Today I veganize one of my favorite classic candy treats: Chocolate Turtles! Crunchy raw pecans, gooey-rich coconut date caramel and velvety chocolate drizzled over top. Make these are feel like Willy Wonka.

Plus watch my video to help you make these delicious, cutie, caramel-filled treats..

It is Halloween week!

That means I do a few things..

Watch Hocus Pocus.
Troll Halloween costume stores but rarely actually decide on a costume.
Ponder said costume. And Halloween plans.
Browse endless DIY costumes online and decide I will never be that fabric-ly crafty.
Remember Halloween is on a Saturday so I have NO EXCUSE not to dress up and have fun.
Remember I have tickets to Disneyland's Mickey's Halloween Party. Excitement ensues.
Ponder costume. Must be Disney themed. Right?
Evil Queen? Modern day princess? Hipster Ariel? Alison from Hocus Pocus? Braid + flowers = Rapunzel? Not a princess. I am 34. Not 5. Or do I slap on some Mickey ears and call it a day? Hm.
Must. Get. Husband. To. Dress. Up. Too.
Pause on all Halloween thoughts and just make candy.
Turtles.
Chocolate Turtles.

So what else could I possibly do on my Halloween Friday than make these chocolate turtles? Maybe make peanut butter cups. But today I wanted to try these guys out. And they came out so great! Jumbo sized and packed with flavor. I love them and hope you do too!

Happy Halloween week!

I used the brand new super powerful, touchscreen enabled Vitamix 780 to blend the caramel. I love this machine!

Recipe Spins:
* Add a dollop of softened peanut or almond butter instead of or over top the caramel for a nutty twist!
* Get super duper sticky-sweeter caramel by using my coconut milk + coconut sugar recipe instead.
* Use raw walnuts in place of pecans for a walnutty twist!
* Add a pinch of cayenne to the chocolate for some heat!
* Add a sprinkle of coarse sea salt on top the turtle for sea-salted flavor.

Video to help you make the recipe!..
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Vegan Chocolate Turtles

By Kathy Patalsky
Published 10/30/2015

These extra gooey, totally amazing vegan chocolate turtles are made using salted Medjool date caramel, raw pecans and rich dark chocolate. Enjoy!

Ingredients

chocolate:
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (vegan)
1-2 tablespoon virgin coconut oil
Date Caramel:
10 Medjool Dates (I used Natural Delights)
2-3 tablespoon warm water (as needed to blend)
2 tablespoon virgin coconut oil
2 tablespoon coconut milk cream
pinch of salt (optional)
Also:
1 cup whole raw pecans
parchment paper lined (small size) baking dish or tray

Instructions

Pit your dates. Soak them in warm water 2-3 minutes.
Add all caramel ingredients to a high speed blender, including the soaked dates. Discard soaking water.
Blend the caramel until smooth. You will need to stop blender to scrape down sides a few times and use a tamper if using a Vitamix. Use the tall skinny container if you have one.
When caramel is done, spoon it into a small bowl and place the bowl in the freezer to chill. Also place the baking sheet you will be using for the turtles in the freezer to get cold.
Create a double broiled for melting you chocolate. Melt chocolate until silky sooth. Pour chocolate into a small bowl and place that bowl in the freezer to cool a bit.
Pull your baking sheet from the freezer and line it with parchment paper.
Pull the caramel and chocolate from the freezer as well and start assembling your turtles. Create a turtle design with the pecans. Then add a dollop of caramel to each turtle. Then top with a spoonful of chocolate. The cold caramel and cold pan will help so that the chocolate does not spread too far when poured. Continue until all turtle are done. Note: If you are using a small baking pan -- you will probably need two pans for all your turtles.
Place the turtles back in the freezer and in 5-15 minutes they will be fully hardened and ready to enjoy! Store leftover in the fridge or freezer.

Yield: 10 turtles
Prep Time: 00 hrs. 25 mins.
Total time: 25 mins.
Tags: candy,chocolate,turtles,vegan,medjool dates,halloween,holiday,treat,desert,pecans