How to Make Low Carb Crispy Dark Chocolates with Chia Seeds

Low carb chocolates allow you to feed your craving while dieting.

Some low carb chocolate recipes include added artificial sweeteners such as erythritol and insulin, which are not always necessary. An effective low carb chocolate recipe is one that is simple, with no added flour or simple sugars to raise the glycemic index, making the body create carbohydrates. 85 percent dark chocolate is low in carbs and tastes good. Chia seeds are an effective source of good carbohydrates to add to the chocolates. They also add natural sweet spice flavor and add crunch to every bite of these low carb chocolate treats.

Things You'll Need

• Sheet pan
• Aluminum foil
• Medium mixing bowl
• Medium saucepan
• 8 ounces 85 percent dark chocolate
• 2/3 cup chia seeds
• Rubber spatula
• Tablespoon
• Zip top bag

Instructions

1. Line the sheet pan with aluminum foil and press the foil smoothly into the bottom of the pan, creating as few wrinkles as possible. Place the pan in the refrigerator to cool.

2. Fill the saucepan 1/3 full with water and put the mixing bowl on top of it to make a double boiler. Place the double boiler on the stove over medium heat.

3. Add the 85 percent dark chocolate to the mixing bowl on the double boiler. Break the chocolate into pieces to help it melt faster.

4. Allow the chocolate to melt over the double boiler. Move it around with the rubber spatula as you see it melting to avoid the chocolate from burning. Scrape the sides of the mixing bowl often to thin layers of chocolate from forming on the sides of the bowl and burning. Melt the chocolate to a smooth liquid.

5. Pour the chia seeds into the melted chocolate and fold them into the chocolate with the rubber spatula.

6. Remove the foil lined sheet pan from the refrigerator and spoon the chocolate onto the pan in dollops. Allow the candy to settle and spread out on the pan to make the chocolates crisp and not too hard when they cool. Spread them out with the rubber spatula if needed. Keep the chocolate on the double boiler to keep it a thin liquid for the best spreading results.

7. Cool the chocolates at room temperature for about 30 minutes, or until they are solid. Peel the foil off the pan to release the chocolates. Store them in a sealed zip top bag at room temperature for the best results.

Tips & Warnings

• If the chia seeds are distributed well and the chocolate is spread thin, each candy should weigh about 10 grams and will have about 2 grams of simple carbs from the chocolate and about 7.5 grams of complex cards from the chia seeds. Check the package of chocolate and chia seeds you are using for exact carbohydrate grams.

• You can also spread all of the chocolate across the pan and break it into pieces after it cools to make chia chocolate bark.

• Add a sprinkle of kosher salt over the chocolates to bring out the sweet flavor of the chia and chocolate.

• Do not refrigerate the cooled chocolates to avoid white streaks of discoloration on the chocolates.

References

• Low Carb Speciaties, Inc.: The Low Carb Chocolate Lover's Diet
• Martha Stewart: Chocolate Orange Hazelnut Bark
• Lindt USA: Lindt Excellence Extra Dark Chocolate 85% Nutrition Facts
• Nutrient Facts: Chia Seeds Nutrition Facts

Resources

• LowCarbIsEasy.com: 5 - Ideas For Snack Attacks and Making Meals More Interesting