Tunnock’s Copycat Caramel Logs

A nostalgic childhood treat that still tastes just as good today as it did all of those years ago! This copycat version of the forever popular Tunnock’s Caramel Logs, is so easy to make. It tastes identical to the original, and is a great substitute for those of us who are away from home and can’t quickly get our hands on the original tasty treat!

I cannot tell you how many Tunnock’s Caramel Logs I ate while growing up in Newfoundland. Despite the fact that the brand Tunnock’s is of Scottish origin, their products are quite popular with Newfoundlanders. I think my personal favourite were the caramel logs, but I would never turn down a snowball or a tea cake! This copycat version of the caramel logs are what I turn to whenever I can’t get my hands on the store-bought original. I have to thank my hometown friend, Alvena, for this recipe!

Since it’s creation in 1955, Tunnock’s Caramel Logs have been a top seller for the company. By the way, it’s important to not confuse the caramel log with the carmel wafer. The main difference is that the caramel wafer is drenched in milk chocolate while the caramel log is coated with toasted coconut.

The original Tunnocks Caramel Log is a treat consisting of layers of a crisp wafer and layers of chewy caramel. It is fully coated in milk chocolate and sprinkled with toasted coconut, giving it a unique texture and flavour. The combination of the soft wafer, gooey caramel, smooth chocolate, and toasted coconut makes for a popular, often messy, sweet snack. This copycat version is super easy to make and you don’t need to fuss at all with assembling all of those layers!

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So, welcome, Dear Reader, to my annual holiday-themed recipes. Traditionally, every year I share a series of recipes that you might already be familiar with. For example, I’ve previously shared 12 Holiday Trifles, 12 Holiday Bars & Squares, and even these 12 Edible Holiday Wreath recipes! Also, some of my favourite recipe collections from previous years are my 75 Homemade Gifts from Your Kitchen, my 50 Make Ahead Freezer Friendly Christmas Recipes, and my 30 No-Bake Christmas Recipes post.

This year I’m doing it differently. Rather than sharing multiple back to back series, I’m sharing a new holiday-themed recipe almost every day from now until Christmas Eve. For those of you who have followed my annual Lord Byron’s 24 Cookies of Christmas series, don’t worry, you will still get lots of new cookie recipes this year too. I will not, however, be publishing the cookies back to back in a 24-day series. This would have been my 8th year running the series and it becomes very exhausting. Also, we have a vacation booked in what would have been the middle of the series, so this year, I’m spreading the recipes out so that I’m not sharing the same type of recipe every day.

You really don’t want to miss one of these recipes, so if you have not yet subscribed to Lord Byron’s Kitchen, I encourage you to do so. That way, a new recipe will be emailed to you every day. You won’t have to bother to come looking for it! And, just in case you’re curious, you can see previous annual posts for my 24 Cookies of Christmas Series here!

NO-BAKE RECIPES

I used to think that the term no-bake meant that a recipe was more of an assembly-type recipe. Something like a salad, for example. It sounds simple enough, right? Toss the lettuce and any other veggies you want into a bowl. Top it with cheese, croutons, avocado, hard-boiled egg, etc. Add some dressing and you’re all done! But, no-bake actually just means no baking. There still might be some stove-top cooking needed – or even a microwave, for that matter.

To prepare these Tunnock’s Copycat Caramel Logs, you will need to use your stovetop. So, even though they’re no-bake and kid-friendly, you will need to turn on the stove. But, it’s only to toast the coconut. The rest is basic ingredient assembly.

Some other no-bake-type holiday recipes you might enjoy are these Rudolph’s Red Nose Cookies. Hairy Moose Droppings are delicious and always quite the conversation starter! Just like these Caramel Peanut Slices were a favourite of my mom’s so were these Marshmallow Coconut Balls and so were these Christmas Crunch Cookies. You can find many more no-bake cookie recipes here at Lord Byron’s Kitchen by using the search field at the top of this page.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Butter – I like to use salted butter in this recipe because I think the salt pairs well with the sweetness of the wafers.
• Canned Sweetened Condensed Milk – This recipe has not been tested with low fat condensed milk.  Depending on where you live, the size of the can my differ.  Be sure to 300 mL!
• Vanilla Extract
• Cocoa Powder – Cocoa powder is an unsweetened chocolate product that adds deep chocolate flavor to desserts and beverages.  Use a good quality cocoa powder, not the kind we used to stir into milk as kids! If you don’t have dark, you can use regular cocoa.
• Graham Crumbs – I always try to find the crumbs rather than using the wafers. It just saves me from dirtying up my food processor. Don’t use a cheap, no-name brand. If you can afford the extra dollar, buy a good brand. Personally, I prefer Keebler brand, but they’re really hard to find in Canada, so my second choice is Honey Maid.
• Unsweeted Coconut – Use grated coconut instead of shredded because grated coconut has smaller pieces which work better when coating the logs.
• Wafer Biscuit Cookies – These are storebought cookies that can easily be found almost everwhere. I used the Voortman brand that looks like this!
• Non-Stick Cooking Spray

