Fruity Dark Chocolate

“Your hand and your mouth agreed many years ago that, as far as chocolate is concerned, there is no need to involve your brain.” Dave Barry, American humorist 

There’s a health-affirming diet and there’s deprivation. I love chocolate too much to ever confuse the two. Here is a recipe my daughters and I particularly love. It is actually rather healthy — full of antioxidants and fiber — but it doesn’t taste like it. At all. Enjoy.

Fruity Dark Chocolate

Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper. Set aside.

Assemble dried fruit and nuts, chopping large pieces into small ones if needed. Set aside. (We prefer a mix of apricots, cashews, raisins, cranberries, cherries — whatever we have on hand. The more colorful the mix, the prettier the result will be.)

Setting the timer for one minute at a time and stirring between intervals, melt one package dark chocolate in a thick glass bowl in the microwave until morsels are smooth and can be poured. (If you are vegan or dairy free, check the chocolate label to make sure your morsels are dark enough to not include any milk products.)

Working quickly, pour and scrape all the chocolate into a puddle on the waxed paper. Immediately sprinkle the fruit and nut bits over the melted surface. Use your fingers to press the nuts and fruit down into the chocolate if needed.

Let the mix cool at room temperature until hardened. Break into chunks. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

P.S. Books can also be savored. My new beach read, “Dune Girl,” is a light, bright taste of summer. It’s available through Amazon as an e-book — downloadable to Kindle, smart phones and tablets — at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DLC6K43.