PALEO TOASTED HAZELNUT CARAMEL TURTLES

Recipe from the Gutsy Baker

These toasted hazelnut turtles are no bake, easy to make and delicious little bites of sweet paleo caramel drizzled with Hu Dark Chocolate Gems.

First, make the caramel. In a medium saucepan, combine the can of coconut milk and the coconut sugar and turn on the heat to a medium low. When it reaches a slow boil (keep an eye, it happens fast and will bubble over!) turn down the heat to low and let simmer. You will start to stir after about 10 minutes, and then stir every 10 minutes for 55-60 minutes. Depending on your coconut milk brand, you may need to simmer more or less. You will see the mix thicken and start to bubble like a caramel about 45 minutes in. For the caramel to become sticky caramel and not a sauce, let this simmer until darker brown, it will coat and stick to the back of a spoon when run through. Another test is to place a little spoonful of the caramel on a plate and place in freezer for 5-8 minutes. This will be the texture of the caramel once cooled. You want this to be thicker, sticky and gooey so it holds its shape, not runny.

When the caramel is ready, remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and sea salt. Let cool to room temperature and place in fridge until completely chilled.

Meanwhile, toast your hazelnuts. On a large baking sheet, lay out your nuts and set your oven to 350F. Bake for 10-12 minutes until nuts turn a toasty golden brown. Transfer to a bowl and let cool to room temperature. You may also do this in a pan on the stovetop.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Place a cluster of hazelnuts on the baking sheet, roughly 8-10 nuts in a small circle or pile so they are all touching. Repeat this until all the nuts are used.

Carefully spoon the caramel on top of the hazelnut clusters, about 1 tbsp of caramel per cluster (or more if preferred). If the nuts separate while you are spooning the caramel, rearrange them with your fingers back into clusters. Repeat until all the nuts are topped with caramel.

With a spatula, loosen up the nut/caramel pieces off the baking sheet so they are ready for their chocolate bath. The bottoms may be sticky but you should be able to keep them together in one piece.

In a small microwave safe bowl, combine your Hu Dark Chocolate Gems and the coconut oil. Heat in 30 second increments and stir well between heating. The trick is to just melt the chocolate and not overheat it or have it become too hot. If the gems are almost melted, just keep stirring until they melt in rather than reheating. You may also do this on the stovetop in a small saucepan.

Now with a fork, slide one of the caramel clusters so it’s laying on top. Carefully dip the fork and cluster into the chocolate, but just the bottom so it’s slightly coated. This is to cover the stickiness of the caramel on the bottom. Repeat with all clusters and place back on the baking sheet. Now, spoon the remaining chocolate on top of each cluster. You can cover the whole cluster but I like to keep some nuts and caramel exposed. Sprinkle the tops with flaky salt.

Place in freezer or fridge to set, 5-10 minutes. Once the chocolate is firm, you can peel them off the parchment and store in them in an airtight container. They’ll be great stored in the freezer for a couple of months, and in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.