Cranberry & Chickpea Bark

Christmas treats are officially in full swing creation in my kitchen this week!

We’ve received over a foot of fresh snow at our house in the last few days alone which means the scene is set for a very white Christmas at home.

The beautiful ambiance is greatly appreciated and finally nudging me to create festive treats for our neighbors and friends.

Here’s a really SIMPLE and FUN, food-craft to make with the kiddos this weekend!

The tangy fresh cranberries are surprisingly AMAZING combined with crispy chickpeas and creamy sweet chocolate. This combo will surprise you because it’s just really good!

I adore creating healthier homemade *simple* treats throughout December to share with neighbors and loved ones.

After I made these, I realized that a little fancy sea salt sprinkled on top would be a tasty and pretty addition!

Use this idea as your starting point and let your creativity take over!

Garbanzo beans or chickpeas are full of protein, and fiber and are loaded with vitamins and minerals.

Canned or pouches of chickpeas or garbanzo beans are readily available at local grocers and online retailers such as Amazon. I always keep them in my pantry because I don’t always plan ahead to soak my own beans, so the canned ready-to-eat option shaves a lot of time off prep!

That being said, cooking your own dried chickpeas or beans at home is more cost-effective, and you’ll get to choose and control what is added such as salt.

Rachel’s Tip:

When using dried chickpeas or beans (not canned):

The package of dried beans/chickpeas will have directions for you to soak and cook them at home, you’ll just need to plan ahead the day before you’re going to follow my roasting recipe below.

When I’m using dried chickpeas (or beans!) I usually soak them overnight with PLENTY of water because they will expand. After an overnight soak, I’ll rinse them off, then add fresh water to the pot. Simply cook them over a low simmer for around 2 hours.

Your chickpeas can be cooked all by themselves or with sea salt.

Don’t overcook them, as we still want a firm texture much like canned chickpeas.

Allow to cool and dry completely, then follow the directions for the recipe below.

When shopping for chocolate:

Look for a higher percentage of cacao for the chocolate, and always read the ingredients.

Chocolate chips OR a bar of chocolate (broken into pieces) both work great.

There are always lots of questions about chocolate brands – I like to visit the specialty (nicer) chocolate section at the store and find a really high quality, (often organic) dark chocolate bar on SALE – so I’m always trying something different because the current SALE dictates my purchase.

A high-quality dark chocolate bar works great too! I’ll often find a beautiful organic dark chocolate bar on sale, then chop it up to use for things like this.

I like to buy the highest quality I can find when it’s on SALE! I’m always keeping an eye out for a good deal, and will often stock up when a high-quality product is on special.

Use any dark chocolate chips of your choice: the higher cacao percentage = more health benefits.

If you’re looking to keep sugars lower; try using Lily’s brand chocolate that is sweetened with stevia.

12 servings