There’s nothing like chocolate to elevate the mood and I think it’s pretty safe to say that we all deserve a decent dose.

Now let’s get one thing straight: there’s chocolate, and then there’s chocolate. The good thing is, it can actually be really good for you. Cacao — the crowd-pleasing ingredient in chocolate — holds the highest record for magnesium over any other food on earth. It’s packed with vitamins and high in iron, calcium, potassium and zinc. And when you eat it, the body releases serotonin and endorphins which are known for making us happy and positive.

All you have to do to reap the health benefits is swap the processed, unnatural things for whole food ingredients. You’ll satisfy not only your taste buds but your body’s desire for nutrients too.

When we got in the kitchen with cacao, we didn’t stop at plain chocolate. We poured our Paleo Granola mix in to hit the classic fruit and nut vibe. This mix is a ballad of fruit, seeds and nuts including almonds, cranberries, macadamias, coconut, pistachios, goji berries and much more. Don’t even get me started on the nutritional perks of all that. Just some more healthy fats and antioxidants to convince you that this chocolate bark ditty has loads of nutritional perks.

This recipe will only take 10 minutes to prepare. Maybe 1 minute to eat.

Adjust it to suit your likings by making it darker or creamier. But so you know — the darker it is, the better it is for you.

So go, get creative, indulge yourself and quench those cacao cravings.

And if you don’t have our Paleo Granola on hand, ransack your pantry for whatever dried fruits and nuts you can find.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cacao butter
• 1 Tbsp coconut oil
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup or agave
• 2 Tbsp tahini
• 2 Tbsp cacao powder
• 2-4 Tbsp coconut cream (depending on whether you like your chocolate dark or creamy)
• Kitz Paleo Granola
• Pinch vanilla
• Pinch salt

Directions:

Finely chop your cacao butter. This will speed up the melting process.

To melt the cacao butter, take a medium to large bowl and half fill it with boiled water. Place a smaller glass bowl into the water, in which to melt the cacao butter and coconut oil. You can use a spoon or a whisk to stir it as this will also speed up the process.

When the cacao butter and coconut oil are liquified, remove from heat and add everything else except the fruit and nut mix.

Pour warm chocolate into a lined dish.

Sprinkle fruit and nuts into warm chocolate and tilt dish to semi-coat them.

Refrigerate until hard.

Serve from the freezer or fridge.