Dark Chocolate and Walnut Bars (Sugar-free)

These luscious and satisfying dark chocolate bars are sweetened with just a touch of stevia (the green natural powdered version) and dried currants and embellished with walnuts and edible flowers.
I know that many people don’t like to use stevia because it can taste a bit bitter and strong, BUT the secret to using this herb is to combine it with another ingredient that is naturally sweet, such as a sweet dried fruit, or another natural sweetener. The stevia will amplify the sweetness of the other ingredients.
You can easily scale up this recipe to make a larger batch and use your creativity to decorate it with other ingredients such as dried apricots, dates, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, etc.
(It is a good idea to chop larger pieces of ingredients into smaller pieces for even distribution over the melted chocolate spread.)

Ingredients:
6 oz. dark chocolate chips
(I used Pascha Organic Unsweetened Dark Chocolate Baking Chips 100% Cacao)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon green stevia powder*
1/8 teaspoon cardamom powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon powder
1 oz. walnuts, chopped
(You can substitute with other nuts such as pistachios or pecans)
1 oz. dried currants, or raisins (chopped)
Dried edible flower petals for garnishing

1. Place the chocolate chips in a double boiler and melt on low heat.

2. Gently stir the melted chocolate and add in the vanilla extract, stevia, cardamom, and cinnamon.

3. Place a parchment over a flat surface (or on top of a chopping board), then pour the melted
   ingredients onto the parchment and smooth over with a spatula to about 1/8” - 1/4” thickness.

4. Carefully distribute the chopped nuts and currants (or raisins) over the surface of the chocolate spread and then top with the flower petals.

5. Allow the coated chocolate to set in a cool dry spot on the kitchen counter.

6. When it is completely set, cut into bars of any size that you like.

7. Store in an airtight container.

   
   * Green stevia powder and dried rose petals can be found at:
   www.mountainroseherbs.com

   Note: I have no affiliations with any of the products recommended in this recipe.