available to us now, it’s a great ‘problem’ to have!
Hi do I need a candy thermometer?cause I don’t have one.
Hi Brian, I’m sorry I am just seeing this! In my opinion, a thermometer (I use my digital meat thermometer now) is important. No way to know you’ve reached the right temperature without one…and under or overcook and you will issues with final texture and flavor.
I meant to give this recipe a 5-star rating! It’s DELICIOUS
Have you ever made this ahead and frozen it?
Oh yes Anita, it is prefect for the freezer!
looks amazing I will for sure try making these, was just wondering whether the 285 degrees was in celcius or farenheit?
Fahrenheit Lola, I will make a note in the recipe!!
Oh man. Just scrolled through all of the comments and saw that some people had great success with us… mine was burnt, black, and smoky at 270 degrees. I am familiar with my candy thermometer and make toffee every year, so I’m feeling really frustrated that this didn’t work. Going to try once more with maple syrup, and pray that it won’t be a waste of ingredients! Really want to make a toffee treat for my sister who can’t have cane sugar.
hmm, something off for sure Stephanie!! Candy thermometers usually take the guess work out of it, hopefully it is working OK! So sorry, I loathe wasting ingredients in general, and even worse when they are pricey ones!!
I don’t understand why you are using palm shortening. The standard practice for harvesting palm trees for palm oil destroys tropical forests and habitats of endangered species, so it’s definitely an important concern! Elephants are being brutally killed to harvest palm products! Earth Balance margarine is a completely dairy free product, as is coconut oil. I just didn’t know if you were aware of the palm process or not, sorry.
You’re right, it’s important to use a a Rainforest Alliance Certified oil (if at all!): https://www.rainforest-alliance.org/articles/rainforest-alliance-certified-palm-oil.
will stevia work instead of the coconut nectar?
Unfortunately, for the candy, you need a sticky sweetener.
These are incredible. I made these with my son who is on a strict paleo diet for health reasons for Hallowen. We used silicon moulds which i had pre-coated with chocolate. Although I may have burnt my fingers quite a few times putting the toffee into the silicon moulds (it cools/hardens super quick) the result is incredible – thank you so much you made our Halloween!!!
Lofty praise, happy you found a treat to enjoy!!
These look delicious! I was wondering, in regards to the 1/3 C. chocolate, what brand of chocolate are you using to keep it paleo? Can’t wait to try these 🙂
Thanks Doryss for your question! I made a note about paleo chocolate in the post and linked a recipe and described another method!! Hope that helps!
what is a substitute for coconut nectar
Hi Brady..either maple syrup or honey…I would pick maple syrup first
I made these last night and they are AMAZING! I used coconut oil instead of palm shortening and honey instead of coconut nectar as I didn’t have any on hand. After I dipped them in chocolate, I sprinkled them with coarse Himalayan salt. Oh. My. Geez. Delicious!
Thanks Kate! I appreciate the feedback and letting others know your tweaks! I am a sucker for chocolate and sea salt together!
Can you use something other than coconut nectar?
yes, try maple syrup!
This is the third caramel recipe I tried. Finally, a great recipe. The caramels turned out just like the picture. They are great without chocolate too. Two thumbs up!
glad one finally worked out for you Barb!
I’ve tried this twice in the last two days. I guess I’m just not letting it get warm enough to thicken – my caramel is super thin as it boils, and it’s not setting at all. I’ve even had it in the freezer to attempt to freeze it into submission and it’s not working. Your recipe for caramel worked great for candy apples though! They were a little drippy…but I guess that’s to be expected. That’s what I get for not owning a candy thermometer! Hoping to be able to freeze it cold enough that maybe I can add the chocolate and at least make chocolate with gooey caramel on the inside…either way, yum.
Update: FIXED IT! When it doesn’t solidify…throw it back into the saucepan (butter and all) and boil it again for about five minutes on medium-high! I love this recipe!
Got love success Mikayla! Yes, candy in very particular (or at least the suagr is!) to temperature…too hot and you burn it, not hot enough and it will not set/harden. Good for you for sticking with it!
My mixture did not thicken. I used all of the proper ingredients and it was thin as water. It tasted great, but no set up – very sad. 🙁
Hi Denise! Did you use a candy thermometer? Candy is nothing more than getting the mixture to the proper temp….lower temps = softer candy, higher temps equal cracking/hard candies (gross generalization!). If you did use one, it is either inaccurate or wasn’t used right. Always frustrating when something doesn’t turn out, I am sorry!
Hi there,
I’d love to personally invite you to contribute your favourite savoury Paleo recipe to the Paleo Potluck App.
The Paleo Potluck is a fresh and easy to use recipe App featuring Paleo recipes submitted by well known bloggers, recipe creators, wellness ambassadors, chefs and paleo foodies. Recipes are constantly being added each week.
