Dark Chocolate-Dipped Apricots

Raise your hand if you can't resist those high-quality chocolate bars that are studded with fun, and sometimes unexpected flavors.  Mine is raised.  It's true.  I was seriously contemplating hard... like 10 or 15 minutes hard... in front of a little (big) display of them at the drugstore the other day.  Dark chocolate with chile.  Dark chocolate with candied ginger.  White chocolate with cacao nibs.  White chocolate coconut.  Creamy milk chocolate with almonds and cherries.  It's torture.

At one point I had three different boxes in my hand.  I also love the fact that they come in boxes that you have to open to get to the fun wrapper inside.  I peel that crinkling wrapping back with all the care of Charlie Bucket, I tell you.

I wound up putting them all back.  I was like "this is crazy".  Or maybe something more ghetto like "yo, bleep this bleep. I'm out."  Oh yeah.  I'm as ghetto as they come.  I could not decide. And I wasn't going to drop a minimum of $7.50 on chocolate bars.

Although I did wind up passing another one of those evil displays at a different store a few days later.  I zeroed in on the white chocolate with cacao nibs, snatched it from it's shelf, faced forward, and walked away.  All fast like.  I made sure the bag containing that chocolate made its way into the car with me instead in the trunk.

This has been my idea of dessert and sweets lately.  I've been steering clear of cakes and brownies and cookies and pies.  And indulging in scrumdiddlyumptious squares bars of chocolate instead.  I have a feeling that my cravings for those things will make their way back into my being soon, though.

Along the same lines of scrummy chocolate studded with goodies are goodies bathed in scrummy chocolate. Like these plump little nuggets of sunshine.  They go swimming in a pool of lightly sweet dark chocolate.  Then they take a roll in salty shards of nuttiness.  As far as desserts go, I consider them virtuous.

What about you?  Virtuous or not really...

Dark Chocolate-Dipped Apricots

by Heather Schmitt-González

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: less than 5 minutes

Keywords: snack dessert vegetarian soy-free apricots chocolate nuts

Ingredients (3 dozen)

• ½ c. dark or bittersweet chocolate chips (or equivalent chopped chocolate)
• 36 dried apricots
• ~¼ c. finely chopped SALTED pistachios

Instructions

Line a baking tray with wax paper (or parchment).

Place the chocolate in a small glass bowl and microwave for about a minute. Stir with a heat-proof spatula. If not melted all the way, heat in 15 second intervals until smooth.

Dip the apricot (halfway to three-quarters of the way) into the melted chocolate. Sprinkle or gently dip one side into the chopped pistachios, then set on wax paper, nut side down; sprinkle pistachios on top. Repeat with all of the apricots.

If you like, slide the tray into the refrigerator for 30 minutes or so - the chocolate will harden quickly this way.

notes:

Once the chocolate has set, these can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

If you want a thicker coating of chocolate, slide into the fridge after the first dip (leaving off the nuts). Once hardened, dip into the chocolate another time and then finish as written. And yes, you will probably need more chocolate than listed if you do this.

adapted from Eating Well

Oh, and post script - if you like these, you'll probably also like Alyssa's Chocolate Covered Apricots w/ Crushed Almonds. I know I want some hanging out side-by-side with these little bites. They'd be besties.