Chocolate Dipped Dried Pears

Wow!

Talk about a party favor!!

I was inspired to create these gorgeous treats from a Delicious Living Magazine photo I glanced at while shopping at a local health food store. I grabbed my favorite bag of semi-sweet chips, stopped by Guido's for the most succulent dried pears on earth, and went to work. These were the hit of the party, and the whole process took less than an hour to make with very little clean-up.

Chocolate Dipped Dried Pears

1 bag of ~20 dried pears from Guido's (sliced in half vertically)

1 bag Enjoy Life semi-sweet chocolate chips (gluten, dairy and soy-free)

~1/2 cup hazelnuts, pistachios or almonds, chopped

Hand chop and lightly salt nuts. Preheat skillet over medium-high heat. Roast in a dry pan, stirring constantly, until fragrant but not burned, about 1-2 minutes. Set aside in a small bowl.

Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Lay out halved pears on parchment.

Using the lowest burner setting or a double boiler, melt the chocolate and stir until silky-smooth.

One at a time, dip a halved pear halfway into the melted chocolate. Shake off excess chocolate and place onto parchment paper. Sprinkle lightly with nuts. Repeat until all pears have been dipped. 

Once finished, mix the leftover nuts (and shredded coconut if you wish) into the remaining chocolate to make "chocolate stacks" or find other dried items to dip. Dried strawberries, apricots, or pineapple would be fabulous!

Or just lick the pan. . .

Let dry and harden in a cool place, remove from parchment and arrange artfully on your favorite platter.

Enjoy beautifully.

Recipe concept and photo from Delicious Living Magazine, 

http://deliciousliving.com/recipes/8-party-recipes-dried-fruit#slide-0-field_images-288051