Date Caramel and Chocolate Turtles

A simple way to make homemade caramel that involves no butter and no sugar is date caramel. To make this, simply put pitted dates into a blender or food processor with a bit of water. You can add salt if you desire a salted caramel. Blend until smooth. It will be sticky, so you may need to scrape down the sides of the blender as you go. Because of the fiber in the dates, this caramel will not cause the same blood sugar spike of regular sugar.

In our workshops, we used our caramel to make chocolate turtles. We took a spoonful of the date caramel and added three pecans. Then, we topped the caramel and pecans with melted chocolate and refrigerated until the chocolate hardened.

Dark Chocolate Truffles

12 ounces (about 1 bag) dark chocolate, chopped or in the form of chocolate chips
8 Tbsp coconut milk
1/4 cup (24 g) unsweetened cocoa powder or shredded coconut
optional: 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (or other extract, such as mint extract)
optional (for additional sweetness): 1/8 cup sweetener of choice

Place the chocolate in a medium-sized mixing bowl. In a different mixing bowl, add the coconut milk and microwave for about 20-30 seconds, until warm but not boiling. Pour the hot coconut milk over the chocolate and cover to trap in the heat. Let the chocolate melt for a few minutes, and then stir until smooth. If needed, microwave the mixture for another few seconds and add any optional extract or sweetener. Place this mixture into the refrigerator for several hours, or overnight. This will allow the chocolate to solidify to make it easy to scoop the truffles.

Once the mixture is ready, place the cocoa powder or coconut on a plate. Use a Tablespoon or melon-baller to scoop out the truffles and use your hands to form the chocolate into balls. Roll the truffle balls in the cocoa powder or shredded coconut and tap them a few times to remove the excess topping. Enjoy immediately or save for later by refrigerating them.

Nice Cream (Banana Ice Cream)

You will need:
Frozen (ripe) bananas, peeled and sliced prior to freezing
Toppings and mix-ins
*If your blender is not as strong, a bit of a milk of choice should be used to help the mixture blend.

Put ingredients into the blender, starting with the frozen bananas. Blend until a very smooth and creamy consistency is reached. At the end of blending, add your mix-ins. When finished, enjoy immediately or transfer to a pan to firm up in the freezer.

Apple Crisp

Making a fruit crisp is a delightful way to incorporate fruits into desserts. While we used apples in our recipe, the apples can be replaced with berries or stone fruits (peaches, plums, etc) for a tasty treat!

You will need:

FILLING:
-8 apples
-2 T lemon or lime juice
-2/3 cup coconut sugar
-1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
-1/4 cup fresh apple juice (or water)
-optional: 1 tsp of pumpkin pie spice

TOPPING
-1 cup rolled oats
-1 cup whole wheat flour
-3/4 cup coconut sugar
-1/4 tsp sea salt
-1 tsp cinnamon
-1/2 cup coconut oil or butter

Begin by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F. Peel (optional) and core apples, and slice into thin strips. Add the apples to a bowl and add the other filling ingredients. Mix well and transfer to a baking pan or sheet.

In a separate bowl, combine all topping ingredients and mix well. You can even use your hands if you want! Pour the mix over the apples and bake for 30-45 minutes, or until the filling begins to bubble. Let cool for about 10 minutes and serve. Top with ice cream (or nice cream) if desired.

This recipe is adapted from The Minimalist Baker.