Low-Sugar Orange Chocolate Crispy Bark

(NC)—Did you know cocoa, especially used in dark chocolate, is a good source of flavanols? Here’s the scoop:

Flavanols are a particular group of flavanoids that have anti-oxidant activity. Anti-oxidants help the cells of the body resist damage caused by free radicals that are produced through common bodily processes and contaminants in the environment. In fact, cocoa may improve blood vessel function which could have important implications for learning and memory. The trouble is a lot of sugar is commonly added to cocoa making it unhealthy.

The good news is the Canadian Health Food Association (CHFA) says you can still give kids a yummy, chocolaty treat with drastically reduced sugar. It will leave everyone asking for more and uses just five simple ingredients. All the ingredients can be found at a natural health food retailer near you — and if you are not sure how to find one, visit chfa.ca.

Orange Chocolate Crispy Bark

Ingredients (Consider using organic ingredients to make it even healthier):

1/2 cup raw cacao
1/2 cup coconut oil
2 tbsp maple syrup (or more to taste)
1 tbsp of orange-flavoured omega oil
1 cup brown rice crisp cereal

Method:

Melt the coconut oil on very low heat. Remove from heat and mix in raw cacao. Let cool almost completely, but do not let it solidify. Mix in the maple syrup, omega 3 orange-flavoured oil and brown rice cereal. Grease a small pan (approx: 10″x5″) and pour the mixture into the pan. Let it solidify in the fridge, then cut and enjoy.

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