Healthier Chocolate Turtles!
Chocolate Turtles were always one of my favourite treats during the Christmas season. I wanted to create a healthier version made with wholesome ingredients, that was still rich and delicious! These Healthier Chocolate Turtles are so decadent and sweet, but they’re made with whole foods. They are also vegan, refined sugar-free, and gluten-free.
The sticky sweet caramel is paired with pecans, dark chocolate, and a little touch of sea salt, making the perfect salty-sweet combo.
The base of the caramel is made with dates. Dates still contain high amounts of sugar, but they are natural sugars paired with vitamins and nutrients, as well as fibre to help fill you up. The sugar in the recipe is also accompanied with healthy fats from the coconut oil, pecans, and coconut milk, as well as some plant-based protein from the pecans. This helps slow the absorption of sugar. These Chocolate Turtles are a healthier version of the classic store-bought ones, but they still make an indulgent treat to enjoy at Christmas or any time of year.
Try my homemade version of Twix Bars or my Healthy Vegan Nanaimo Bars!
Healthier Chocolate Turtles
Ingredients
Date Caramel:
- 1 cup of Medjool dates pitted
- 2 tablespoons of coconut milk or any nut milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Chocolate Coating:
- 1/2 cup coconut oil melted
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
Garnishes:
- 56 pecan halves about 1 cup
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- To prepare the date caramel, add the pitted dates, coconut milk, and vanilla to a blender. Blend until fully smooth. Drop 14 round spoonfuls of the date caramel onto your prepared baking sheet. Press 4 pecan halves onto each spoonful of caramel. Place in the freezer until fully frozen.
- To prepare the chocolate coating, mix the melted coconut oil with the cocoa powder and maple syrup until fully combined and smooth. Pour spoonfuls of the chocolate coating over the caramels. You can leave some of the pecans exposed. Place in the freezer until frozen, at least 10 minutes.
- Remove the caramels from the freezer. Flip each caramel over and pour spoonfuls of the chocolate coating over the bottom of the caramel to ensure each caramel is coated in chocolate. Place in the freezer until fully frozen, at least 10 minutes.
- Remove the chocolate covered caramels from the freezer. Flip the caramels back over. Drizzle the tops of the caramels with the remaining chocolate, and sprinkle with sea salt. Do not skip the sea salt step! Place the caramels back in the freezer until frozen.
- Store the chocolate turtles in the freezer and remove just before serving.
