Valentine's Day Chocolate Nut Clusters - Healthy and Hand Dipped

It was the day before Valentine's Day and I was shopping on a budget.  I was at Costco picking up some lettuce but everybody else seemed to be getting roses and chocolates.  At one of the ubiquitous sampling tables I was offered some delicious nut clusters dipped in chocolate.  The price was acceptable but not in my budget but as I was savoring it I thought, "I bet I could make these with the ingredients I already have at home.  I love a good challenge so I went home and went to work.  Through a bit of culinary alchemy involving raw nuts, honey, coconut oil and chocolate chips the result was amazingly delicious!

I've never hand-dipped chocolates before but it was easy.  I can't claim that these have low calories but most of the raw ingredients are actually nutritionally excellent, they are decadently delicious, very economical, and Valentine's Day only comes once per year right?  BTW, a recent study showed that people who eat chocolate 5 times per week or more are thinner and healthier than people who eat it less.  Check it out here.

Here's how to make these beauties and please your valentine:

Making the nut clusters (which BTW are delicious by themselves as a snack)

• 1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1/3 cup Brown Sugar
• 3 Tbsp Honey
• 3 Tbsp Maple Syrup
• 1 Tbsp Coconut Oil
• 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
• Dash of Ground Nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.   Stir all these together and microwave until everything is smooth and melted.

• 1 cup Walnut halves
• 1/2 cup Almonds (whole raw)
• 1/2 cup Cashew pieces
• 1/2 cup Pumpkin seeds (raw "pepitas")
• 1/2 cup Coconut (shredded)

Stir in the nuts and seeds and stir into the liquid ingredients until everything is well covered.  Spread onto a parchment lined baking sheet (I use a silicone baking mat which works beautifully) and bake for 20 minutes.  Set out on a rack and cool to room temperature.  Carefully chop it into nuggets around an inch square.

Hand-dipping the nut clusters in chocolate

• 1.5 cups Chocolate Chips semi-sweet
• 1 Tbsp Coconut Oil

Melt these together in a microwave safe container (stirring every minute) until melted.  Drop nut clusters into the chocolate and turn with a fork until well covered.  Lay the chocolate-covered nut clusters on the parchment or baking mat.  Sift out the crumbs from the nut cluster and sprinkle them onto the chocolates while they are still wet.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Don't eat too many of them yourself...they're for your valentine right?