Cranberry Salted Chocolate Haystacks

with roasted pepitas … These easy crunchy chocolaty treats are a healthier take on the traditional haystacks, but you would never guess it from the taste! All you do to make these festive treats is melt the chocolate, then stir in some crunchy stick-shaped fiber cereal along with dried cranberries and pepitas (pumpkin seeds) for a yummy holiday twist. A little sprinkle of flaky sea salt on top is all you need for a super satisfying yet healthier holiday treat.

I came up with the idea for these delights one day when I was munching on a little “snack mix” I’d made from Fiber One cereal, dried cranberries, roasted pepitas and Lily’s Salted Caramel Chocolate Chips (sweetened with Stevia). Once I’d tried the Fiber One cereal (that I bought on a whim, to help keep my digestive system on track), I couldn’t help but think, “this would be great dipped in chocolate”. To give it a try, I started out with the snack mix, which definitely convinced me that dipping it in chocolate would be a WAY more fun way to get my fiber in.

So I decided to make haystacks, but I used the Fiber One stick-shaped cereal in place of the chow mein noodles that people typically use for Haystacks. Take it one step healthier by using Lily’s Salted Caramel Chocolate Chips (sweetened with stevia)! I used a mix of dark chocolate and the salted caramel chocolate chips because I wasn’t sure how well the Lily’s chips would melt on their own, but I really do think it’d work just fine with all Lily’s chips.

Using cereal in place of chow mein noodles?

Using fiber cereal in place of the chow mein noodles that most people use for haystacks makes SO much sense! First of all, there’s a really nice crunch factor … and we all want some good crunch in our haystacks, right? Plus, using fiber cereal really ups the fiber content and lowers the net carbs. To keep your energy level at a nice even level all day and your digestive system functioning properly, fiber is critical. When you’re eating lots of sugar and empty carbs (like so many of us do during the holidays), your energy level turns into a nightmare of ups and downs, which is horrible for your glucose levels, sets you up to gain weight and increases the risk of diabetes.

BUT if you eat healthier treats like this when you’re craving a holiday treat, you’re much more likely to keep your energy level on an even keel, keep your weight in check and fend off diabetes (if it hasn’t already crept into your life). It’s also better than abstaining from sweets altogether, because then you’re more likely to go on a sweets binge.

If you are diabetic, you can easily adjust this recipe to be TOTALLY diabetic friendly : simply use sugar free chocolate chips and no-sugar added dried cranberries.

If you don’t have or cannot find Lily’s salted caramel chocolate chips, feel free to substitute your favorite chips. Dark chocolate is the healthier option, but if you must, go for the semi sweet.

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I had to calculate the nutrition using dark chocolate chips (not sugar-free chocolate chips), so if you do use the sugar-free chocolate chips as recommended, the carbs and calories should be much lower and definitely diabetic friendly. Use no-sugar-added dried cranberries to lower carbs even more.

Looking for more healthier holiday treat ideas?

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• Lemon Greek Yogurt Mini Cheesecakes
• Chocolate Cherry Zucchini Bread
• Healthier Mini Monster Cookies
• Honey Peanut Butter Oat Cookies
• Cranberry Lemon Ricotta Cookies (Sugar Free)
• Funky Monkey Energy Bites
• Peanut Butter Pumpkin Energy Bites
• Fudgy Butternut Brownies
• Toffee Crunch Popcorn