Healthified Chocolate Turtles

If Christmas at your house is anything like Christmas at my house, it's usually filled with goodies of all sorts, spread all over the house. If lacking even an ounce of discipline, one is in trouble. Chocolate, nuts, sweets, squares, cookies etc laden tables everywhere, beckoning to be tried, enjoyed and relished with a whole heart. But why does every treat we enjoy have to be accompanied with a small measure of guilt (or sometimes even a large measure of guilt)? Why not have treats that not only taste every bit as amazing as what you would normally enjoy, but are also healthier alternatives? I can't think of anything "sweeter" then enjoying my favourite Christmas treats, knowing I'm not filling myself with an over-abundance and excess of sugar, empty calories and high fat.

I have an absolute weakness for all things sweet. My husband likes sour treats, but give me something sweet and I'll be your friend. Especially caramel and chocolate (usually made complete with a sprinkling of sea salt, of course). One of my favourite indulgences of the Christmas season, are turtles. How could I not? Caramel and nuts surrounded by a perfect chocolate coating. Chewing and gooey and keeps me coming back for more. Well, today we are going to make a "healthified" version of this Christmas staple, and I guarantee you won't be disappointed with the results. I'm so thrilled with how the turtles turned out, so much so that I will definitely be making these for the family this Christmas.

I got this recipe on one my favourite foodie blogs Healthful Pursuit. It's a brilliant blog with loads of amazing, healthy recipes to glean from that are almost all allergen-free, so head on over there after you read this, to find more ideas for healthy, holiday recipes.

HEALTHIFIED CHOCOLATE TURTLES

Ingredients:

6 Dates

3/4 cups of chocolate chips, melted (you can use dairy free, sugar free, or gluten free if you so choose. I used semi-sweet chipits)

48 pecan halves

(I doubled this recipe and so made 24 turtles instead of 12)

Directions:

- Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

- Cut the dates in half, lengthwise. Remove the pit.

- Press the halves out to form turtle-looking shells.

- Press 4 pecan halves into the date.

- Add about 1/2 teaspoon of chocolate into the middle of the pecans.

- Flip over and press down slightly until the chocolate makes contact with the parchment paper and seeps out a little bit.

- Place in the freezer for a few minutes to harden the chocolate up.

- Dip the turtles into the chocolate and completely cover. Place the coated turtles on a new piece of parchment paper.

 - Enjoy!

Hope you enjoy and Merry Christmas!

Happy Eating!