Salted Caramel Turtle Mini Cupcakes

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~ raw, vegan, gluten-free, grain-free ~

I made these, especially for my sweet love… Bob.  Ok, ok, I make everything for him!  But he told me not too long ago that he loves turtles.  Now that I think about it, I hope he was talking about those turtle candies because that is how I understood it. haha

I wanted to create a dessert for you that you could throw together super fast yet make your friends and family believe that you “slaved all day in the kitchen” making this treat.  Shhh, this will be our little secret.

So hop into the kitchen and whip up a batch of four or five of these and throw them in the freezer.  They freeze beautifully!

Why is that so neat? Because you can make them up ahead of time, keep them fresh in the freezer, and only require a little time to thaw.  You hear a knock at the front door, you swing it open, and there stands ten of your in-laws… No problem!!

Invite them in (yes, you have to), and while they are removing their coats and shoes, you can quickly escape to the kitchen, pull these babies out of the freezer, put them on a decorative plate, and voila!  They are ready to eat. Where there is a plus, there is often a minus… they get soft after 30 minutes, so they need to be enjoyed soon after removing from the freezer or fridge.  I tested all of this, so I have taken the guess-work out of it for you.

I have made this recipe many times and found that I enjoy them dehydrated for 6-8 hours. It deepens the flavor, changes the texture of the cupcake to be a tad denser, and are just heavenly if enjoyed warm. You have many options, test them all and see what works best for you. I hope you enjoy this recipe. Please be sure to leave a comment below. Blessings, amie sue

Ingredients:

Yields 35 mini cupcakes (1 Tbsp (17 g)  each)

Brownie Ingredients:

• 2 cups (380 g) packed, moist almond pulp
• 1/4 cup (53 g) coconut oil, melted
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup raw cacao powder
• 1/2 tsp (15 g) ground cinnamon
• 6 large Medjool dates, pitted
• Dash of sea salt

Caramel Ingredients:

• 1 cup packed Medjool dates, pitted
• 3 Tbsp water

Turtle Shells:

• 30 raw pecans, soaked and dehydrated
• coarse sea salt

Preparation:

Brownie:

1. In a food processor, fitted with the “S” blade, combine the almond pulp, coconut oil, sweetener, cacao powder, cinnamon, dates, and salt. Process until smooth, making sure not to over-process (which will create excess oil).
   • Almond meal ~ you can use any nut for this.  If you don’t have any nuts presoaked and dehydrated ( a good habit to get into), you can skip this step if you are in a hurry.  For optimum health, it is best to soak the nuts to remove the phytic acids.
2. Press mixture into a mini muffin pan. Fill each mold to the top and level it flat.
   • I had some small cupcake/candy liners, so I placed those in each cavity of the mold before filling.
3. Place in the freezer while you make the caramel frosting.

Caramel & Assembly:

1. In the same food processor, blend the dates and water until creamy.  Stop every so often to scrape the sides down.
   • Make sure that you triple check that no pits get into the food processor. It takes just one to ruin a recipe.
   • If the dates are really hard and dry, soaking in enough warm water to cover them for about 15 minutes. Once done soaking. hand-squeeze the excess water from them before using.
2. Transfer the batter into a piping bag that is fitted with a large circular tip.
3. Remove the mini cupcake pan from the freezer and pipe the caramel on top.
4. Sprinkle large coarse sea salt over the caramel.
5. Place a single pecan on top and lightly press it into the cupcake.
6. Serve right away or cover with plastic and store in the fridge or freezer.

Dehydrator Option:

1. Place the cupcakes, liner, and all in the dehydrator. Warm at 115 degrees (F) for 4-8 hours. Test them throughout the process to see what timing you like.

 

Tags: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, No Dehydration Required, Refined Sugar Free, Soy Free, Vegan