3 Ingredient Healthier Caramel Apple Grapes
These Caramel Apple Grapes are a fun, healthier take on the classic fall treat! Perfect for a quick snack when you want all the flavor of a caramel apple without the fuss!
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.
Serving: 1grape, Calories: 59kcal, Carbohydrates: 6g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 35mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 4g, NET CARBS: 5
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. This is not a comprehensive list of all the nutrients in the recipe (i.e., does not include vitamins, cholesterol, etc). I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
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