We first launched the app focusing on delicious paleo approved dessert recipes, which has been an absolute hit with those looking for a collection of yummy sweet paleo recipes, and now we’re on the search for the best savoury meals falling under the following categories:
Breakfasts
Main dishes
Party Appetisers
Vegtables & Salads
It’s completely fine if you don’t follow or promote 100% strict paleo guidelines on your blog as long as the recipe(s) you submit don’t contain grain, refined sugars, legumes or dairy
Each recipe contains a prominent link to the owners website as well as an instagram link and follow button, so you’re exposing your recipe and links to an uncapped worldwide audience as well as joining a fantastic group of like minded collaborators such as George Bryant from civilizedcavemancooking.com, Alison Morgan from relauncher.com.au, and Adriana Harlan from http://www.livinghealthywithchocolate.com plus many more.
If you’re interested, please submit recipes on this form as soon as possible: http://www.thepaleopotluck.com The app will be offline for the next few days while we fill it with savoury content but you can view more on our instagram account @thepaleopotluck http://instagram.com/thepaleopotluckapp
I hope to see your recipes pop through or hear from you soon.
Thanks!
Jessie Cawte
@thepaleopotluckapp
Could sub choc chips for cacao or cocoa powder??
Hi. I ran across these on Pinterest, and woudl love to make them for my husband for Valentine’s day. However, I don’t see any instructions, only the ingredients listed. Are the instructions missing or is it just me?
Weird katie…something wonky happened?! I will attempt to get it fixed by tomorrow! SOrry!
This was absolutely delicious. HOWEVER, the total time to make the recipe is misleading. You have to let it cool for 2-3 hours. I was going to make this for a party and I found out after it was too late that I needed to wait that long because I looked at the ingredients and total time and assumed I had the time to do so. PLEASE CHANGE THE TOTAL TIME IT TAKES TO MAKE THIS RECIPE.
i have this book and it is amazing. recommend
My hubby’s fave is toffee. He said he would go Paleo IF I could find and make a Paleo toffee recipe. I made this tonight, guessed on doneness w help from online tutorials as I did not have a candy thermometer, and it was PERFECT. Thanks for helping me get my favorite person onboard with me:)
Always nice to have your spouse in the same court with you Jen! Good news, most things can be made Paleo now-a-days, so much inspiration and ideas out there!
Just in the middle of our second batch. Loving how quick this is. Now off to unload the dishwasher while the caramel part settles. Thanks again for helping with Big Daddy’s sweet tooth!
Hi, I’m not sure what I did wrong with this, but I when I added the nut butter (I used a mix of almond and sunflower seed butters, as I didn’t have enough almond butter left) it looked to be Incorporating okay, but then suddenly crystallised. I’ve ended up with a saucepan of “sand”. I used maple syrup instead of coconut nectar but I wouldn’t have thought that would cause a problem. Any thoughts? (Obviously me, not the recipe, as others have had success!) I do wonder if the batch is too small for an accurate candy thermometer reading – the mixture was quite dark when I took it off?
Thanks
How frustrating Kylie, this has happened to me in other candy endeavors before too! Here is a clip that may help, consider stirring less, and to get an accurate reading, I tip my pan up on its side to make it deeper:
3. Crystallization: One of the greatest frustrations in toffee making comes when a smooth syrup turns quickly into a grainy mass. This is caused by sugar crystals that have formed on the sides of the pan in the process of being stirred down into the syrup.
Here are several ways to prevent crystallization:
Dissolve sugar completely before mixture boils.
If you notice any crystals on the side of the pan, brush them down into the syrup with a pastry brush dipped into hot water or tightly cover the saucepan and let the mixture cook for about 3 minutes. This causes steam, thereby melting the sugar crystals that may have adhered to the sides of the pan.
Avoid stirring syrup once it begins to boil unless the recipe instructs otherwise.
Would you have nutritional information for this recipe that you could post? Am looking for a little something sweet to have while on WW, but would like to know how many points these are before I give them a try and get hooked on them. Thanks 🙂
Hi Angela.. 86/10/5/1 cal/carbs/fat/protein
Palm oil is highly destructive to the environment, just FYI. There is a slash-and-burn campaign being waged in the rainforests of Brazil, Malaysia and other places so that palm oil plantations can be developed.
http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/footprint/agriculture/palm_oil/environmental_impacts/
I just made these so here are a few comments:
-I tripled the batch the second time. The first time, I think the candy thermometer wasn’t reading the temp correctly because the mixture was not deep enough;
-The product after cooking is very thick. I scooped it out of the saucepan with a metal spoon and quickly spread it out. The thinner you spread it, the harder the candy will be when cooled. Next time I make it, I will attempt to keep the thickness at 1/2 inch.
