Clean Eating Dark Chocolate “Turtles” …vegan & gluten free delights!

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Who doesn’t love Turtles?! Nope I’m not talking about the cute little reptile… though, most people love those types of turtles too! I’m talking about the good old gimme-some-of-those “mmm..I love Turtles”, Turtles.

They ARE delicious! But, sad face, they aren’t by any means good for you, or made with natural, whole ingredients.. as a matter of fact, let’s look at the ingredients in Nestle Turtles…

SUGAR, PECANS GLUCOSE, MODIFIED MILK INGREDIENTS, COCOA BUTTER, COCOA MASS, MODIFIED PALM OIL, LACTOSE, SALT, SOYA LECITHIN, ARTIFICIAL AND NATURAL FLAVOUR. (taken from the Nestle website)

Boooo.

So what’s in my “clean eating’ version of Turtles, that I promise you are JUST as delicious?

… Dates, pecans, and pure dark chocolate.. that’s it, that’s all.

A winner in the ingredient category I would say! Also, my turtles are lower in calories and in sugars (and the sugars here are unrefined too!).

I actually made these clean eating ‘Turtles’ to bring to a friends party the other weekend, and they were definitely a hit! Everyone loved them, and couldn’t believe how much they really tasted like the original.

They are SO easy to make too, and I know we all love a quick, easy, do-it-with-your-eyes-closed recipe!

Being in the midst of our 12-week Fit Challenge still, a party was a great excuse for me to whip up these delicious little guys.. and yes I will admit, I had one.. OK, I had two.

But, I made sure I didn’t take any home.. and that definitely wasn’t tough, they were gone pretty quickly!

The dates work perfectly as a caramel stand-in, and the dark chocolate is a much better option than regular milk chocolate… and pecans, well, pecans are awesome, AND good for you!

So, really, what’s not to love??

Go make some turtles!! Pack a couple in your lunch this week, and have them as a little afternoon treat when you get that urge to go to the vending machine and get a processed or refined sweet indulgence, you’ll be much happier you had one of these!

5.0 from 8 reviews

Clean Eating Dark Chocolate “Turtles” …vegan & gluten free delights!

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Total time

5 mins

 

These turtles can be kept at room temperature, but the chocolate and date may soften and become sticky, so refrigerate to keep them at their best!

Serves: 15

Ingredients

• 3½ oz dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa, preferably unsweetened or with unrefined sweetener)
• 1 cup pitted dates
• 2 oz pecan halves

Instructions

1. Process dates in a food processor until they become a sticky and very thick jam-like consistency.
2. Roll the processed dates into 15 small balls, place on a lightly greased cookie sheet.
3. Press 3 pecan halves into the date balls.
4. Heat a small saucepan over low heat, add in dark chocolate and slowly melt into a sauce.
5. Pour a small amount of sauce over each date/pecan ball.
6. Place in the fridge to set for at least 10 minutes – the chocolate will harden and hold everything together.
7. Enjoy!

Nutritional Information

Serving size: 1 turtle Calories: 80.9kcal Fat: 5.3g Carbohydrates: 9.8g Sugar: 7.7g Fiber: 0.8g Protein: 0.9g

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