Barbell Dancer's 'Better-For-You Chocolate Crackles'

Health and fitness is about more than exercise: diet plays a massive part in your overall physique, wellness, fitness and general, all over health.

This is why the diet industry in Australia (and the world over) makes so much money with their exploitative programs and marketing that focuses on body shaming over wellness, as people know that diet forms a large part of how we look and feel, yet many people don't know where to start. 

A site I really enjoy reading called Everyday Feminism posted a fantastic comic on the subject in 2017: Why Every 'Scientifically-Proven Weight Loss Diet' Is Actually A Total Scam and it pretty much sums up the predatory diet industry, including who benefits from their 'programs', in nine panels.

If you're wanting advice about your diet or some guidance on weight-loss and/or healthy eating, then I urge you to contact a dietitian or nutritionist, who will be able to advise you safely and take into account your health, lifestyle and needs, including allergies and other dietary requirements, while assisting you to eat well. If you're not sure how to find a nutritionist or dietitian, then a good place to start could be (you guessed it) a trainer at your local gym. Any Personal Trainer qualified in Australia will have done work on nutrition and will be able to guide you on where to start, and should also be able to recommend you to a nutritionist for further assistance.

Now, before I go further, I will say that I have never tried (nor do I have any desire to try) any of the many diet programs that bombard our internet and television advertisements. Part of this comes from watching co-workers and family members (all of who had wonderful bodies and beautiful temperaments) yo-yo from diet to diet, becoming stressed, unhappy, hungry and snappish while they counted down to their next unfulfilling, tasteless meal, all while spending hundreds of hard-earned dollars on something they hated, chasing results that were never going to come. Part of it also comes from the fact that I have never liked the idea of being told what to eat and how to eat it: I enjoy cooking and I'd rather make my own meals, which I know I will enjoy and will fill me up, than cook to someone else's specifications with ingredients that don't terribly excite me. Some people say food should just be fuel, but I disagree: food should be enjoyed too - not to such an extent that it becomes unhealthy, but you should like what you're putting in your mouth.

Which is where my recipe for 'Better-For-You Chocolate Crackles' comes in.

Now, I have a sweet-tooth, it's one of my major weaknesses, but I've got better over the years and am starting to reign in my sugar intake. One of my greatest weaknesses is dark chocolate (the darker the better, at least 70% cocoa solids) and I could happily eat a whole block of that stuff and enjoy every bite.

But that would do nothing good for my body. Dark chocolate is better for you than milk or white chocolate, but eating too much of it (like anything) won't help you in the long term.

Something else I have a bad habit of doing is snacking. I get hit by quite intense sugar cravings at various times and have been known to stick a spoon into the brown sugar container and eat it (NOT GOOD!). A few weeks ago I decided I had to do something about my snacking habit, which would also help with my sugar cravings: I wanted to create a snack that was better for me than anything processed from the supermarket, simple to make, that I could make in bulk, and that had a bit a sweetness in it without being overloaded with sugar.

And, from there came 'Better-For-You' Chocolate Crackles! I deliberately haven't called them 'Good-For-You', as they still contain sugar (there are two types of sugar within rice bubbles [sugar and barley malt extract] and dark chocolate, by its nature, has some sugar in it) but they have less sugar than many supposedly 'healthy' snacks you can  buy from the supermarket. Also, these crackles don't use copha or butter, so have slightly less overall fat content than a regular chocolate crackle. However, they are still a snack and should be enjoyed in moderation. As the ancient Greek god Apollo once said: Medan Agan - Nothing in Excess.

​- Jewels

Barbell Dancer's 'Better-For-You' Chocolate Crackles

Ingredients

• 200g dark chocolate (I use at least 70% cocoa solids, but if you really can't stand it that dark, use 50% cocoa solids or above, as anything less than that will raise the sugar content of this recipe)
• 2.5 cups of Rice Bubbles (or other puffed rice cereal - plain)
• 1 cup of desiccated coconut
• 1/3 cup of pine nuts
• 1/3 cup of sunflower seeds
• 1/3 cup of pumpkin seeds

Cook Time: 5 - 10 minutes
Cooling Time: 2 hours minimum
Makes: 10 - 20 crackles, depending on the size of the patty pans

Method

1. Mix the rice bubbles, coconut, pine nuts, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds in a medium to large size bowl. Set aside.
2. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pot of boiling water until it is smooth.
3. Allow the chocolate to cool slightly before pouring it into the dry ingredients.
4. Mix together until well combined.
5. Scoop the mixture into patty pans. Depending on the size of your patty pans and how much mixture you put in, you should get at least ten crackles, I usually get about fifteen a time.
6. Place in the fridge for at least two hours to set.
7. Once they're set, you can store them in an airtight container in a dry, cool place (they don't need to be kept in the fridge). They'll last for about two weeks this way, if you don't eat them first!

​And there you have it. If you make these I'd love to know how they turn out for you. Drop me a line in the comments section below.