I’ve been making homemade chocolates – by which I mean melted chips sprinkled with various things that sound like they will probably taste good together and then poured onto wax paper to harden – for a couple of years now. They’re one of my go-tos mostly because they’re so easy to make, but also – let’s be honest, now – because they’re virtually guaranteed to elicit impressed oohs and aahs from anyone who has not themselves made homemade chocolates (and is thus unaware that the process involves a microwave and approximately three minutes).
It’s completely unjustified showing-off, and I am okay with that.
The chocolates that I made last weekend and brought over to my friend Amy’s place pulled the double-duty of being very delicious (basically a DIY version of one of my all-time favorite chocolate bars, Cadbury’s Fruit & Nut) and providing a nice little boost to the skin. They contain ingredients that taste great and are specifically targeted at protecting your skin from damaging UV rays and inflammation: antioxidant-packed cherries and almonds filled with Vitamin E.
1. Melt 6 oz of finely chopped dark chocolate (go for the best stuff you can find; I used good-quality chocolate chips) in a double-boiler or in the microwave (heat in 30-second increments, stirring in between to prevent burning).
2. Stir in ½ cup dried cherries and 1 cup toasted almonds.
3. Spoon heaping tablespoon-sized clusters onto a sheet of wax paper.
4. Place in the refrigerator to set.
Tip: If you’d like to make chocolate bark rather than clusters, spread the melted chocolate onto a baking sheet covered with wax paper (making sure that the fruit and nuts are spread out more or less evenly) and let harden in the refrigerator before breaking into pieces.
