Our Favourite Things to Make with Caramel

Sweet treats are always so much sweeter when they’re made with caramel. The sticky golden syrup can be used in cakes, bakes, sauces or drizzles to add that unmistakable buttery taste. 

Traditional caramel is made from melted sugar, with lots of popular caramel sauces also including other high-calorie ingredients such as butter and condensed milk too. While these versions aren’t exactly slimming friendly, the good news is that caramel doesn’t have to be off the menu. 

If you’re a caramel fan who’s counting calories or following a diet plan like Weight Watchers, you’re going to want to make a note of our favourite things to make with caramel. 

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Chocolate Cake with Salted Caramel Cream

Even without using any actual caramel, this Chocolate Cake with Salted Caramel Cream delivers all of the sweet flavours you’d expect. Instead of adding lots of unnecessary calories by spooning caramel into the topping, we’ve made a lovely light cream by mixing sweetener, quark and some salted caramel food flavouring. 

Layered on top of the fluffy chocolate cake, the salted caramel cream is the perfect finishing touch for this teatime treat. It’s so easy to make, and it only takes 40 minutes to rustle up from scratch. If that’s not enough to tempt you, each slice comes in at just 122 calories!

You can pick up salted caramel flavouring in most supermarkets, although you can also order it online. 

Banana and Caramel Filo Rolls

You can’t go wrong with a fruity dessert, especially when it draws on a classic flavour combination such as caramel and banana. That’s exactly what you get from these Banana and Caramel Filo Rolls, along with the irresistible crunch of crispy golden pastry. 

The caramel in this recipe comes from the rich sauce that’s drizzled over the freshly baked rolls or used for dipping. We like to use a readymade 50% less sugar caramel dessert topping when we want a taste of real caramel flavour, without all of the calories. You can always switch this to a caramel sauce of your choice. 

Salted Caramel Rice Krispie Bars

Sweet treats don’t come any easier than these no bake Salted Caramel Rice Krispie Bars. Crunchy and chewy, they’re delicious with a cuppa or wrapped up and tucked into your packed lunch. 

To cut down on calories, we’ve skipped making sugary caramel and grabbed a handful of chewy caramel toffees instead. Melted down and mixed with a little milk and a pinch of salt, this makes a silky salted caramel sauce. Sweet and salty makes for such a moreish combination – it’s hard to just have one of these tasty bars!

This recipe can only be found in our Quick & Easy cookbook, along with 99 other recipes that are minimum fuss and maxim flavour! If you haven’t got a copy, pick one up here. 

Toffee Apple Pies

You only need a handful of ingredients to whip up these Toffee Apple Pies. With a crisp, golden pastry topping and sweetened apple filling, they’re beautifully comforting caramel treats!

We’ve mixed low-calorie caramel dessert topping in with the softened apples, to bring out a lovely caramelised flavour, without adding too much sugar or butter. When the filo pastry has been scrunched and baked on top until it’s crunchy, you can add even more caramel! 

A drizzle of the dessert topping over the pies is the perfect finishing touch – although if you’re feeling extra indulgent, a glug of Custard goes down like a dream. 

Pick up some ramekins if you’re planning on making these! They’re the perfect portion size and come in handy for all kinds of puddings and desserts.

Banoffee Tiramisu

Two desserts is better than one, which is why we came up with this unmissable Banoffee Tiramisu. It combines the chocolate and coffee flavours of tiramisu with classic banana and caramel banoffee.

Layers of coffee-infused sponge, low-calorie chocolate sauce and sliced bananas are topped with a drizzle of reduced sugar caramel dessert topping and a dusting of cocoa powder. This pud really does have it all! You’ll be counting down the seconds while these chill in the fridge, ready to dig your spoon into those yummy layers. 

Millionaire’s Shortbread

If you’re a big fan of caramel, chances are you love to put your feet up with a decadent slice of Millionaire’s Shortbread. In true Pinch of Nom fashion, our recipe is half as indulgent as the shop-bought kind, but every bit as tasty. 

We’ve used chewy, sugar-free toffees to make the caramel layer in this one, and once they’re melted down and poured onto your biscuit, you’d never know the difference. Finished with a drizzle of melted chocolate, this recipe is only 127 calories per portion. 

These Werther’s Original sugar-free creamy toffees are perfect for making into a slimming-friendly caramel.

Millionaire’s Cheesecake

If you thought Millionaire’s Shortbread was the ultimate caramel-based treat, think again. One bite of this Millionaire’s Cheesecake and you’ll be just as obsessed with it as we are. It has the crisp biscuit-y base and a layer of set caramel, but then things get interesting!

We’ve added our very own slimming-friendly cheesecake topping – and guess what flavour it is? That’s right, you can add as much caramel flavouring as you like, and we’ve even thrown in small pieces of toffee for good measure. All of that deliciousness, for just 182 calories per slice…winner!

Biscoff Cookie Milkshake

A double whammy of caramel goodness, this Biscoff Cookie Milkshake combines salted caramel ice cream with caramelised Biscoff spread. Ready in just 5 minutes, this thick and creamy shake is a dessert in a glass. 

These kinds of loaded milkshakes can often be crazily high in calories, but a few clever swaps mean you can slurp up this one for just 225. A swirl of aerosol cream and a squeeze of caramel drizzled on the top and you’ll be in complete caramel heaven. 

What are your favourite caramel recipes?

We’d love to hear from you! Tell us if you’ll be making any of these mouth-watering, caramel-infused recipes over in our Facebook group.  It’s the place to be if you’re looking for slimming inspiration, with almost 1 million members sharing motivation and moral support. Pop over and join the group if you haven’t already!

And don’t forget to check out the Gallery if you fancy a look at what recipes everyone else has been making lately. It’s filled with photos from the lovely Pinch of Nom community – and everything looks SO GOOD!