Healthy Chocolate Turtles

Aren’t we all looking for a healthy way to incorporate chocolate into our daily lives? These Chocolate Turtles are such a great opportunity to do that! With a balance of healthy fats and protein from the nut butter and pecans and of course the sweetness from the chocolate, you can have that balance: a healthy snack with chocolate!

What stands out

We know you’re going to fall in love with these chocolate turtles not only because they’re healthy, but also because they’re so straightforward to make. With only four ingredients some of which you probably already have on hand, you’ll be able to whip these up in no time. These are such a fun treat to make with kids too – so definitely have them help!

What else is there to love about these? The texture of this cute snack is phenomenal; the crunch of the pecans alongside the hard chocolate shell and smooth nut butter is incomparable. Not to mention, if you add the salt on top, you’re living you best sweet and salty life.

How to Prepare

Get one date, take out the pit, open it up, and lay it flat onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Add a teaspoon of any nut or seed butter on the flat date and place one pecan on each corner of the date.

Add another teaspoon of nut/seed butter on top then repeat this process for each date.

Freeze for about 15-20 minutes or until the dates and nut butter have solidified.

Right before you take them out of the freezer, melt the chocolate in the microwave or over a double boiler. We like to cut ours into chunks and melt it over a double boiler.

Take the dates out of the freezer and dip each one in melted chocolate, placing them back onto the baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Freeze again for 5-10 minutes, then take out and sprinkle sea salt on top.

NOTE: Before you sprinkle them with sea salt you can add a drizzle of chocolate on top for presentation to make the chocolate design that you see in our post and freeze for a third time just for 5 minutes.

These treats can remain refrigerated for weeks! Enjoy.

Kitchen tip

Before you sprinkle the dates with sea salt, you can add a drizzle of chocolate on top for the presentation to make the chocolate design that you see in our post, and freeze for a third time just for 5 minutes. Add sea salt and enjoy!

Swaps

These turtles can be modified for dietary restrictions, allergies, or preferences. Don’t forget to let us know in the comments how you make them your own (and include a picture!)

1. You can certainly use any type of chocolate youprefersuchas milk, dark, white, or a combination.
2. Instead of pecans, feel free to use walnuts.
3. If you want a sweeter turtle, try using caramel in place of nut butter.
4. Seed butter could be used in place of nut butter if you need to accommodate for allergies.
5. For an even more decadent turtle, try these with Nutella inside.

Serve it with

• These are fine on their own (or could be served with coffee, teach, or cold milk for kids).
• Feel free to serve with coffee and some similar snacks like pretzels, and cheeses or you could add it to charcuterie.

Questions

What can i use if we are allergic to nuts?

If you have a nut allergy, you can certainly use seed butter to accommodate.

i don’t like dates, is there an alternative?

Absolutely, if you don’t like dates you can arrange 4 or 5 pecans on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and form a circle. Now, we would pour the melted caramel right in the middle to bind them together then freeze. Once frozen you can dip into more melted chocolate and enjoy!

can i use milk chocolate instead?

You can definitely use milk chocolate instead of dark chocolate.

how do i store these turtle chocolates?

The turtles should be stored in the fridge and will last for a few weeks!

can i add caramel instead?

You can also use store-bought caramel, or even melt caramel candies and use that instead.

Ingredients

Makes 6 Turtles

• 24 pecans, 4 on each one
• 6 dates, pitted
• 12 teaspoons peanut butter, any nut or seed butter works
• 100 grams dark chocolate, dark or any you like
• pinch sea salt, for the top is optional

Equipment

• Baking Sheet
• Parchment Paper

Method

1. Take one date, take out the pit, open it up and lay it flat onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper
2. Add a teaspoon of any nut or seed butter and place one pecan on each corner.
3. Add another teaspoon of nut/seed butter on top and repeat for each one.
4. Freeze for about 15-20 minutes or until the dates and nut butter have solidified.
5. Right before you take them out of the freezer, melt the chocolate in the microwave or over a double boiler. We like to cut ours into chunks and melt it over a double boiler.
6. Take the dates out and dip each one in melted chocolate placing them back onto the baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Freeze again for 5-10 minutes, take out and sprinkle sea salt on top.
7. NOTE: Before you sprinkle them with sea salt you can add a drizzle of chocolate on top for presentation to make the chocolate design that you see in our post and freeze for a third time just for 5 minutes.
8. These treats can remain refrigerated for weeks! Enjoy.

Kitchen notes

Please remember what is healthy to us may not be healthy to someone else as we are all individual with different lifestyles. Calories will depend on the ingredients you use, this recipe makes 6 large turtles, so feel free to adjust if needed.