Recipe: chocolate covered almonds

If you're struggling to satisfy a sweet tooth with a speedy sweet treat that's simple, sensible (ish!) and satisfying, check out this chocolatey concoction...

Ingredients:

• Dark chocolate of at least 80% cocoa 
• Chopped almonds - or a selection of unsalted/unroasted nuts of your choice). 

What to do:

• Pop the dark chocolate into a heat proof bowl and melt in the microwave for 2-3 minutes - checking at regular intervals to prevent burning.
• Mix the melted chocolate with the almonds (or the nuts of your choice) until they are thoroughly covered (in chocolate!).
• Create bite size clusters by spooning into small cake cases - you can also place them onto a plate providing that they remain the size of a small sweet!
• Set aside - ideally in the fridge - and leave to solidify.

Top tip: know your nuts.

Although the precise portion size and controlled content of this tasty treat may not tighten your trousers, mastering the meaning of moderation is paramount in order to prevent piling on the pounds, particularly as nuts provide an average of 175kcal per 30g portion (the size of a small, cupped hand) and are high in fat - almonds may be high in healthy, monounsaturated fat as opposed to the saturated fat that we need to ditch from our daily diet, but they still contain 9kcal per gram of fat. By all means enjoy as a tasty treat, but try not to tuck into too many (be sure to sustain sensible servings!). 

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