Spring is here! The most beautiful season is bursting open with green buds and seedlings everywhere the earth permits. In celebration of the magic that’s taking place right in front of our eyes, we have created special treats that celebrate the true essence of Spring. These are Sweet Seedlings from the Earth – little dessert treats that are delicious, quick and easy to make and vegan! Who said you can’t eat dirt!? Chocolate dirt that is! Kids would love to make (and eat) these little treats right after a big day of gardening outside. So if you do have little growing sprouts around, do include them in this earth-loving recipe. Here’s what to do:

 Ingredients:

{vegan with gluten-free and ‘nut’ free option}

•  1 cup dark chocolate squares (dark as it’s naturally dairy free and has less sugar)
• ¼ cup hemp hearts
•  ¼ cup coconut flakes (unsweetened)
• ¼ cup slivered almonds
• small handful of pretzel sticks (can be gluten-free)
• fresh mint leaves for your seedlings

The dried seeds, nuts and fruit can be easily changed to your liking. One thing to remember is that you need a fine grind ingredient such as the hemp hearts and some larger pieced for texture.

Directions : (these are actually very quick and easy to make – the description is just wordy ;)

1. Rinse and gently dry off your mint leaves with paper towel and set aside. You can store your mint leaves in a cup with water in your refrigerator for longer freshness. (being careful that the leaves don’t touch the water, so you may need to remove some of the leaves)
2. Melt the chocolate (I place mine in a bowl over a pot with boiling water- it does the trick pretty well – we then use the same bowl to mix our ingredients (so we don’t waste any chocolate! ;) For mixing, invite some children if you have any around. I had one and she did a pretty good job including the taste testing ;)
3. Scoop a spoonful of your chocolatey dirt onto parchment paper and  shape into circles. Check below as to when the best time is to add your mint leaves as they will wilt if left for too long.
4. Adding Seedlings (Mint)
5. You will use the tops of your mint sprigs for the seedlings. Cut about 1.5-2″ down from the top (look for a natural leaf burst and cut so the shape looks even and resembles a seedling).

Serving in 30-60 minutes : Insert the stem of the mint plant (making sure it’s dry) into the center of the chocolate earth, while still soft. Place into the refrigerator for about 20 minutes to set or longer – up to an hour. Serve immediately.

Serving next day : Use a toothpick to poke a hole through the chocolate earth circles and place in the refrigerator without the mint plants in them. You may want to re-poke them a few hours later so the still-soft chocolate won’t fill in the hole. Next day, just before serving, insert the mint leaf tops (stems dried off from the water).

School Safe Alternatives

Not all schools allow almonds, to be safe, check with your school’s policy about almonds if you want to bring them to school. If you can’t use almonds, other options such as sunflower or pumpkin seeds, goji berries, sesame seeds etc. would also be great.

Hope you like this earth-loving Spring treat! Never thought you could be drooling over some dirt, did you now?

Ella Leché is a mother, photographer/ graphic designer and blogger with a passionate mission of spreading health and happiness! Lifeologia.com is where she shares inspirational, creative and healthful tips for real-life women. She loves to bake and do crafts with her daughter, loves nature, her family and, of course her camera. Ella’s shift into a vegan diet transformed her life ~ and she shares her secrets to wellness on her blog Lifeologia!