TIP OF THE DAY: Make Chocolate-Covered Nuts & Nut Clusters

[1] Chocolate-covered almonds with sea salt. Photo courtesy Paleo Leap.

[2] For a bigger bite (and they’re even easier to make): chocolate-covered nut clusters (photo courtesy Lindt USA).

[3] Nuts setting on parchment paper (photo courtesy Paleo Lezap).

November 7th is National Bittersweet Chocolate With Almonds Day, which made us think:

Why don’t we make chocolate-covered nuts as gifts…and, not selflessly, for our own snacking. You need only two ingredients: chocolate and nuts.

Melt the chocolate, toss in the nuts: It’s that easy.

Among the choice of confections, we think of chocolate-covered nuts as almost guilt-free.

 
You can use any nuts you wish, but the “magnificent seven,” those with the lowest saturated fats, are:

 
You can use your chocolate of choice—dark, milk, white—but the darker the chocolate, the more flavonoids—the antioxidants that provide health benefits*. Milk chocolate doesn’t have much of them.

The following recipe makes individually-covered nuts, but it’s even easier to make clusters:

You don”t have to remove individual nuts from the chocolate. Just scoop the chocolate-covered nuts out with a tablespoon.
 
 
RECIPE: CHOCOLATE COVERED NUTS

This recipe is from Paleo Leap.

Prep time is 10 minutes, cook time is 10 minutes.

Ingredients For 4 Servings

 
Preparation

1. COVER a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler over medium heat, stirring until fully melted. Stir the almonds into the chocolate, and toss until well coated.

2. REMOVE the nuts with a fork or a slotted spoon (shake to eliminate excess chocolate) and place onto the baking sheet and sprinkle almonds with sea salt. Set aside until the chocolate is set.

To make nut clusters: Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto the baking sheet.

3. STORE in the fridge until ready to serve.

*Flavonoids have anti-inflammatory benefits, cardiovascular system benefits, and support a healthy nervous system (nerve regeneration, cognitive function, etc.).