Chocolate Cherry Nut Clusters

Everyone loves chocolate…I find that my most popular recipes always include chocolate. So when thinking about creating my next recipe I knew chocolate was a must. Texture was the second thing I considered – this time I was in the mood for a good crunch! Now, most of the time crunch comes from nuts. But if you’re anything like me you know that nuts can be dangerous – before you know it you’ve had WAY more than a single healthy serving in one sitting.With this in mind I decided to also use puffed millet; it’s simply just a puffed grain. No funky additives, super clean, and offers the perfect crunch. The combination of chocolate, nuts and puffed cereal is both satisfying and smart, as it balances each component in moderation.I recently found unsweetened dark cherries at Trader Joe’s; they offer a beautiful tart and sweet edge to the mix. If you can’t find unsweetened cherries then any dried fruit works. Just be sure its unsweetened – no need for added sugar in dried fruit! I also used a mixture of slivered almonds and pistachios because I find that nut combination to be a perfect marriage of texture and taste. To make the chocolate super creamy and ganache-like I used Unsweetened So Delicious Cashew Milk. It’s rich and creamy and healthy to boot! It’s one of my favorite nut milks and, when added with coconut oil, ensures that when you freeze the clusters they harden up and become crunchy.This chocolate-filled cereal/nut/dried fruit mixture totally reminds me of haystacks – but “healthified!” And since they are light and airy from the puffed millet,  you can help yourself to two or three without feeling weighed down (by the snack or the guilt!). For this recipe I made them into little clusters but I have also made this on a big tray where I spread out the mixture, freeze it and then break it up. Bakers choice!Recipe:

• 2 cups puffed millet
• 1/2 cup pistachios
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• 1/2 cup dried cherries
• 1 bag stevia sweetened chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup coconut oil (melted) 
• 1/4 cup So Delicious unsweetened cashew milk

1. In a large mixing bowl combine puffed millet, pistachios, almonds and dried cherries. Mix well.
2. Over a double broiler (or you can use a microwave), add chocolate, coconut oil, and cashew milk, stirring it until it is all melted and you have a smooth mixture.
3. Combine cereal mix and chocolate mix. You may need to use your hands. Using a tablespoon, form balls and place on a tray in the freezer. Or you can make one big sheet of the mixture on a tray, freeze it for 2 hours and then break it up. You may have some loose mixture which I always put into a little baggy in the freezer for snacking!