Chocolate Pomegranate Clusters
Simplify your holiday treat making with this easy two-ingredient recipe for Chocolate Pomegranate Clusters.Welcome to Day 10 of Home for the Holidays ... Gluten-Free Style. I have had a blast following this event and being a virtual guest in the homes of 25 food bloggers. Yesterday, over at Cook IT Allergy Free, Kim treated us to a Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Cinnamon Roll Cake and tomorrow the talented Brittany over at Real Sustenance will share one of her favorites—which I am sure will be divine. It has been a pretty tasty event!
If you have just joined us, here are the must-know details:
WHO: 25 gluten-free bloggers and host, Shirley of gluten free easily.
WHAT: Each sharing one recipe that means "home" and "holidays" to them.
WHEN: November 28 – December 23, 2011
WIN: Nearly 100 prizes are being given away—books, apps, magazine subscriptions, a shopping spree and the grand prize ... a Vitamix blender!!
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My mom, me, the best stepdad and dad anyone could ask for, my sister.When I reflect on Christmases of my childhood, "simplicity" comes to mind. There was nothing excessive about them—simple gifts, simple food. In retrospect, I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. "Simple" meant we could be out the door by 10 and spending the rest of the day at Hapuna Beach! And yes, Santa does travel to Hawaii by canoe.
This year I thought I would follow in the footsteps of my parents. I have scaled back on the demands I would usually place on myself. The wrapping of gifts, the cooking, the baking, the getting ready for company. This year, we are going back to "simple"—and I can't wait!
Today I am sharing a two-ingredient recipe for chocolate pomegranate clusters. It's one I make with my boys—a tradition we have started and one that now means "home" and "holiday" to me.
If you love pomegranates like my boys do, you'll love this recipe. You take a bite ... sweet, decadent chocolate melts in your mouth ... and then, that burst of bright and tangy pomegranate juice. They are quite the delight and oh-so pretty! The husband calls them chocolate covered bugs. Boys!
Oh and read Shirley's post here. She's actually toured a pomegranate orchard and has quite a few pomegranate recipes on her blog.
Chocolate Pomegranate Clusters
Gluten-Free | Casein-Free | Citrus-Free | Corn-Free | Dairy-Free | Egg-Free | Fish-Free | Nightshade-Free | Peanut-Free | Potato-Free | Rice-Free | Shellfish-Free | Soy-Free | Tree Nut-Free | Wheat-Free | Grain-Free | Sesame-Free | Yeast-free | GFCF | Vegetarian | Vegan
Makes: 20
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
1 cup CHOCOLATE CHIPS (Enjoy Life® are gluten-free, dairy-free and soy-free)
1 POMEGRANATE (I used POM Wonderful®)
Directions:
1. Slice pomegranate in half and then into quarters. Place in large bowl of water and soak 5 minutes. Begin to break pomegranate apart under water, allowing arils to fall to bottom of bowl. Remove rind and membranes. Remove seeds from bowl, picking out any debris. Place on a paper towel-lined plate and blot gently with more paper towels. Arils must be completely dry. Let me stress that again, completely dry. To ensure this, I leave them out to air dry further for a couple hours or place them on a plate in a barely heated oven (that has been turned off). Any residual moisture will prevent the chocolate from binding to the arils and the clusters will fall apart.
2. Line a mini muffin pan with 20 mini muffin cups/liners.
3. Pour chocolate chips into a heavy-duty zip top bag, shake down into one corner. Place in microwave and heat in 15-20 second intervals, removing each time to knead. Continue until chocolate is smooth and viscous. Squeeze chocolate down into one corner. Snip off a tiny corner to make a makeshift piping bag.
4. Drizzle chocolate into bottom of cups. Add a layer of pomegranate arils to each cup. Drizzle with more chocolate. Repeat so that you have four layers of chocolate and three layers of arils.
5. Allow to harden in a cool, dry place.
How to Remove Seeds (Arils) From a Pomegranate
Slice pomegranate in half (or quarters) and place in large bowl of water to soak for 5 minutes. Begin to break pomegranate apart under the water, allowing arils to fall to bottom of bowl. Remove rind and membranes. Remove seeds from bowl, picking out any bits of membrane. Place on a paper-towel lined plate and blot gently with more paper towels until arils are completely dry.
Gluten-Free Holiday Recipes
Check back daily for updates to list of Home for the Holidays ... Gluten-Free Style blog posts and the daily giveaways being hosted.
