Salted Date Caramel Pecan Clusters aka vegan chocolate turtles

I set out to make these one year around Christmas time. My mum every single year gets a box of chocolate turtles. If my brother is home, there will be a second box, or three. Chocolate Turtles are then eaten morning, noon and night for the first couple of days ha. My thought process is always, "how can I make something delicious but with better for you ingredients?" This recipe is the result. They don't necessarily taste like chocolate turtles exactly, but they are certainly inspired by them.

This is the chocolate I use

These chocolate pecan caramel clusters happen to be delicious and simple to make, too. Dates make incredible "caramel". They get soaked in water just to soften, and then blitzed with a bit of vanilla, a splash of plant milk and a pinch of salt. Then you just mix the date mixture with toasted pecans, portion it into irregular shaped clusters, chill, then dip into melted chocolate. Then finally a sprinkle of sea salt before the chocolate hardens. I can't decide if I like these better straight from the freezer or room temp. Both ways are good. The date caramel stays soft even in the freezer, a tasty contrast from the hard chocolate. Either way, salty caramel bites with pecans and chocolate is an addictive situation. 

I'll definitely be switching up the nuts in these. How about adding some dried fruit? I used 1 cup of pecans in the recipe, next time I might try increasing it to 1 1/2 cups, but they were delicious as is. 

Yield: 16 clusters (depending on size)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups whole pitted dates, soaked in water for a few hours
• 2 cups chocolate chips (I used camino semi sweet. You really want a GOOD quality chocolate)
• 1 cup pecan pieces, toasted
• 2 tsp coconut oil (or as needed for melting chocolate)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 tbsp plant milk (I used cashew cream)
• Sea salt for sprinkling

Method:

1. Cover dates with warm water and let them soak for a couple hours or until softened. Then discard the liquid.
2. Add dates to a food processor with vanilla and plant milk. Blitz together, scraping down sides. It won't be completely smooth, which is ok. You just need it to blitz it as best you can to break down the dates so you can fold in the nuts. 
3. Transfer dates to a bowl, mix in toasted pecan pieces and a couple pinches of sea salt. Feel free to give it a taste. Refrigerate mixture for 30 min - 1 hour for easier portioning. 
4. Now use a spoon and make irregular shaped mounds and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet. I pop the portioned date and nut mixture into the fridge or freezer for a while so it is easier to dip into the chocolate. 
5. Over a double boiler add chocolate chips with a bit of coconut oil. (I tried not using coconut oil but I find a bit is needed to loosen the chocolate.)
6. Using two forks dip each mound into the melted chocolate and back onto the parchment lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with sea salt while the chocolate is still wet.
7. When finished you can pop the tray into the freezer to harden. Transfer the clusters into a container to keep in the freezer once they are frozen. Enjoy straight from the freezer or take a couple out and bring to room temperature if desired. ENJOY