CHRISTMAS CHOCOLATE CRUNCH

I've just come home from a fantastic wee pre Christmas break to New York with 3 of my lovely girls and we had a fabulous time! So now I'm in the mood for Christmas and will be posting lots of lovely, healthy, recipes to see you through the Festive Period and beyond......!

So I'm kicking off with this delicious Christmas Chocolate Crunch recipe.
This is a real family favourite at any time of year but is ideal to have in your freezer for any unexpected guests over Christmas! The cinnamon and mixed spice gives it a lovely festive flavour and its so easy to make.

This is a really useful recipe: make a batch, break it up and keep it in the freezer. It can be served straight from frozen!  It may taste decadent, but the ingredients are all very nutritious!

Dark chocolate is high in antioxidants, oatcakes provide fibre, seeds and nuts provide protein, minerals and good fats. Goji berries boost the immune system and cinnamon is useful in controlling blood sugar. Coconut oil boosts metabolism and lowers the GI of any food it's cooked or eaten with so this is most definitely a treat you can eat guilt free!!

Here is the recipe, enjoy.....

CHOCOLATE CRUNCH
200g (7oz) dark chocolate, 70% cocoa solids, broken into chunks
1 tablespoon coconut oil (optional)
125g (41/2oz) rough oatcakes
50g (2oz) goji berries ( soaked for 10 mins to soften, then dried)
50 (2oz) Brazil nuts, hazelnuts or walnuts, roughly chopped
50g (2oz) pumpkin seeds
2 tsp ground mixed spice
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon peanut butter
1. Melt the chocolate and the coconut oil, stirring occasionally, in a heatproof bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, making sure the base of the bowl doesn't touch the water.
2. Put the oatcakes into a mixing bowl and crumble into small pieces. Stir in the goji berries, nuts, seeds and spices.
3. Stir the nut butter into the melted chocolate and mix until fairly smooth. Stir the chocolate mixture into the remaining ingredients, making sure the ingredients are evenly coated.
4. Spread the mixture over a baking sheet and put in the fridge or freezer to chill and harden. Break into shards or cut into rough pieces when set, ready to serve.