We love chocolate in our home. Usually I like my chocolate plain. It is great just the way it is. However, it is fun to try new things from time to time. With Valentine’s Day around the corner I thought it would be fun to create something delicious, healthier, and a little festive in case there were any holiday parties to attend. I wanted to make something nut allergy friendly and simple. Mission accomplished! These are so good my kids devoured them, superfoods and all.
For this recipe I used enjoy life chocolate chips as they are completely allergen friendly with no dairy, gluten, soy, or nuts. Using a double boiled (for the first time ever) is worth the extra effort. The microwave does not melt the chocolate chips evenly and can even burn the chocolate. Heaven forbid! I used a small and a medium-sized pot. I filled the medium-sized pot with just enough water to touch the small pot. Filled the small pot with the chocolate chips and turned the heat onto medium-high. Waited for a bit of steam to start coming up and started stirring with a wooden spoon. The chocolate melted quickly and the texture was smooth.
I will never melt chocolate chips in the microwave again!
For the toppings I decided on raw sunflower seeds, pepitas, goji berries, coconut flakes and sea salt. I chose these as my superfood tops because:
Sunflower seeds are rich in vitamin E, copper, B1, and phosphorus. Vitamin E is anti-inflammatory and actually reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease. Phosphorus is essential for bone and teeth health. (source)
Pepitas (pumpkin seeds without the shell) are rich in manganese, phosphorus, magnesium, and zinc. Magnesium has been getting a lot of attention lately and for good reason. Magnesium has been shown to reduce the severity of asthma, lower blood pressure, and have a healthy metabolism. Zinc is the other important mineral pepitas give us. Zinc is essential for protein synthesis and boosting the immune system. (source)
Goji berries contain all essential amino acids, are high in vitamin C and contain 21 trace minerals. On top of all this, they are anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal. (source)
Once the chocolate has melted completely, turn off the heat. Using a spoon I made 2-3 inch cookie sized chocolate drops then gently sprinkled the toppings. Once the toppings are on, I gently pressed them into the chocolate so they wouldn’t fall off. I really like a little salt with my chocolate and decided to sprinkle a touch on top. Ah-mazing.
Nut-Free Chocolate Superfood Drops
Ingredients
- 2 cups enjoy life mini chocolate chips
- 1/8 cup raw sunflower seeds
- 1/8 cup raw pepitas
- 1/8 cup goji berries
- 1/8 cup raw unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/4 tsp sea salt optional
Instructions
- Using two pans, make a double boiler. (Or if you have a double boiler, use that.) Heat the water in to a simmer on medium-high heat.
- Stir chocolate chips until thoroughly melted. Remove from heat.
- Line a baking sheet (or 2) with parchment paper and make 20-25 chocolate drops 2-3 inches in size.
- Gently press in seeds, berries, and coconut onto the chocolate. Place in the refrigerator until hard. Once hard, place into an airtight container and store in the fridge until eaten.
1 thought on “Nut-Free Chocolate Superfood Drops”
love it! Easy, sweet, healthy and its on the menu for my Valentine!