HOW TO MAKE TUNNOCK’S COPYCAT CARAMEL LOGS

Begin by toasting the coconut. Place the coconut into a skillet and turn the heat to medium. Do not leave the coconut unattended. Continuously move the coconut around the pan with a wooden spoon. It can burn very easily. Slowly the bright whiteness of the coconut will fade into an off-white and then it will begin to turn a nice golden, yellowish-brown colour. Turn off the heat and get the coconut out of the pan. The residual heat will continue to brown the coconut and you don’t want that to happen. Transfer the coconut to a wide, shallow bowl so that it can spread out. This will stop the toasting and you’ll be left with the most delicious coconut ever!

Next, in a large mixing bowl, whisk together the butter, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract, and cocoa powder until well combined. Add the graham crumbs and two cups of the cooled, toasted coconut. Stir well to incorporate.

The mixture is sticky, so generously coat your hands with non-stick cooking spray. Portion a slightly heaping tablespoon of the mixture into your open hand and use your fingertips on your free hand to flatten the mixture large enough to cover one wafer biscuit. Place the wafer biscuit in your palm and gently roll the flatten mixture up and around the wafer, pressing gently so that the mixture adheres to the wafer and completely enrobes it. Immediately roll the wafer into the remaining toasted coconut and place it onto a tray.

Continue to roll the mixture around the remaining wafers. Once done, transfer the tray of caramel logs to your fridge for two hours to set and firm up. Once chilled, you can transfer the caramel logs to a foodsafe container with a tight-fitting lid and keep them refridgerated until ready to serve.

SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK

I have a lot of recipes here at Lord Byron’s Kitchen with sweetened condensed milk as one of the ingredients. (Click here to see them!) Growing up in Newfoundland, it was always something I’ve been aware of. But, that’s not the case for everyone. I get many questions from readers about it. For someone not familiar with the gooey, sticky canned milk, it might be easily confused with canned Carnation condensed milk, for instance. Let me explain what it is here.

So, first of all, it’s condensed. The milk is condensed by removing water. This can by accomplished by applying heat. The water will evaporate causing the milk to condense, which thickens the milk. Sugar is added to sweeten the condensed milk. The main purpose of adding sugar is to prolong the shelf life of condensed milk, which can sit on room temperature shelves for years. Sugar prevents microorganisms from growing in the milk and helps to thicken it even further—it’s added after the milk has been boiled, reduced, and pasteurized.

If you find an unsweetened condensed milk, it’s most likely that it’s simply evaporated milk or condensed milk, which is thick, but not gooey and sticky. Evaporated milk is often used as a cream added to tea or coffee. If you are unfamiliar with it, please read the can carefully. Also, shake it – can you feel the liquid splashing about inside the can? If so, it’s not sweetened condensed milk; it’s evaporated or condensed milk only!

GRAHAM CRUMB CONSISTENCY

There are really two options when it comes to making these Tunnock’s Copycat Caramel Logs. You can purchase the graham crumbs. Or you can make your own crumbs from graham crackers. To be honest, both will do just fine, but if you choose to use crackers, you need to get the consistency just right.

Many bakers will place graham crackers in a bag and smash it with a rolling pin. That’s fine – if you want to spend your day banging a rolling pin onto your kitchen counter. You see, Dear Reader, the crumbs need to be fine in order for the mixture to be smooth enough to properly coat the wafers.

The best way to get the right crumb consistency is to buy graham crumbs. That way, the work is already done for you! If all you have on hand are graham crackers, you can use those. But, do yourself a favour and pop them into a food processor. Pulse them until they are fine like sand. This will ensure you get the perfect consistency.

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!