Do you keep a stash of chocolate in your house? I would like to but it just doesn’t seem to want to stay put. I mean, it could be a certain toddler I know or his Daddy constantly going into the chocolate drawer and nibbling away but I am not naming any names.

I have taken to hiding chocolate all over our kitchen so that I can have a bite when I get the craving but even that isn’t working. Most recently, I snuck some organic dark chocolate into the house and decided that our huge salad bowl on top of the refrigerator would be a good stash spot for a couple of days, knowing that I wasn’t planning any huge salads for the next two days.

Well, Mr. Everyday Maven must have smelled it because he was on the hunt and the next thing I know he waltzes into our bedroom carrying a chocolate bar. Not just any chocolate bar and certainly not the one I hid but an expensive Green and Black’s Organic Baking Chocolate bar. Now, if you have bought baking chocolate then you know this stuff isn’t even sweet but I guess desperate times call for desperate measures.

As you can imagine, I wasn’t too happy about this and proceeded to have a mini freak-out, complete with pulling my hidden organic chocolate out of the salad bowl and tossing it at him in addition to a lecture about what I was planning on doing with the baking chocolate and how it was ruined.

Fun times.

Then I came to my senses, realized that I was spazzing out about a bar of chocolate and whipped up a batch of these Haystacks. A perfect way to spend 2 Points Plus and indulge in a chocolate craving with sweet, crunchy goodness all in one nice sized bite.

With one container in the fridge and an emergency stash in the freezer, all ridiculously over-priced baking chocolate and hidden organic mommy-chocolate should be safe. At least for a couple of days.

NOTES:

  • I used Nature’s Path Smart Bran Cereal since the original recipe called for a “Twig-like Bran Cereal”. Added bonus of Fiber and Psyllium.
  • These are really stable at room temperature (after a freeze to set) but can be stored in either the refrigerator or freezer if that is more convenient or your kitchen is hot.
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Dark Chocolate + Almond Haystacks
 
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2 Points Plus Each — Recipe Makes Approximately 28 to 30 Haystacks
By,:
Serves:: 28

Ingredients
  • 2 cups Twig Style Bran Cereal (see NOTES)
  • 1 cup toasted, slivered almonds
  • pinch sea salt
  • 7 ounces dark chocolate, melted

Instructions
  1. Combine bran cereal, almonds and sea salt in a large bowl. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, begin melting chocolate over a double boiler (see NOTES).
  2. Add melted chocolate to bowl of bran cereal, almonds and salt using a spatula to combine until the bran-almond mixture is completely covered with the melted chocolate.
  3. Use a tablespoon to spoon mounds onto baking sheet.
  4. Pop the baking sheet into the freezer for 15 to 30 minutes to set the candies. Remove and store in an airtight container. Share and Enjoy!

Adapted From: Vegetarian Times Chocolate Thistles, September 2012 Issue

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