DAY 1 gfe–gluten free easily … Nutmeg Shortbread Flats
DAY 2 The WHOLE Gang … Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Toffee
DAY 3 Adventures of a Gluten-Free Mom … Gluten-Free Fritters
DAY 4 The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen
DAY 5 And Love it, Too!… GF, DF Chocolate Pecan “Toll House” Pie
DAY 6 Paleo Parents … Paleo Monkey Bread
DAY 7 She Let Them Eat Cake … GF, DF Candy Cane Ice Cream
DAY 8 Gluten Free For Good …Red Chile Enchilada Casserole
DAY 9 Cook IT Allergy Free … Cinnamon Bun Cake
DAY 10 Lexie at Lexie’s Kitchen ... the post you are reading
DAY 11 Real Sustenance ...Chocolate Cinnamon Babka Bread
DAY 12 Elana’s Pantry ... Gingerbread Apple Crisp
DAY 13 The Spunky Coconut ... Peanut Butter Pie
DAY 14 Diet, Dessert and Dogs ... Anti-Candida Mint Chocolate Truffles
DAY 15 The Daily Dietribe ... Cream Cheese Cookies
DAY 16 Gluten Free by Nature ... Pumpkin Chocolate Cookies
DAY 17 Jules Speaks Gluten Free ... Cinnamon Sticky Rolls (in the crockpot!)
DAY 18 Silvana’s Kitchen ... Pine Nut Cookies
DAY 19 Gluten-Free Cat ... Christmas Breakfast Casserole
DAY 20 Simply Gluten Free ... Eggs Florentine
DAY 21 Alisa Cooks ...Pumpkin Bread
DAY 22 The Gluten-Free Homemaker ... Cinnamon Rolls
DAY 23 Gluten Free Gigi ... Magical Seven-Layer Bars
DAY 24 Z’s Cup of Tea
DAY 25 Lillian’s Test Kitchen
DAY 26 gfe—gluten free easily
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If you have a blog and want to share your favorite gluten-free recipe that means “home” and “holidays” to you, please feel free to grab the badge for your post (kindly linking back to Home for the Holidays – Gluten free Style, of course)!
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Reader Comments (319)
We are staying local and having a g.f. dinner with friends!
I keep the shopping to a minimum. We stay home and watch old Christmas movies instead of going out.
mosiersue@me.com
I will definitely not be simplifying this year! I am turned my families famous candy cane cookies into a GF/DF addition.. and doing the same with our pizzels we make every year! It can't get much better than that! Thank you for the opportunity!
Reposted on my facebook page! :)
How am I "simplifying" the holidays this year? I am NOT! I LOVE this season, and it only comes once a year, so we embrace it! Even though our kids are in college it's nice when they return home and we celebrate the season. Boyfriends and girlfriends now join our family in many of our traditions. However, the one area that is off limits is the annual picture with Santa...once they marry into the family then they can join us on that one. Happy Holidays! :)
I'm a newly diagnosed celiac, so these will be my first gluten free holidays. I guess I will be making my life simpler by not eating things that make me sick. But I also need to figure out how to make myself some amazing gluten-free treats, so the process might not be that simple - but I'm up for the challenge :)
Lexie- I love how simple this recipe is! Sometimes simple is so much better. My holiday season will be pretty simple this year for the fact that I am not hosting Christmas, but I plan to help my sister with the cooking so technically maybe that's not considered simple. :). Anyway, enough of my ranting, thanks for the "simple" but delicious-looking recipe! I think this recipe would also be a nice treat at Valentine's Day.
Happy Holidays!
Megan
I shared this recipe on Facebook, tagging you. :)
I really need to work at simplifying the holidays! The dessert looks so amazing I might just bring it to the company pot luck!
Keeping it simple...or going to try. Every year I am frantic about getting the perfect Christmas card picture...this year I'm not doing it. Kids will be happy. I'm also trying to just keep gifts to a minimum...and focus on our family being together. :)
Just shared on facebook. :)
Posted on Facebook!
The hubby and I are simplifying the holidays by agreeing not to buy each other gifts. We're also staying home, I'm making lots of cookies to give away and we'll enjoy time with friends. Thank gosh for the ability to Skype family on Christmas day!
I shared this simple but delightful sounding recipe on my FB page! My daughter loves pulling the seeds out of pomegranates so we are going to have a blast trying these!
We're simplifying our holidays this year by asking the grandparents to give less "stuff" for gifts and more experience based gifts for our daughter.
I re-tweeted on Twitter! This looks fabulous...I can't wait to make these!!!
I am recently diagnosed (August) and have a severe wheat allergy as well so I am paranoid about being away from home and specifically worry about spending any length of time at my parents or my in laws. So, I'm not sure it qualifies as simplifying but we are going to limit our traveling which means hopefully we can avoid some of the pomp and circumstance of the holidays and avoid the mass amounts of wheat they consume...
