Blueberry~Almond~Chocolate clusters

Mmm. These chocolate clusters are delicious. I was watching Ellie Krieger's program on Food TV last week and she made this wonderful sweet treat. It seemed so easy, that I immediately wanted to try it out. The only variation I did was to use dried blueberries instead of dried cherries. Click here for the original recipe. Here is my version.

Ingredients
12 oz of dark chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used the Trader Joe's brand. The original recipe calls for only 6 oz of chocolate but I used almost 12 oz as I felt it was not enough to coat the nuts)
1 cup toasted almonds, coarsely chopped
1 cup dried blueberries, coarsely chopped

Method
1. Before you begin, line a baking sheet with wax paper (as you don't want the chocolate mixture to solidify before you transfer to the wax paper). Toss the almonds and blueberries in a bowl and set aside.
2. Set up a double boiler on the stove. Melt half the chopped chocolate in the top of the double boiler. Check the end of this post on how to set up a double boiler. Or click here to learn more.
3. The heat on your stove should be on the lowest setting as this will help the chocolate maintain its shiny texture. Also make sure the water in the bottom pan is not touching the top pan.
4. Stir the chocolate until it starts melting.
5. Once the first batch is melted, move the double boiler from the heat and stir in the remaining chocolate until melted. If you find it is not melting then move it back to the stove, but under a low flame.

Chocolate melting on the double boiler

6. After the chocolate is completely melted, add the chopped almonds and blueberries and mix well.

Nuts added to the melted chocolate

7. Take a tablespoon of the chocolate mixture and gently drop it on to the wax paper.

Chocolate clusters ready to go into the refrigerator

8. Refrigerate for 15-20 minutes.
9. Remove from the fridge and store in an airtight container at room temperature. Do not store chocolates in the fridge as they lose their color and become pale or white.

Bluberry~Almond Chocolate Clusters

How to set up a double boiler
1. Fill a large pot with about 2-3 inches water.
2. Place a glass bowl on top of this pot. Use one that sits comfortably and does not touch the bottom of the pan.

3. Keep the flame on medium low and heat the water in the bottom pan. The heat from the bottom pot will melt the chocolate in the top pot.
4. Lower the flame way down before adding the chocolate.