Caramel apple grapes are a healthier version of caramel apples. Grapes are dipped in a healthier caramel sauce and covered in peanuts for a bite-sized and easy version of the popular Fall treat. These treats can also be made ahead of time for a party.
I’m always drawn to caramel apples and candied apples but I’ve never been able to finish a whole one because I find them to be just too sweet and big. But these bite-sized versions are an easier and healthier way to satisfy a craving for caramel apples. It is also a fun idea to serve at any upcoming Halloween parties. They really look so much like caramel apples!
Ingredients
- Green Grapes
- Dulce de leche or homemade healthier caramel sauce (made with coconut cream and maple syrup)
- Peanuts
Green grapes: I recommend using large green grapes such as table grapes as you want a large enough surface area for dipping and coating.
Dulce de leche: Instead of using traditional caramel sauce which is made with just sugar and water, you want to use a thicker caramel sauce that will stick to the grapes. So we recommend dulce de leche which is a milk based caramel that is very thick. The grapes need very little coating compared to apples, so even coating the grapes in dulce de leche will still make your caramel apples healthier than the full-sized traditional version. But if you want to take it one step further, you can also make a homemade healthier caramel sauce that is dairy-free and refined sugar free, which I share as well. If you want to make the healthier caramel sauce you will need coconut cream and maple syrup.
Peanuts: Peanuts are chopped to coarse crumbs to provide a crunchy coating for the caramel apple grapes. We used salted roasted peanuts to give the caramel grapes a salty sweet coating.
Healthier Caramel Sauce
You can also use dulce de leche to save time. Or you can make a healthier home caramel sauce with just coconut cream and maple syrup. You will need just the thick solid section of the coconut cream contained in the coconut cream can. You do not need the liquid. The cream and maple syrup are mixed together and then heated on the stove until you have a thick caramel sauce.
This caramel sauce will be a light shade of brown. When you dip the grapes, the color of the coating becomes even lighter, but the grapes will still turn out very cute. Below is what they look like with the healthier caramel coating.
How to make caramel apple grapes
- The grapes are first washed and then thoroughly dried. This is important. The coating will not stick if your grapes have any moisture on them.
- Dip the grapes in caramel sauce. Then stick a toothpick in the center and dip the grapes in the crushed peanuts. Place the grapes into the fridge until set.
More Healthier Treats
- 2 Ingredient Healthier Truffles
- 4 Ingredient Healthier Mound Bars
- 4 Ingredient Healthier Apple Fudge
3 Ingredient Healthier Caramel Apple Grapes
Ingredients
- 20 large green grapes
- 1/2 cup (136 g) dulce de leche or homemade healthier caramel sauce
- 1/2 cup (64 g) salted peanuts pulsed in food processor until finely chopped and resemble coarse crumbs
Optional Healthier caramel sauce
- 1/4 cup (2 fl oz/59 ml) maple syrup
- 1/2 cup (120 g) chilled coconut cream see note
Instructions
- If making the healthier caramel sauce: In a small saucepan, combine the maple syrup and coconut cream. Stir to combine then bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens into a smooth, thick caramel. The thicker and more reduced the sauce gets, the better it will be. Mine took 15 minutes. Towards the last few minutes of cooking, when you stir, the caramel sauce should lift off from the spot where you stirred because it is so thick. The sauce will be paler in color than dulce de leche. See photo in post for reference.
- Transfer the caramel to a heat-safe bowl and cool in the fridge to allow it to thicken. This will take about 15 minutes.
- Wash the grapes and make sure they are completely dry (or else the caramel won’t stick). Set aside. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- If using dulce de leche, add the dulce de leche to a small bowl. Heat it in the microwave in 10-15 second intervals, stirring in between, until the dulce de leche becomes thin enough in consistency for easy dipping/coating. You can also heat the dulce de leche on the stove. (If using the homemade caramel sauce you do not need to reheat. It is not as thick as dulce de leche so it should not need to be heated to be runny).
- Add the finely chopped peanuts to a separate small bowl. You want both the caramel sauce and peanuts to be in small bowls so that the height of the sauce or peanuts is high enough that the grapes just need to be quickly dipped in and not rolled around to be coated.
- Dip a grape into the caramel sauce, allowing it to cover between 2/3 to 3/4 of the grape. If needed, you can use a spoon or spatula to help spread the coating evenly across the grape. Allow any excess sauce to drip off. Stick a toothpick into the grape. Dip it in bowl of peanuts until most of the caramel sauce is coated in peanuts. If needed, press the peanut mixture onto the grape so that it is evenly stuck on. Place finished grape onto your parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining grapes. Place grapes into fridge until caramel is set. If not serving right away, store grapes in an airtight container.
Notes
- Coconut cream: You will want to chill your coconut cream for a few hours or overnight so that the cream separates and floats to the top. The recipe only uses the thick white cream and not the clearer liquid that sits at the bottom. There are some brands where refrigeration is not necessary and the cream is already separated, but we recommend refrigerating just in case.
- Don't add the toothpick until after coating the grapes in the caramel sauce. If you add the toothpick too early, it will likely get dislodged and loose from all the movement when coating the grape in caramel.
- Estimated nutrition is calculated using dulce de leche and assumes the entire 1/2 cup of dulce de leche and 1/2 cup of peanuts are used but the actual nutrition is likely a little less since not all of the sauce or peanuts are used.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
