These decadent Chocolate Caramel Cashew Clusters are filled with gooey caramel and covered with espresso infused dark chocolate. An easy treat with just 4 ingredients! An easy holiday treat you’ll want to eat all year round.

Chocolate and caramel is one of my favorite combinations. And these cashew clusters are one of my favorite treats because not only does it have the caramel and the chocolate, it’s also got cashews for crunch and espresso to amp up the flavor. And hey, I’m not going to complain about the caffeine buzz either! (These Paleo Chocolate Espresso Truffles are awesome for the same reason.)

Why You Need These Cashew Clusters in Your Life

Yes, that’s a big statement but I guarantee you will swoon over these bad boys!

Homemade candy, but EASY. You don’t need candy thermometers or special equipment for these cashew clusters since we’re not making our own caramel from scratch. That also means they’re done in just 20 minutes!
Only 4 simple ingredients. Well, 5 if you include the salt, but I bet you have that in your kitchen already.
Great for gifting. Add these to your Christmas cookie tins, pack them in boxes for a teachers’ gift, or just make them as a gift to yourself! You deserve it.

Espresso Cashew Clusters lined up on parchment paper.

What You’ll Need

You are only a handful of ingredients away from these decadent espresso cashew clusters! Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.

Whole cashews – For awesome crunch. You can use raw or roasted, depending on your preference.
Soft chewy caramels – Like the kind you melt for making caramel apples.
Dark melting chocolate wafers – These melt more smoothly than chocolate chips.
Ground espresso – For some pep in your step.
Sea salt – Flaky sea salt is the perfect finishing touch.

How to Make Cashew Clusters

Here’s how easy it is to make these chewy, crunchy, and decadent cashew clusters!

Drizzling the espresso mixture over the cashews.

Prep the cashews. Divide the cashews into about 20 portions on a parchment-lined baking sheets. Pile 5 to 7 cashews together closely for each portion. (In other words, make a cluster!)
Melt the caramels. Melt the unwrapped caramels in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second increments, stirring between each.
Add the caramel. Divide the melted caramel onto the cashew clusters, drizzling it so the caramel is touching all of the cashews in each cluster, which holds them together.
Set. Place the pan in the fridge and chill for 5 to 10 minutes.

A collage of the melted Espresso Chocolate mixture.

Melt the chocolate. Add the chocolate wafers to a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave the chocolate in 30-second increments, stirring after each. Once the chocolate is melted, stir in the espresso.
Coat the clusters. Add the cashew clusters to the chocolate and stir to coat.
Finish. Transfer the clusters to the parchment-lined baking sheet and sprinkle salt on top if you’d like. Return to the fridge to set.

Tips and Variations

I have a few more notes on these cashew clusters to help you make sure they turn out perfect!

Don’t overcook the chocolate. Be sure to stir it after each 30 second interval. Near the end, there might still be chunks of unmelted chocolate in the bowl, but once you stir, they’ll melt.
Make them without espresso. No need to replace it with anything! They’ll still be delicious.
Swap the dark chocolate for milk chocolate. For a creamier, milkier chocolate coating.
Try another nut. You can swap in pecans, walnuts, almonds, or peanuts—or use a combination.

How to Store

Store these caramel cashew clusters in an airtight container at room temperature with parchment paper between the layers. They’ll last about 2 weeks (if you don’t eat them first!).

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