Salted Dark Chocolate-Covered Clementine Slices... of Amazingness and Wonder

Chocolate- especially dark chocolate- is life. Let's just accept that fact right now. :P

I know a lot of you are working on New Year's weight loss and/or healthy eating goals- props to you! I know how difficult it can be. If you are looking for a smart way to indulge, I have a great recipe for you!

ORANGES. Specifically small varieties, like clementines, or manadarins (though I don't see why this wouldn't work with regular navel oranges, too. They'd just be larger, obviously). Juicy, fresh, delicious, and healthy.

DARK CHOCOLATE. Rich, indulgent, and also healthy (in small doses).

SALT- for the right amount of crunch and savor.

Put them all together and you have a simple yet special treat!

This is wicked easy, guys. Prepare a baking sheet by covering it with a sheet or wax paper, or a silpat. Peel yourself 4 clementines. Discard (or eat) any segments that are leaking juice- the orange needs to be dry in order for the chocolate to stick to it.

Place the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Nuke it for 30 seconds, stir, then heat it in 10-second intervals, stirring after each time, until the chocolate is fully melted and smooth. (It took me a total of 60 seconds).

Dunk each (dry!) orange slice into the chocolate, allowing the excess to drip off. I like to cover the orange slices halfway. Then place the slices onto the wax paper.

Sprinkle the slices with coarse salt. I used chunky kosher salt. Make sure to do this quickly, while the chocolate is still sticky enough!

Place the pan of oranges into the fridge for about 20 minutes or until the chocolate is firmly set. Then, dig in!! Store any remaining orange slices tightly covered in the fridge. These keep for a couple of days- though I doubt they'll last that long! :) Seriously- these things are amazing.

--Taylee

Recipe inspired by: http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20583009,00.html/view-all#salted-chocolate-clementine-wedges-1

Salted Dark Chocolate Clementines

• 4 clementines, peeled
• 1/2 c dark chocolate chips*
• dash coarse salt

Make sure your clementine segments are dry, so the chocolate will stick. Place chocolate into a microwave safe bowl, and microwave until melted and smooth. Dip half of each clementine wedge into the melted chocolate, and place onto a baking sheet covered with wax paper. Sprinkle the chocolate-dipped half of each wedge with coarse salt. Chill clementines in the fridge until chocolate is set, about 20 minutes. Store tightly covered in the fridge.

*While peeling my clementines, I had to set aside a few wedges because they were too juicy. So in reality I used about 3 1/2 clementines. I had just enough chocolate to cover them. Depending on how thickly you coat your segments in chocolate, and on how many you need to set aside, you may want to add an extra tablespoon or two of chocolate chips to ensure you have enough to cover all of your clementine slices.