My sister-in-law used to make these amazingly delicious gooey clusters with Golden Grahams every Christmas. I loved those things, but when I gave up sugar seven years ago as a newbie Trim Healthy Mama, those clusters slid over to my do-not-consume list. Cue the sadness.
I’ve found a variety of very tasty THM/ keto treats over the years, but I still eyed my SIL’s clusters with longing when I saw them. I actually haven’t indulged! Go me.
I bought a bag of Cinnamon Toast Catalina Crunch keto cereal, but the honest truth was that, as cereal, it didn’t really appeal to me. I wanted them to taste like Golden Grahams, and they did not. However!!! The gears started grinding. In those forbidden treats, Catalina Crunch might be a decent substitute.
Truth was, the recipe required quite a few adjustments. It was practically brand new by the time I’d subbed this and changed that, but I’ve made these Choco Caramel Treats several times now, and they definitely deliver everything you might want in a sweet, gooey, tasty morsel for a Christmas party or Valentine’s Day!
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Ready? Let’s get started!
Recipe: Choco Caramel Treats — THM XO
Servings: 16
In a small saucepan on the stove, melt:
• 2 tablespoons butter
Cook on low for about five minutes, or until gently browned. Then add:
• 3 tablespoons allulose*
• 1 teaspoon blackstrap molasses
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
Bring to a very light boil while stirring occasionally. Then turn to very low (2 out of 10 works on my stove) and set the timer for 10 minutes. WALK AWAY. DO NOT STIR. DO NOT TOUCH.
While the caramel sauce is forming, lightly oil a 7×7 pan**, or a similar size, and measure the other ingredients.
In a medium mixing bowl, place:
• 1 cup Cinnamon Toast Catalina Crunch keto cereal
• 1 cup whole puffed rice, unsweetened
In another bowl, place:
• 1/4 cup sugar-free chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup Max Mallows*** (about 5 mallows, snipped into fourths
When the timer goes off, add to the caramel sauce and stir vigorously until blended:
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
Pour the caramel sauce over the cereal mix and stir. Then add the chocolate chips and Max Mallows. Stir (the chocolate and mallows will melt a little, but not much) and press into the prepared pan. Chill. Cut into 16 pieces when firm.
*Allulose — while you may certainly experiment with other sweeteners, in my experience and from everything I’ve read, allulose makes by far the best texture of caramel sauce. Erythritol is likely to crystallize.
**I have a couple of sets of Glass-Lock Pyrex that I use for many, many things. The 7×7 pan is what I use here.
***Max Mallows: I’m sure other Max Mallow flavors would work just fine, but I use the Burnt Caramel flavor and love them. ALSO please remember that these are sweetened with xylitol, which can be fatal to dogs. Make absolutely certain to keep these out of your pup’s reach!
If you want to eat more than one in a sitting, I won’t tell anyone! But this size is perfect when there are other treats available, as well.
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