Dark Chocolate Nut Bars

I was looking for a gluten-free dessert and was lucky enough to find this.  It's delicious and would have been quite easy to make weren't it for my missteps with the chocolate.  I don't have a double boiler, so I tried melting the chocolate by putting a dish over boiling water, but the dish was too thick, and the chocolate wasn't melting, so I put it in the microwave.  Did you know that chocolate can take on an entirely different form if overcooked?  It went right past melting to kind of a powdery, clumpy (but still delicious) mess.  I tried a thinner dish and all went well the second time.  Terrific!  

Use any combination of nuts that you like.  I also added dried cranberries, used canola oil instead of coconut oil, which is $11 a bottle, and no flaxseed (I couldn't find it). It is quite sweet, what with the honey and maple syrup, so be sure to use unsweetened coconut flakes.

12 calculated points

16 servings

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons virgin coconut oil
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
• ½ cup chopped hazelnuts
• ½ cup chopped walnuts
• ½ cup chopped cashews
• ½ cup trail mix (nuts only)
• 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
• ½ cup maple syrup
• ⅓ cup honey
• Kosher salt
• ½ cup dark chocolate chips

Directions

Special equipment: a candy thermometer

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Brush an 8-by-8-inch dish with 1 teaspoon of the coconut oil and set aside.

Combine the coconut flakes, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, trail mix and flaxseed and spread into an even layer on a baking sheet. Toast until lightly golden, 10 to 12 minutes, then transfer to a large heatproof bowl. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, combine the maple syrup, honey and 1/2 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the temperature on a candy thermometer reads 260 degrees F, about 5 minutes. Immediately pour over the nut mixture and stir to coat. Use a rubber spatula to press the mixture into the prepared dish and let cool until set, about 30 minutes.

To make the chocolate drizzle, combine the chocolate chips and remaining 1 teaspoon coconut oil in a medium heatproof bowl and place over a small pot of simmering water. Heat, stirring, until melted and smooth. (Alternatively, combine the chocolate and oil and microwave in 15-second intervals, stirring often, until melted and smooth.)

Drizzle the chocolate over the mixture. When set, cut into bars and serve.