Vegan Chocolate "Turtles"

A new favorite vegan treat! Chocolate turtles made healthier with simple ingredients, including fiber-rich dates.

Ingredients

12-15 dates

½ cup dark chocolate chips

¼ cup pecan butter (or nut butter of your choice)

Sea salt (optional)

Toppings (chia seeds, pecans, rose petals, , cacao powder and/or almonds - optional)

Tools:

Double boiler or glass measuring cup with handle (to melt chocolate)

Piping bag (optional)

Instructions

1. Line tray with parchment paper.

2. Remove pits from dates and line on parchment paper.

3. Add pecan butter in piping bag or zip lock bag (cut the corner to make a makeshift piping bag) or place pecan butter in freezer to get firm (be sure not to freeze it).

4. Pipe pecan butter into the hole/slit of the date. Place back on parchment paper.

5. Once you've added the pecan butter into all of your dates, place tray in the freezer.

6. Allow to freeze for about 1-2 hours.

7. About 20 mins before removing the dates from the freezer, set up your double boiler. If you don't have a double boiler on hand, a glass measuring cup and large pot will do.

8. If using measuring cup, fill pot to where the cup can hang off the side of the pot and not submerge. We want to be sure not to get water into the cup once we add the chocolate.

9. Add chocolate chips to dry measuring cup.

10. Bring water to a boil then hang cup off chocolate cups off the side of the pot.

11. Stir chocolate chips occasionally until completely melted.

12. Once the chocolate is completely melted, remove dates from freezer.

13. Use a fork to submerge the pecan butter-filled dates into the pool of chocolate until completely covered. Remove and place back on parchment paper.

14. Let you creativity run wild by adding your favorite superfood toppings and/or salt before the chocolate hardens.

15. Place back in the freezer for 30mins - 1 hour.

16. After 30-mins - 1 hour remove try from freezer and enjoy.

17. Store in a freezer.

** If you have leftover chocolate, don't let it go to waste. Use it to make a bark by adding herb, dried fruit, nuts, seeds, etc. Spread on a sheet of parchments paper and freeze.