Recipe Redux: Dark Chocolate Fruit & Nut Cups

American Heart Health Month continues and today I am going to share some of the health benefits of consuming one of my favorite foods... chocolate! I pretty much consume chocolate daily (when I have on hand), partially because it's my indulgence of choice, and partially because I know of the health benefits dark chocolate (in moderation!) can impart. Care to learn more?

Benefits of Dark Chocolate

Moderate evidence suggests that modest consumption of dark chocolate or cocoa is associated with health benefits in the form of reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. Research suggests a 44% reduced risk of dying from heart disease if dark chocolate is consumed once per week vs. never and additional benefits include:

• Decreased blood pressure
  
• Increased healthy HDL cholesterol
  
• Decreased inflammatory markers

How Much to Eat + What to Buy

Research suggest we should consume 30- 120 mg flavonols per day. To put that in perspective, one square of Lindt 70% chocolate provides 50- 80 mg flavanols. The flavanol content of dark chocolate will vary by the percent cocoa content and method of processing. Lindt and Dove are suggested brands highest in flavanol content. It should be emphasized that milk chocolate, which often contains a higher amount of added ingredients and lower percentage of actual cocoa, does not impart the same benefits as dark chocolate.
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Everything in Moderation

Potential health benefits need to be balanced with caloric intake through a lovely thing called moderation. Chocolate is still a higher calorie food and, as with many "healthy" things, more is not always better so indulge responsibly! :D

For your convenience, I've summarized this information in this handout. Click to download!

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This month's theme for Recipe Redux was "Favorite Chocolate Matches"
Does your chocolate need a friend? This month’s posting will be after Valentine’s Day, so you may have a bit of extra chocolate around. What’s your favorite chocolate match? Be it traditional peanut butter or something more exotic like cayenne + chocolate. Show us your favorite healthy chocolate combo recipe.

Of course, I was immediately game, but thought long and hard of what type of recipe I wanted to share with you. While I have many recipes that include chocolate as an ingredient, I wanted to share something that involved chocolate taking center stage. I am a huge fan of fruit-filled chocolate truffles, but they are expensive to buy and hard to make! With these Dark Chocolate Fruit & Nut Cups, I've simplified the process. These are a similar idea as peanut butter cups, but I've substituted the peanut butter for fresh (or frozen) fruit for an extra burst of natural sweetness and added antioxidants. Feel free to play around with your own combinations as the possibilities are endless. I've included a few ideas for you the end of the post!

Ingredients

1.5 c. dark chocolate chips (I used 65% cocoa)
1 tbsp coconut oil
Assortment of fresh fruit (I used blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and even kiwi)
1/4 c. shredded unsweetened coconut (optional)
1/4 c. pumpkin seeds (optional- for added crunch!)

Directions

Combine chocolate chips and coconut oil in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for approximately 1.5- 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Line a baking pan with mini-muffin tin liners and prepare with cooking spray. You can also use a mini-cupcake pan and skip the liners, but I didn't have one.

Drop enough chocolate to line the bottom of each cupcake liner, followed by a sprinkling of your fruit of choice. Finish with another layer of melted chocolate, enough to cover the fruit (mostly), and top with a few nuts (I used pumpkin seeds). Place in the freezer for approximately 15-20 minutes until chocolate has solidified, unless your area is currently being consumed by an arctic blast, then they will probably freeze even faster outside (I just stuck them on my front porch). Pretty quick & simple with room to play and create your own combinations. With a little time and effort, you are left with delicious homemade gourmet chocolates with fresh ingredients!

As a bonus, here are a few alternative options for fillings:

1) Toasted coconut and slivered almonds 
2) Pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries
3) Thin sliced banana and PB
4) Crushed peppermint
5) Dried cherries and shaved orange peel
6) Peanut butter and finely diced strawberries
7) Blueberries and diced walnuts
8) Finely diced kiwi and coconut

If you're a chocolate fan, be sure to check out a few of my other recipe posts below. Also check out the other Recipe Redux bloggers for even more chocolate recipe fun!

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