Trail Mix Clusters

Trail Mix Clusters

I’m not the biggest fan of working out, but I do love walking and hiking.

There’s something so relaxing about mindlessly walking through nature, whether it be on a track at the local high school or on an actual trail somewhere on a mountain. Thankfully, there’s plenty of outdoorsy places for me to hike around here — it’s just a matter of bringing a friend along since I’m terrified (irrationally so) of mountain lions.

Call me crazy, but I feel like mountain lions are lurking around every corner. Like I’ll be minding my own business in the wilderness when suddenly one will pounce outta nowhere and I’ll be shredded to smithereens. While it isn’t likely to happen, I still enjoy having company. One, so they can fight the lion for me, and two, so we can talk and hang out together.

And did I mention that hiking is the perfect excuse to eat more? Hello, I should be refilling those calories I’m quickly expending, am I right?

Besides edamame, one of my favorite things to bring along on my hikes is trail mix. It’s a simple, go-figure kinda hiking snack, but man is it good! There’s something so incredibly satisfying about a perfect sweet and salty bite composed of mixed nuts, dried fruit and rich chocolate pieces. And nowadays there are SO many options for trail mix! There’s even some that are straight-up all candy… hey, that floats my boat juuuust fine :)

But today’s recipe focuses on trail mix without the mix part. These are convenient clusters of all that trail mix goodness and they are SO delicious! Much better than handfuls of store-bought stuff. The best part? You can totally customize your clusters to fit your needs and preferences. Don’t like dried fruit? Add more nuts. Dislike peanuts? Add more fruit. Add chia seeds for a nice healthy crunch, or substitute white chocolate for a different flavor. You could even disregard anything “healthy” whatsoever and top these with chopped candy bars. Who cares! The point is, they’re easy to make, easy to pack, and TOTALLY easy to eat!

Trail Mix Clusters 1

Enjoy!!

Trail Mix Clusters
 
I love these simple Trail Mix Clusters for great on-the-go snacks and energy, especially when hiking. Feel free to substitute the trail mix components with things YOU like to make these truly unique to your tastes.
Author:
Recipe type: Snacks
Serves: 24-36
Ingredients
  • 1 pkg Chocolate CandiQuik
  • Shredded coconut
  • Dried cranberries
  • Mixed nuts (I used almonds, cashews, pistachios and pecans)
  • Any other assorted toppings (chia seeds, other nuts, dried apricots, dried cherries, dried bananas, dried mango, M&M's, peanuts, Reese's Pieces, chocolate-covered raisins, etc)
Instructions
  1. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or foil. Set aside. Meanwhile, melt the CandiQuik according to package directions, or until smooth and melted.
  2. Drop heaping ¼ cup-sized portions of the CandiQuik onto the baking sheets, using a spoon to gently create a flattened circle of chocolate. Immediately top with an assortment of your trail mix toppings as you'd like. Allow the chocolate discs to cool before peeling off the pans and storing!
  3. *NOTE: I didn't use a specific measurement, as you can make these clusters as small or as large as you'd like! I simply used a serving spoon to measure it out to approximately ¼ cup-sized portions. Feel free to make them smaller by using a cookie dough scoop, or larger by using larger measuring spoons.*

 

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