Menu

Love Chocolate But Need To Eat Less Of It? Try This

February 23, 2012   13 Comments

The simple truth is that chocolate rocks. It seems to hit the a very special pleasure center in the brain.

Pretzels Dipped in Chocolate Recipe

Now, after our "festival of chocolate" AKA Valentine's Day - the stores are filling up with another pile of chocolate in bunny shapes. It shocks me how much chocolate is bought and consumed just from my grocery store (forget the entire country!).

Most of this chocolate is not the best. It is filled with sugar and oil, and it doesn't resemble the dark chocolate that I have grown to love. I don't really think of high quality dark chocolate as candy. Dark chocolate is more like a gourmet treat best savored slowly.

The problem is that it is hard to stop at just one bite. Chocolate is very high in calories (120 calories per ounce) and it is easy to over do it.

What to do?

How about using it for dipping? Drizzle a wee bit of chocolate on a pretzel stick and you manage to get some chocolate without consuming an entire bar. This is a "treat" and not a healthy snack but compare it with a Snickers bar - and you are doing great!

These are fun and fast to make (my kids had a ball). All you need is a little time to wait for them to harden up. Put them in the fridge if you are in a hurry. It is important to store these in a container or they will go stale.

I used Ghiradelli dark chocolate chips and ate one of these at my afternoon coffee break. YUM!

What do you dip in chocolate?

chocolatedippretzelsb.jpg

Chocolate Dipped Pretzels Recipe

1.6 from 24 reviews

(makes 10)
10 pretzel rods
2 ounces of dark chocolate chips (1/4 cup)
sprinkles (optional)

Place a sheet of wax paper (or parchment paper) on a cookie sheet. Melt chips in a small bowl in microwave (use 10 second increments to ensure they don't burn).

Dip pretzel into chocolate and use a small spoon to drip the chocolate along the stick. Place on cookie sheet and add sprinkles. Allow to dry (about 15 minutes) on the counter or put them in the fridge. Store them in a closed plastic container or plastic wrap to keep them fresh.

For one pretzel rod = 76 calories, 1.5 g fat, 15.3 g carbohydrates, 1.4 g protein, 0.5 g fiber, 230 mg sodium, 3 SmartPts

Points values are calculated by Snack Girl and are provided for information only. See all Snack Girl Recipes

Other posts you might like:

heartshapedboxb

Top Ten Chocolate Snacks

The season of the heart shaped box is here! Or, as I like to call it - "chocolate season"....

chocolatecoveredfigb

Love Salted Chocolate Caramels? Try This Healthy Candy Alternative

No one is ever going to accuse Snack Girl of not loving a WEE bit of chocolate. But, my taste bud credentials have been called into question....

Get Free Email Updates! Yes please!

13 Comments:

I get my daily chocolate fix and my healthiest meal of the day by having a chocolate Shakeology smoothie. This has been a major factor in my 100 lb weight loss success.

http://myshakeology.com/CoachTod

I am so on-board with this article. Chocolate is very hard to resist, especially around the sweet-centered-holidays like Halloween, Valentine's Day, and Christmas. I love that this recipe gives you a tiny taste of chocolate - just enough to savor the flavor, without ruining your whole day.

http://collegecookingandironchefamerica.blogspot.com/

Love this, I do this all the time, but with mini pretzels. Nothing like the combination of salt and chocolate! Yum!!

I love this! I also heard another great idea for trail mix. Instead of putting in bits of chocolate that the kids (or you) will most likely grab before the rest of the mix, try melting the chocolate bits and drizzling them over the entire mix. Then every piece will have a little taste of chocolate, and you'll be getting the nutritious stuff, too.

Great idea, pretzels and chocolate are so good together. My chocolate trick is to buy the Ghiardelli intense chocolate squares (72% cocoa). They are individually wrapped, perfect for portion control. One square comes in a little over 50 calories. I have one after dinner and since they are so rich, it satisfies my chocolate craving. Thanks Snack Girl, I'm going to whip these up for my dinner party next weekend.

Fantastic idea, and I love sweet and salty together. My favorite treat is dark chocolate caramels with sea salt, maybe I'll try dipping a pretzel stick in caramel and then dark chocolate.

we love this idea and the kids do to! Its a fun treat for any holiday or special celebration! www.alwayshealthymom.com

At a recent party a friend brought air-popped popcorn drizzled with a wee bit of dark chocolate. It was divine!

I love a few (say around 6-8) M & M mini chocs stirred into a container of low-fat yoghurt. It tastes lovely and sweet and satisfies my chocolate cravings beautifully.

"Instead of putting in bits of chocolate that the kids (or you) will most likely grab before the rest of the mix, try melting the chocolate bits and drizzling them over the entire mix." Great idea, Cindy. I also like to buy the mini semisweet Nestle chips and use THOSE in my trail mix, unmelted. They spread themselves so you end up with a little chocolate in each bite!

I recently bought dark chocolate "nibs" at Trader Joes-by the register. They're in a little tin, easy to leave at the office or carry in your bag. One little piece is only 1 calorie! I usually have 10 mid-afternoon for boost/chocolate fix. Yum!

Love the articles to help us stay healthy!!! I found a book with lots of yummy healthy stuff! Thought I would share.

http://5ba70di2xbvd6per2-x7cc216s.hop.clickbank.net/

What a great idea. I love chocolate and this is such a good way of limiting my intake! I also find if I eat a couple of squares of dark chocolate it's enough to stop my sweet craving.

Add a comment:

(required)

(required, never published)



© 2024 Snack-Girl.com