Fruit and Nut Vegan Chocolate Clusters

Fruit and nut dark chocolate clusters are so easy to make, I almost forgot to post about them. A vegan candy dessert with super simple ingredients. This dessert takes less than 10 minutes to prepare, and then the refrigerator does the rest of the work. Crunchy heart healthy nuts, semi-sweet chocolate and dried fruit are all you need to make these fruit and nut dark chocolate clusters.

On the Mediterranean Diet, desserts are once-in-awhile treats for special occasions. If you are fortunate to have many people you love and events to celebrate the special occasions may be plentiful. I try to think of desserts as a once-a-month treat. What I love about this candy dessert is it includes nuts and fruits which are staples on the Mediterranean Diet. Also, they are small with a BIG taste and perfect for portion control! If your special occassions are creeping up on you, consider this dessert made with fruit and nuts!

Ingredients for Fruit and Nut Dark Chocolate Clusters

• pecans
• walnuts
• raisins
• dried cranberries
• chocolate chips
• vanilla
• cinnamon
• flake salt

Only the Best Ingredients for the Chocolate Candy Dessert

The Nuts

Be sure to use fresh pecans and walnuts. I keep both nuts in my pantry. Once-in-awhile, they go past the best-buy date. Because of the simplicity of this dessert, you should make sure the nuts are fresh. I usually stock up on the pecan pieces wand walnut halves during the holidays. They are shelled and unsalted and perfect for baking. The best part is they are usually buy one-get-one free with an extended best-buy date. Keeping nuts on hand to sprinkle on top of salads, or more importantly throwing these clusters together is a great idea.

The Fruit

I use golden raisins because I love them. These raisins are sweeter and plumper than regular dark raisins. Dried cranberries add a chewy tartness that is a great complement to the chocolate and nuts. I use low sugar Craisins. Dried cranberries almost always has sugar added. Looking for a low sugar brand is best as this dessert is sweet enough on its own! Feel free to use any dried fruit but be sure there is no (or low) sugar added!

The Extras

I use vegan, allergen free chocolate chips by Nestle. I love this chocolate. A semi-sweet, affordable chocolate that I always keep in my refrigerator. I love having it on hand for last minute desserts. If my friend is a vegan – no problem. Allergic to dairy (like me) no worries! Hates soy – this works. I use these in my Healthy and Delicious Zucchini Bread which doubles as a dessert when I add these chips (but I digress).

I added vanilla and cinnamon. In both cases I use Penzeys spices. Penzeys Mexican Vanilla is to DIE for…it is my favorite vanilla ever! I will admit it is expensive, so it is certainly an extravagant luxury. Penzeys has sales on specific products and often has deals on gift cards that can then be used to offset prices. That is a great way to cut the price. They also have other, less extravagant vanillas that are also delicious. I will say, not to add vanilla if it is not a quality vanilla. Because it is not baked, the after taste can have a negative impact and it would be best not to add! Orange extract would also be a nice addition!

I also added cinnamon and feel that any cinnamon you have will be a wonderful addition to these candy clusters. Cinnamon brings a warm and savory note to the sweetness of the dessert. Totally worth it and it will make it stand apart from store bought candy chocolate clusters. I use the affordable Indonesian Cinnamon by Penzeys. It is described as strong, fragrant, and smooth. Yum. Feel free to add other spices as you desire.

Eating Fruit and Nut Chocolate Candy Clusters

These candies are super easy to make (and in theory) will keep for 5-7 days when stored in a cool place. After the chocolate is set, store the clusters in an airtight container. Fruit and nut clusters can be given as gifts in cellophane bags with ribbon. They also look nice on a pretty plate with strawberries for an easy to eat dessert at a party! I hope you enjoy these vegan chocolate candy clusters on your next special occasion!