Dark chocolate newbies repeat after me.

“Milk chocolate wishes it were dark chocolate.”

Yup, that Hershey Bar sitting in your pantry awaiting the S’more treatment? Total cacao envy.

And what the dark stuff brings in health benefits it also more than delivers in taste.

The just sweet enough, bitter balance of a 72% or 86% cacao chocolate square satisfies me every time. And most surprisingly, a smaller portion is all it takes. Um yeah – I’m now the girl who actually puts the second Ghirardelli square back in the bag. Very rarely around here is it a “two square” kinda night.

Dark chocolate takes some getting used to, but if you buy the right brand, that happens fast.

Lastly, the type of dark chocolate you choose makes a big difference, so do your homework. “Dutching” was a new term for me. For a rundown on best and worst brands, The Healthy Eater has you covered.

My own research led me to Ghirardelli and Lindt. I most enjoy Ghirardelli 86% cacao, finding anything with a higher cacao concentration bitter beyond what I define as a pleasurable eating experience.

Tom Thumb and Target carry both of these brands. They are easy to find as bars with squares you can easily portion off. You can also buy them in stand up bags, usually with 10 individually wrapped squares inside.
As enjoyable as these taste on their own, sometimes that salty and sweet craving hits me something fierce.

Today is one of those days – a Sea Salt Dark Chocolate Round* kind of day. 10 minutes to prep, another 10 to freeze. And voila!

Sunday night Game of Thrones snack in full effect.

Enjoy!

*Original recipe courtesy Diet Doctor, Salty Chocolate Treat.

Rebecca’s Sea Salt Dark Chocolate Rounds
1 3.5 oz package of Ghirardelli 72% cacao
1 tbsp dry roasted pumpkin seeds
1 tbsp sunflower seeds
4 whole almonds, sliced
1 tbsp unsweetened coconut flakes
Melt chocolate on stovetop. Pour 1 tablespoon melted chocolate into 1 muffin cup (should have enough melted chocolate to fill six muffin cups). Add 1/2 tsp each of the seeds, almonds, and coconut flakes. Add 1/2 tsp of pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and coconut flakes. Sprinkle with sea salt. Freeze 10 minutes. Enjoy!
MFP entry: Rebecca’s Sea Salt Dark Chocolate Rounds