Unhealthy Sweet to Healthy Treat: homemade chocolate turtles

Chocolate Turtles

The unhealthy:

The recipe for the original pecan and caramel-filled chocolate includes caramel candies, heavy cream, and processed chocolate.

The healthy:

For a guilt-free treat, Carolyn from Wealth of Health has replaced the caramel & cream with dates to keep the chewy sweetness of the treat. I've gone one more step and replaced the chocolate chips for the natural cacao form of raw cacao nibs*. When chocolate is referred to as healthy, its referring to the cacao content, so if you go with regular chocolate make sure you're purchasing one that is at least 75% cacao and has minimal number ingredients (less processed). The raw form of cacao (raw cacao nibs) can be found in most health food aisles at the grocery store. Often people will use carob as a chocolate alternative; carob is healthy in its own right but don't expect a chocolate flavour like you get with cacao!

*It is important to note that as raw cacao nibs are pieces of hulled cacao bean, it has a high caffeine content and therefore best to stick to dark chocolate if serving to kids.

I put these together in a bit of a rush before work, leaving presentation much to be desired, so definitely check out Carolyn's original recipe for more beautiful photos & turtle construction!

48 pecan halves

12 pitted (medjool) dates

1 cup raw cacao nibs

3/4 cup coconut oil

Cut dates in half lengthwise. Shape each piece into a circle with your fingers. Place the date circles on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, sticky side up.

Press 2 pecan halves into the center of the date circles.

If using cacao nibs, blend with coconut oil until smooth, then place in fridge for 5 - 10 minutes to allow mixture to "thicken" until consistency of melted chocolate.

If using regular chocolate, melt 3/4 cup chocolate chips in a double boiler or in a glass bowl in top of a saucepan with boiling water.

Spoon ½ tablespoon of chocolate mixture into the center of the pecans. Place in the freezer for 5 minutes to harden.

Once the chocolate has hardened, flip the turtles over so that the pecans are on the bottom. Coat each turtle with a spoonful of melted chocolate. Repeat with remaining and let cool in freezer for 10 minutes until the chocolate hardens.

Store in a sealed container in fridge. Enjoy!

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