Autumn Chocolate Brittle

This chocolate brittle is so yummy! Who doesn’t like orange- and cinnamon-flavored chocolate topped with dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds? (If you don’t, then maybe this post isn’t for you—but you are seriously missing out!) This recipe is as healthy as you make it. You can make the chocolate as dark as you please and add lots of dried fruit and seeds to get a good source of antioxidants and fiber, along with the benefits of the essential oils. You can also make this mostly chocolate (sweetened to your preference) and eat it for dessert. Either way you like it, we’ll show you how to make it.

Autumn Chocolate Brittle

Time: 15 minutes active; 1 hour inactive | Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• Chocolate (your favorite bar, or use the recipe below)
• Pinch of salt
• 1–3 toothpicks cinnamon or cassia essential oil
• 1–3 toothpicks clove essential oil
• 1–3 toothpicks orange essential oil
• Dried cranberries
• Shelled pumpkin seeds (also called pepitas)
• Pumpkin pie spice (optional)

Instructions:

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (you can spray or oil the baking sheet to help the parchment paper stick to the sheet), and set aside.
2. Melt the chocolate, or make the recipe below.
3. Add salt and essential oils to taste. Start with a toothpick of each oil, and keep adding until you like the taste.
4. Pour the melted chocolate onto the parchment paper, and spread as thin as you like.
5. Sprinkle the cranberries and pumpkin seeds over the chocolate to your liking.
6. Sprinkle the chocolate with pumpkin pie spice for a little extra flavoring, if desired.
7. Let the chocolate come to room temperature; then freeze it until it’s completely solid.
8. Once solid, use a knife or your hands to break the chocolate into fragments.
9. Store any leftovers in the freezer or the refrigerator.

Homemade Chocolate

Servings: 2–2 1/2 cups (480–600 ml) melted | Time: 10 minutes | Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 30 cocoa butter wafers (about 2.5 oz.)
• 1/2 cup (60 g) cocoa or cacao powder
• 2–4 Tbsp. (30–60 ml) maple syrup or powdered sugar
• 3–4 Tbsp. (20–27 g) powdered milk (optional; omit if using maple syrup)

Instructions:

1. Melt the cocoa butter wafers in a double boiler over medium heat.
2. Once mostly melted, mix in the rest of the ingredients. Keep stirring until everything is fully melted and combined.
3. Feel free to taste it and add more maple syrup or sugar if you want it sweeter.

For a healthy dark chocolate version: use cacao powder and maple syrup. Omit the powdered milk.
For a sweeter milk chocolate version: use cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and powdered milk.