I will be simplifying this year by baking with few ingredients and ones that I readily have on hand such as almond flour, Stevia, vanilla extract and organic dark chocolate. So all treats will require minimal preparation and be guilt free as well! This one fits the bill perfectly- thanks for sharing! :)
Shared on Facebook!
To simplify the holidays my extended family decided not to give gifts to each other this year. Instead we will all apply the money we would have spent toward getting together next summer for a family reunion.
I'm simplifying the holidays by doing a small handmade item as a mass gift this year instead of any gift exchanges. Excited to try this simple recipe and would love to win some cookbooks!!!
I'm simplifying by simply stressing less and taking life as it comes!
This is our 1st GF Christmas! In the last 7 months we've done LOTS of experimenting including different homemade all-purpose flour mixes. For all the traditional baking this Christmas, I've decided to just buy a good all-purpose mix to save time! Hope all my traditional cookies, goodies & breads come out as good as before GF!
Pomegranates have always been part of this holiday since I was a very little girl... I can't wait to make these and take them to share with my dad this Christmas. Two of his favorite things - together!
Posted on Facebook :}
We are simplifying by not traveling this holiday, we will be staying home and taking it easy.
I shared this on facebook.
We are "simplifying" Christmas by staying at home and spending it with family.
This year we are simplifying Christmas dinner and only making just enough food for four people so that there will be no waist. A small duck, some veg and a gluten-free Christmas pudding. Delicious and enjoyable for everyone.
I love your photos!
We are keeping Christmas simple by curbing the perfectionist motivation. What gets done gets done and what doesn't probably wasn't vital to the holiday anyways. I am really loving the gluten-free recipes and ideas! I am inspired!!!!! I have two pomegranates that are just waiting for this simple and lovely recipe. Thanks!
I posted to my Facebook page!
And to my Twitter account as well!!!
Ahh the simple life for us is not traveling this Christmas and only giving handmade goodies.
carriemak at aol dot com
Those pomegranate clusters are so beautiful for Christmas. My girls will love them. We dont try to hard yet to simplify because we love the traditions we have started.
I keep trying to simplify my holidays, but never seem to actually make it happen! I always find "one more recipe" that I just have to try.... I thought going GF would slow that down, but now I just have a whole new stack of recipe cards lined up across the kitchen counter! These pomegrante goodies are now printed out and the ingredients are on the shopping list. I love how they look like little red jewels drizzled in chocolate. mmmmmmmm
WOW! How simple can a recipe get. Will definitely make these. We plan to get together with family for dinner and each person is going to bring one dishe from the main course. How easy is that! Another awesome giveaway. Thanks and Merry Christmas.
I will be simplifying by using fresher ingredients. Everything will be gluten and dairy free, and there will be very few eggs seen
I had to share this site/post on facebook for all my friends who are gluten-free! This is a great site for all of us who are new to the gf/cf lifestyle, thank you.
http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=1550864181
bluebarn7@frontier.com
Ooh, those look really good! Pomegranates have a tendency to scare me off, though (same thing with coconuts).
I've gotten the GF Almond Flour Cookbook from the library and really like it; as a result I checked out the author's website and have bookmarked a bunch of her yummy recipes. Man, I would LOVE a Vitamix!
This year I pared down my Christmas letter to one page instead of TWO and ordered photo cards from cardstore.com (free addressing, shipping AND stamps!) to go along with them. The kiddos are just getting small gifts in their stockings and my extended family isn't exchanging gifts this year. It still feels just as crazy, though!
I am simplifying by not trying to do as much. Less decorating, less baking, etc.
Shared on Twitter! https://twitter.com/#!/karlitacat
I love this recipe!!! Its quick and simple. I am always looking for something to take to a friends house as a little treat. PERFECT! Thankyou
We're combining celebrations with different parts of the family to have more of a pot-luck celebration rather than one person hosting!
I plan on simplifying by making my gifts this year. i also plan on focusing on spending my time with our immediate family. These look great and I feel very confident making them.
Wow, these look amazing! Beautiful too!
We are simplifying by not decorating or getting a tree. Less waste and less time eaten up - we rather want to spend the time with family and loved ones!
Oooh! Those look amazing and I just bought a pomegranate this week. Perfect!
I'm with you on simplifying Christmas. I just want a silent night, a Christmas tree and my family...and baking...and skiing...and friends...see how easy it is to go from simple to overkill.
We are simplifying the holidays by assigning everyone to a specific dish to bring to the holiday party so it's less preparation for all of us
I also stumbled this!
Shared on Facebook.
This sounds so delish....cannot wait to make & try this treat with my kids!