-I used ‘Enjoy life’ semi sweet chocolate (dairy, nut, soy free) chunks and 1 oz unsweetened chocolate….
-To clean the saucepan, fill with water and boil; then scrape the pan to dissolve the leftover candy…the pan will never come clean otherwise.
-I am impressed on how good these are!
Hi there. This sounds fabulous. Can you use coconut oil instead of palm shortening?
Most definitely Tiffany!!
I have all the ingredients except coconut sugar. Is that common? I’ve never heard of it. As Paleo as I am, I’m really not fond of coconut. Any other substitutions? I wouldn’t even mind cheating a bit since these will be taken to a cookie exchange
Hi megan! Coconut or palm sugar is becoming much more common…about$5 a pound now or less online! neither the nectar or palm sugar have any coconut flavor, so you should be fine! You could try subbing honey or maple syrup for the nectar…but the palm sugar is key (unless you want to use brown sugar….and then the recipe would change b/c that can cook a a higher temperature)
Coconut nectar and palm shortening are two unfamiliar ingredients. Are they available in most grocery stores or does it need to be a specialty store?
Palm shortening is more common…it is the healthier version of crisco found in most natural foods stores and online (it will be in my store link above if you want to see what it looks like). I use spectrum brand. Coconut nectar is more uncommon, although it is I both of my natural market nearby. I always buy it online as it is usually cheaper, this is also inmy store if you want to see what it looks like, coconut secret is the only company that makes it that I am aware of. If you click the iherb.com logo in my sidebar and you are a new customer, you get $5 off your first order and only need to spend 20 for free shipping. I usually pay around $7, give or take!
My first thought was, no WAY these are paleo. They look amazing and I can’t wait to try!
Crazy, huh Lauren?!
These look delicious! Yummm!
On the 1/3 cup dark chocolate,… Is that melted, chips, chunks from bars broken down? Any idea how many ounces? It’s odd that the one oz piece is specified by weight but the other is buy measure and I’m not sure what kind of ‘chocolate’ we are measuring. Broken down candy bars would be variable depending on who is breaking them down,chips would be more uniform I guess. I just find it confusing but the recipe looks amazing. Can you clarify?
Hi Karen! I used chocolate chips, but I have also used a chopped dark chocolate bar. The 1/3 of a cup is not an exact science….as it is just for the dipping, and tablespoon less or more wouldn’t hurt. I used a measuring cup, not weigh. The unsweetened squares usually come in 1 ounce portions. I will clarify in the recipe, thanks for your input!
Thanks for this great recipe. I’ve started a Gluten-Free Share Page on OneCreativeMommy.com. I would love it if you visited and shared this (and any of your other gluten-free recipes, experiences, and ideas). I hope to see you there.
The Paleo Toffee caramels look delicious! I am featuring this post on the H&S Hop Highlights tomorrow.
These sound fabulous! Would it be OK to substitute coconut oil for the Palm shortening? I don’t have Palm shortening on hand and don’t wanna buy it for only 1 tsp for one recipe. Thanks!!! 🙂
that should work great Michelle!
Thank you for your submission on Nourishing Treasures’ Make Your Own! Monday link-up.
Check back shortly when the new link-up is running to see if you were one of the top 3 featured posts! 🙂
Tessa,
This is a great review and a delicious treat! Hope you are having a great weekend and thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
These look so amazing! They don’t quite work for the GAPS diet, but I might have to try and change them slightly to work. : ) I think I also need to check out this cookbook. Yum!
I recently launched a new real food blog carnival called Fill Those Jars Friday. I’d love to have you come stop by and share this on it: http://toomanyjarsinmykitchen.com/2012/09/27/fill-those-jars-friday-september-28-2012/
See you there!
Mindy
@ Mindy, I will check it out, thanks for letting me know! If your GAPS alterations work, be sure to come back and share!
I don’t think you have to be a Paleo to enjoy these toffees… really fantastic looking. thanks for sharing them on foodie friday.
Oh my goodnes, the pictures of these candies are so tempting! I’ll definitely be making these soon 🙂 A good excuse to try out coconut nectar!
-Dana
@Dana….coconut nectar is a real treat, once I tried it, I always have a bottle on hand now!
Thanks for linking up at our Gluten Free Fridays party! I have tweeted and pinned your entry to our Gluten Free Fridays board on Pinterest! 🙂 Next Friday one lucky blogger will be randomly selected to win a case of Planet Rice! Its yummy! Its gluten free, sprouted and grown in the US. You can link up to 3 entries! The more you link up the better you chances to win! (entries from US only) Cindy from vegetarianmamma.com
Holy cow these look amazing. I am salivating looking at them. Gluten free and vegan!!! I am in love.
