Whole 30 Chocolate Caramels

So, despite eating 5 delicious cookies today, we're still mostly doing Whole 30 for a while. Had you told me the first day of November that this recipe for "caramels" would be delicious, I would have wrinkled my nose at you. After a full series of Whole 30 and then another 10 days on it in January, these were delicious. They're like Larabars, except this version has chocolate. For truly Whole 30, you'd need to omit the vanilla paste or extract. Here's the adaptation I did from Heart Beet Kitchen's version.

Whole 30 Chocolate Caramels
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. pecans
1 cup lightly packed pitted dates (about 184 grams)
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. unsweetened shredded coconut
2 1/2 Tbsp. unsweetened dark cocoa powder
2 tsp. melted coconut oil
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
pinch of salt

In a food processor, puree pecans for 1 minute, until they are broken down and start to release their oils. Then add dates and coconut. Puree for another minute, scraping down halfway in between, until the mixture is relatively smooth. Then add remaining ingredients, and puree until mostly smooth and sticky.

Pat into parchment lined small pan. Smooth down and press firmly, with additional parchment paper on top, so your hands don't stick. Chill in the refrigerator for an hour. Remove, and lift parchment out of pan, loosing edges with knife if needed, and cut into small squares. Makes 16 squares.