What if I were to tell you that these no-bake chocolate treats take only 10 minutes to make and require only three ingredients? Yes, it is true, and it cannot hurt that these quick-and-easy treats also happen to be good for us too!
Let’s talk about the basic ingredients: melted chocolate, nuts, and dried fruit; that’s it! I used dark chocolate for this recipe because it is not too sweet and it has high cocoa content. You can of course use semisweet, milk, or even white chocolate, if that is what you prefer. Roasted almonds, or hazelnuts, are good choices for nuts. As for dried fruit, I used dried cranberries for this recipe, but dried cherries, chopped dried apricots, or even chopped dried plums would also work nicely. As a variation to the basic recipe, I have often mixed half of the melted chocolate with nuts and dried fruit and half of it with a cereal, like granola, a puffed rice, or cornflakes. You will see that each one has a different texture and crunch to it.
If you are looking for a quick baking project this weekend, you should try these simple chocolate confections. Most probably you already have all the ingredients in your pantry right now. Have a wonderful weekend friends!
- 3 oz. good quality bittersweet chocolate (like Lindt or Perugina or Scharffen-Berger)
- ¾ cup whole almonds (or hazelnuts), toasted
- ¼ cup dried cherries (or other dried fruit – If you use a larger dried fruit, such as apricots or dried plums, dice them into raisin-sized pieces)
- Optional:
- 1 cup granola, Corn Flakes or puffed rice cereal
- --- pearl sugar and/or sprinkles for decoration
- Break the chocolate into 1” pieces and place in a glass bowl. Set over a small saucepan with simmering water. After a few minutes the chocolate should start melting. Stir with a rubber spatula until the chocolate is glossy, smooth, and completely melted.
- Toast the nuts in a skillet over medium-low heat, stirring frequently. Set them aside to cool completely. Place the toasted nuts in a small bowl and mix in the dried fruit.
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or plastic wrap.
- Pour the melted chocolate into the bowl with the nuts and dried fruit. Mix well with a spoon to coat the nuts with the chocolate. Using a tablespoon, scoop a spoonful of the chocolate-almond mixture and drop it onto the lined cookie sheet. Sprinkle with pearl sugar if desired. Cool until hardened.
- (Optional and highly recommended: – If you would like to make a batch that is half nuts & dried fruits, and half cereal, double the chocolate to six ounces and pour half of it over the nut and dried fruits, then pour the other half of the melted chocolate over the cereal and mix well until combined and well coated. Spoon the chocolate treats onto the lined cookie sheet. Cool until hardened, per above.)
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