Caramel Pear Chocolates

Believe it or not, this recipe was actually a mistake. I tell you, if all my mistakes were this wonderful I wouldn't have any problems at all!

I was actually making the chocolate sauce for something else and ended up only using about half of it (don't worry, I already halved the original recipe for this post). I figured I should try to come up with an idea to use the rest, because I know much better than to waste chocolate. I didn't want to put it in the fridge for later because I knew it would solidify and be difficult to work with. Then I thought, why not make mini chocolates with it and THEN let it harden!

So, I opened the fridge and cabinets to try and figure out what I could use. I saw there was half of a pear in the fridge from earlier that day and immediately knew that is what I wanted to use. But was pear chocolate going to be enough? I'm sure it would be perfectly tasty, but I wanted something more.

Then I saw the dates, and I knew a caramel topping was the way to go! And believe me, it did not disappoint. The pears added a nice juiciness to the chocolate and the caramel made me feel like I was eating a decadent dessert. Definitely a perfect match. :)

Ingredients:

Chocolates:

• 3 TBSP Coconut oil, measure before melting
• 1/4 Cup Cocoa powder
• 1-2 TBSP Raw honey
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 Pear, peeled and diced into fairly small chunks

Caramel Topping:

• 5 Dates, pitted
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
• 1 TBSP Coconut oil
• Pinch or two of salt
• 1-2 TBSP Water

Directions:

Line a mini muffin tin with about 12-15 paper liners. Heat the coconut oil in a small saucepan until fully melted. Add cocoa powder and stir over low heat until fully dissolved. Add 1 TBSP honey and a pinch of salt and stir until well incorporated. Taste and adjust sweet/saltiness to your preference. I only used 1 TBSP honey, and I found it to be plenty sweet for me.

Pour melted chocolate sauce into prepared muffin cups, about 2/3 full. You may need more than 12 paper liners, (I ended up with 13) it depends on how thick you make your chocolates. Next drop a few of the diced pears into each chocolate cup and place in freezer while you make your caramel.

To make caramel combine dates, vanilla, coconut oil, salt, and 1 TBSP water in a powerful blender or food processor. Puree until you achieve a caramel colored, slightly chunky, consistency. Or, if you prefer a smoother caramel, add an extra tablespoon or so of water and puree a bit longer. I used 1 and 1/2 TBSP water in mine, and my caramel was mostly smooth with a few chunks here and there. It was delicious!

Next remove the chocolates from the freezer and spread a small amount of caramel onto each piece (about 1/2 - 1 teaspoon).

And that's it! Eat them now, or store in the fridge for later.

I couldn't wait until later.... :p