Chocolate orange goji berry clusters
I’ve been bit by some ravenous holiday beast.
It’s even more intense than usual, and I’m so excited to start decking the halls. The Pilot keeps catching me trying to sneak Christmas decorations in from the garage.
Along with the normal holiday excitement and preparation, we’ve also gotten into our longtime marital dispute: real Christmas tree vs. fake Christmas tree. The Pilot is 100% on board the real Christmas tree train, and while I like them, I prefer fake trees. I fully believe that the little pine needles multiply, grow legs, and disperse themselves all over the house in random places. Like, you’ll open the upstairs closet and step on a pine needle while taking a blanket out. How do pine needles travel upstairs?! They fly.
For that main reason, fake Christmas trees win. They stay intact, can be reused, and the Fresh Balsam candles from Bath and Body Works do a great job of filling our house with a piney Christmas aroma. We’ll see who wins the Christmas tree battle this year…. 😉
In addition to thinking of fun activities to do with Liv this season -they have a Polar Express train a few hours away I know she’d love!- I’ve also been thinking of new holiday goodies and treats to make.
I had a bag of goji berries in the pantry, and thought they’d be perfect for some little holiday clusters.
In all fairness, they’re not the prettiest treats I’ve ever made, but they came out AMAZING. Maybe I can make a few for the Pilot to eat while I begin my Christmas tree negotiations 😉
If you’ve never had goji berries before, I like to think of them like dried strawberries/raisins. They have a mild, sweet flavor, and are wonderful in baked goods and smoothies. They also have a high dose of antioxidants and are believed to help with eye health, athletic performance, immune system function and general wellbeing. (Check out this article for more info!)
One of my all-time favorite combinations, especially during the holiday season is chocolate and orange. I melted some chocolate, added some orange zest,
coated the goji berries and stirred in some pumpkin seeds.
Glorious little clusters.
Hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
Orange chocolate goji berry clusters
A wonderful chocolatey treat, high in antioxidants and a surprising kick of fresh orange.
- Prep Time: 10
- Total Time: 10
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup dried goji berries
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- 2 teaspoons orange zest
- 1/4 cup nuts/seeds of choice (I used pumpkin)
Instructions
- In a double-boiler, heat the chocolate until smooth. You can also heat it in a glass bowl in the microwave in 30 second intervals. Just be careful not to burn it!
- Stir in the orange zest, goji berries and nuts/seeds
- Shape into six cluster shapes and cool in the fridge until they harden.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
Have a great day <3
xoxo
Gina
So… real tree or fake? What’s your preference? 😉
Any chocolates or favorite treats you love to make during the holiday season?
54 Comments
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yum, I’m gonna give this recipe a shot! I’ve always had a fake one but now since we live in New Zealand we have a real one and i got to say, the make christmas feel more special ! 🙂
I am a real tree girl, that’s what I grew up with, so it’s just a standard thing. Let us know how the “dispute” goes for you 🙂
Thanks for sharing these yummy treats, I have only ever used goji berries in my oatmeal, so this is a nice fun change.
We did the Polar Express train in Williams last year and absolutely loved it! I almost started to believe in Santa again! You should definitely do it while you’re still in AZ 🙂
Yum! I’ll have to try this soon!