These looks so wonderful, pinning to my boards to make later.
Have a great weekend,
Tami
Sounds very interesting. I’ll have to look around for the ingredients and give it a try.
Shut the front door. These look AMAZING! I was searching for gluten-free recipes on foodgawker and your blog popped up. I’m so happy I stopped in to say hello 😉 This is a fabulous space, love it!
Hi Leanne, welcome, and thank you for your compliment!
Wow! That looks delicious! I want to eliminate more grains from my diet, so I think I will probably make these more than once.
Brianna from Flippin’ Delicious
BTW, totally pinned!
I got my cookbook in the mail too…this is definitely at the top of my list to try! Have you tried the One Minute Chocolate Cake??? Holy cow…nothing that tastes that good should be accessible that fast!!!!
Just shared on my FB page :).
These look so good. Nice photography, by the way! I wonder what could be substituted for the almond butter? I wanted to make these for my daughter, who is allergic to dairy, eggs, nuts, peanuts, and wheat. Perhaps some vegan margarine? It looks like the almond butter provides the fat.
Hi Angie, I would do sunflower seed butter!
These look absolutely delicious!! And ironically, someone just told me about how much she loves coconut sugar.
Wish I could have one now, but unfortunately we think my daughter’s allergies include cocoa. We will know for sure after another round of testing. 🙁 If we can do chocolate, what do you think about subbing Earth Balance soy free spread for the almond butter?
I would say that might work (which means coconut oil might too), but sunbutter could too Devin….candy is tricky! And these would be tasty for her without the chocolate too…
It must say something that I pick YOUR little square picture out of a hundred to click on every single week. This time it was on Fat Tuesday. These caramels look awesome! I can’t wait to try them!
That means we have very similar taste buds Alison!! I am glad the pics draw you in…I keep learning, and I hope to take a class someday too. Chocolate is one of he easiest thins for me to photograph….others not so much!!
I didn’t know I could make toffee using coconut sugar. Oooh. I’m excited to try this. This is going to be popular around the holidays!
These look so delicious! I love toffee – so good to know I can actually make a version that’s edible for me – Thanks!
Sorry to bother you with one more question… how hard is this toffee. Can little teeth handle this?
Thanks, Dawn
Not too hard at all Dawn, my kids did great with it!
These look delicious!
Hi Tessa,
Thank you for introducing me to this author and book! It looks just amazing. And I am making these caramels for my daughter for Halloween. We don’t do the candy thing here, so this will be a great recipe to add.
And your pictures look amazing, Tessa. I want to just grab one right off the screen. WOW!
Hugs Friend,
–Am
I wish we didn’t do the candy thing Amber….although the candy fairy comes the next day to trade them and they are left with only a handful of their favs….
I MUST check out this cookbook! Another drool worthy dessert with gorgeous pictures!
Yes you must Laura, I simply LOVE it!!! BOTH of her book rock!
These toffee caramels look fantastic! You have to know that they are my favorite candy. When I use to buy candy bars I always bought the Heath bar! I’m not familiar with coconut nectar but now I am very curious of it. Love these candies and your pictures are beautiful! You certainly sold me!
I loved toffee too MJ. Skor Bars used to be my daily fix in high school….it sure is nice to have a recipe I can eat without quite so much guilt or issues!
Oh my goodness these look delicious! Thanks for sharing on Natural Living Monday! These are definitely on my “to make” list. Yum.
Enjoy Amanda!!
What is coconut nectar? That’s an ingredient I havent used before 🙂 These look delicious!!!
Hi Saundra, I added some info in the post now, with a link so you can see it too!! Let me know if you would like more info…
How could there be 1/2 inch in a 13×9 pan with such a small amount of ingredients? I must be missing something.
Hi Charlotte! I will add some more details in the recipe, thanks for pointing that out. Tammy’s recipe referred to a cookie sheet only, and i used my small one judging by the amount. The mixture thickens very quickly when you take it off the heat, so you spread it as thin as you prefer….it does not spread on it’s own…too thick for this. I spread the mixture about to *about* an 1/2 inch, and it almost filled my small cookie sheet.
I am a bit confused about the chocolate. Is the 1/3 cup dark chocolate meant to be sweetened and the 1 oz is different only because it is not sweetened? Thanks- I plan to make these. I think the chocolate measurements probably don’t matter to much because it is for dipping.
Hi Dawn, his a strategy that I use too…using dark chocolate and then adding unsweetened squares to make it even DARKER and less sweet. I have a hard time finding anything much darker than 70%, so adding the unsweetened reduces the sugar. It is totally personal preference, you could use any chocolate you like, melted with the palm shortening. Good luck, let me know how you like it!
I’m loving your photos! That toffee looks delicious!
Looks amazing!
Thanks Therese! Give it a try!