My dad is a notoriously difficult person to shop for. But, growing up, a box of Turtles was guaranteed to be a hit at Christmas. I haven’t eaten one of these ooey gooey treats in years, but for some reason they popped into my head while I was snacking on a medjool date and thinking about how caramely it was. Of course, it seemed so obvious! A whole foods, vegan version of this holiday favourite would be so easy to whip up. I daydreamed about them for a couple of weeks before finally giving the idea a try. I’m so glad I did, because they’re just as ooey gooey and delicious as I imagined.
24 medjool dates, pitted
approximately 1 cup raw, unsalted pecans
1 bar of dark chocolate (I used PC Organic)
1.5 tsp coconut oil (optional, but highly recommended)
pinch of coarsely ground sea salt (optional)
1. Stuff 1-2 pecans into each date (first photo) and then wrap the date shut around them.
2. Over a double boiler melt chocolate and coconut oil. Turn off heat but keep chocolate over water so it doesn’t start to harden.
3. Using a fork, dip stuffed date into chocolate and then allow extra chocolate to run off. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Repeat until all of the dates are smothered in chocolate.
4. If desired, sprinkle turtles with a teeny pinch of sea salt.
5. Chill in freezer until chocolate sets, at least one hour.
xoxo
S.
What a great idea! So much healthier!
Shut the front door… I never thought to dip these treats in chocolate. You could even go a little maple syrup action and add some lucuma powder to the melted chocolate, though I fear what that would do to the tempering process.
I”ll play around with it and let you know.