Ingredients
- 12 Medjool dates
- 1 cup chocolate chips, dark or semi-sweet
- 48 pecans halves
- Sea salt (optional)
- Using your fingers, or a knife if needed, peel open the dates and remove the pits.
- Once the pit has been removed, using your hands press the pitted date into a flat, round shape. The fresher the dates the easier this will be. You want to ‘smush’ them together to create a bit of a ball, the more you ‘smush’ them, the more they will provide a chewy texture to the turtles. (Optional: You can also add the dates to a food processor to create a date paste and then shape the paste into 12 disc-shaped pieces.)
- Once each date has been formed into a circle, press 4 pecan halves into the base of each date. The pecans should emulate the feet of the turtles. Once complete, place them feet-side up on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Using a double boiler (or microwave if needed) gently melt the chocolate. You want to do this at a low heat to ensure the chocolate remains velvety smooth, and ensure that you are stirring the chocolate periodically.
- Once the chocolate is melted, add roughly 1 teaspoon to the bottom of the turtle to help adhere the pecans to the date. Once complete, transfer the baking sheet to the freezer for a few minutes until the chocolate has solidified.
- Once the chocolate has solidified, remove the baking sheet from the fridge or freezer. Working one at a time, place each date into the melted chocolate, feet-side up, until the entire date is covered in chocolate. You can use a spoon to move it around and remove it from the chocolate.
- Once complete, return each turtle to the baking sheet, feet-side down, and sprinkle the top with a small pinch of sea salt. (The sea salt is optional but it helps to bring out the flavor of the chocolate.)
- Once all turtles are complete, transfer the baking sheet to the fridge for 20-30 minutes until the chocolate has completely solidified.
- Once solidified, the turtles can be eaten immediately, or stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 turtle
- Calories: 185 calories
- Sugar: 21 grams
- Fat: 9 grams
- Carbohydrates: 26 grams
- Fiber: 3 grams
- Protein: 2 grams