treat yourself to these homemade turtles made with pecans, medjool dates, a simple caramel and refined sugar free dark chocolate.
I’m having a ton of fun eating chocolate 😀 After being strict SCD for so long and not having any chocolate, it feels pretty wild to be creating recipes that use chocolate and I’m loving it, not gunna lie. No turning back at this point. I always use refined sugar free dark chocolate, namely, the Hu Gems, as they’re perfect for melting (or snacking). My latest chocolate-related mission was to recreate Turtles – and it was surprisingly easy too.
As with many of my chocolate treats I highly recommend storing these in the freezer for optimal texture – you want that chewy crunch, I promise. Also, they’ll last longer that way (hypothetically speaking). These treats do require several steps but they still come together quite quickly and you can do it all in one sitting, and freeze at the very end. First you start with a medjool date layer, which makes the perfect base for your pecans to hold in place, as well as the perfect little container for your homemade caramel mixture. The caramel is combination of almond butter and honey simmered on stovetop until warm. Finally, once you add the caramel to the top of your pecans, you glaze everything in melted chocolate and then it’s freezer time.
Whenever they’re cold to touch, or frozen to your liking, you can serve! Don’t let them sit at room temperature for too long, however they would definitely make a super cute dessert to add to any upcoming dinner or else a holiday treat (any holiday, you name it!)
Find the full recipe below, and please leave a comment to let me know if you try making these homemade turtles! I’ll also link a few more of my recent chocolate creations below as well if this one doesn’t scratch your itch!
A few more chocolate covered treats to try out:
- CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER CUPS
- CHOCOLATE COVERED PEANUT BUTTER ICE CREAM BARS
- CHOCOLATE CARAMEL SHORTBREAD COOKIE CUPS
refined sugar free chocolate turtles: ingredients
- 1 cup pecans approximately 88 pecans total, 4 per ‘turtle’
- 11 medjool dates
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup almond butter
- 1/2 cup refined sugar free dark chocolate chips i use Hu Kitchen Gems
- 1/2 tsp coconut oil
refined sugar free chocolate turtles: how to
- start by preparing a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
- halve each medjool date by splitting it down the middle with your thumb and then removing the pit, flattening each half on top of the parchment paper with the outside down (you want the sticky inside of the date facing upwards).
- once all the dates are de-pitted and halved, place four pecans in each corner of the date and press down firmly.
- once the base is ready, prepare your caramel. in a small saucepan over medium heat, mix together your honey and almond butter until it comes to a slight simmer. combine well and remove from heat.
- place a dollop of caramel on top of each turtle, and throw the turtles in the refrigerator or freezer for 30 minutes to allow the caramel to harden slightly before topping with melted chocolate.
- once the caramel has hardened, remove the turtles from the fridge or freezer and proceed to melt your chocolate in a small microwave-safe bowl for 30 second – 1 minute increments (until fully melted).
- mix in the tsp of coconut oil.
- spoon the melted chocolate on top of each turtle.
- return to the freezer until they’ve set fully. remove and you can wrap each turtle in a little bit of parchment paper and place in a freezer ziploc bag or a freezer-safe container to store. pop one out whenever you want a sweet treat!
homemade refined sugar free chocolate turtles
Ingredients
- 1 cup pecans approximately 88 pecans total, 4 per 'turtle'
- 11 medjool dates
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup almond butter
- 1/2 cup refined sugar free dark chocolate chips i use Hu Kitchen Gems
- 1/2 tsp coconut oil
Instructions
- start by preparing a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
- halve each medjool date by splitting it down the middle with your thumb and then removing the pit, flattening each half on top of the parchment paper with the outside down (you want the sticky inside of the date facing upwards).
- once all the dates are de-pitted and halved, place four pecans in each corner of the date and press down firmly.
- once the base is ready, prepare your caramel. in a small saucepan over medium heat, mix together your honey and almond butter until it comes to a slight simmer. combine well and remove from heat.
- place a dollop of caramel on top of each turtle, and throw the turtles in the refrigerator or freezer for 30 minutes to allow the caramel to harden slightly before topping with melted chocolate.
- once the caramel has hardened, remove the turtles from the fridge or freezer and proceed to melt your chocolate in a small microwave-safe bowl for 30 second – 1 minute increments (until fully melted).
- mix in the tsp of coconut oil.
- spoon the melted chocolate on top of each turtle.
- return to the freezer until they've set fully. remove and you can wrap each turtle in a little bit of parchment paper and place in a freezer ziploc bag or a freezer-safe container to store. pop one out whenever you want a sweet treat!