If you love chocolatey, crunchy candy bars you'll love this recipe for my chocolate covered crispy quinoa clusters. The quinoa has a wonderful flavor and texture, and the chocolate adds sweetness and fun. Add dried cranberries into the mix to enhance the flavor and texture of each cluster.
Cook quinoa by adding quinoa and water to a pot. Bring mixture to a boil, then lower heat to low and cover. Quinoa will be ready in about 15 minutes. Remove from heat.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Pour cooked quinoa on sheet and spread it into a single layer. Allow quinoa to cool for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400º F. Put quinoa in oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, mixing occasionally, until quinoa is brown and crispy (but not burnt). Remove from oven and allow mixture to cool for at least 30 minutes.
When quinoa is cool, combine chocolate and oil in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds, then mix mixture. Microwave in 10 second increments thereafter, mixing every 10 seconds, until chocolate is melted. Do not overmelt.
Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. Reserve about 1 tablespoon of the crispy quinoa (set aside). This will be used for the topping.
Add crispy quinoa and dried cranberries to chocolate mixture and mix until well combined.
Spoon mixture into 12 individual quinoa clusters on baking sheet, then sprinkle reserved crispy quinoa on top of each cluster.
Refrigerate clusters, on baking sheet, for at least 1 hour until chocolate is set. Store uneaten clusters in the fridge in a sealed container.
Notes
The quinoa will net about 1.5 cups loosely packed cooked quinoa. This measurement will come in handy in case you're using leftover quinoa to make these clusters.I used dried cranberries, but you could add any dried fruits or nuts of choice to the mixture, or omit altogether. If you omit the add-in, you may end up with few - or smaller - clusters.You can use dairy-free chocolate to make these quinoa clusters dairy-free.