Dark Chocolate Covered Blueberry Clusters

Contains:  Added sugar, potentially dairy (depends on your chocolate).  Is: Vegetarian, gluten-free, a dessert, quick and easy.

I remembered a friend telling me about melting chocolate over frozen blueberries and making a dessert.   So, briefly I surfed hither and yon, seeing lots of recipes using fresh blueberries and chocolate.  Nothing for making something like this with frozen berries.

But… I had frozen blueberries.  Several small bags of them, aliquoted out from a local blueberry farm.  All those recipes seemed to say always use FRESH ones.  There’s a reason for that as we shall see.   But…

There’s a way around that.  My friend stated she did her recipe using the berries while STILL frozen.  Don’t let them thaw.  DON’T use blueberries previously frozen in syrup, which alas includes a lot of the supermarket offerings.

So, anyhow, this is what I came up with, and yes, there’s potentially some waste-age at the end.  (But you the cook can nibble on that, it still tastes good even if it doesn’t cluster or present as well…)

Prep Time:  20 minutes
Cook Time:  3-5 minutes
Rest Time:  at least 20 minutes to set up in the fridge
Serves: About 12-20
Cuisine: Dessert
Leftovers:  Best by the second or third day

• 1 bag of 12 ounce / 340 grams chocolate chips, as dark (cacao amount) as possible, or as your guests will appreciate.  (Note potential dairy constituents if needed.)
• 2 tablespoons butter (or coconut oil or ghee).
• 10-11 ounces / 300 grams frozen blueberries, no sugar or syrup added to that package.  (Indeed these were self-frozen from fresh about six months ago.)

DO NOT pre-thaw the blueberries.  Or, you will have… mush.

Melt the chocolate and fat source together in either 1) a microwave in a microwave safe glass or ceramic container, or 2) over the cooktop using a pan or pot of simmering water into which you put a suitable container containing the chips and butter/coconut oil/ghee.

Dump the berries into a bowl.

Mix the chocolate with the butter or etc.

Pour/ladle the chocolate mixture over the berries, and mix immediately but gently.  The effectiveness of this will likely increase with repetition.   Before all the chocolate solidifies and all the blueberries melt, make tablespoonful sized clusters of berry/chocolate, and place on a pan (parchment paper lining may help).  You may need to use your fingers to break up clusters to more manageable portions.  You do need to work fast.

Place in fridge for at least 20 minutes, or overnight.  Serve chilled.

Yummers… and, a success at last week’s dinner.

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In the above recipe, I’ve changed the ratio of blueberry to chocolate from that which I actually used – in order to be more realistic about cluster-making.  Re-heating any extra chocolate is only marginally efficient and I discovered that pouring this extra over leftover blueberries did not exactly work.  Any remaining frozen berries had thawed, or more visually, had “melted”, making cluster formation problematic.  The process of freezing and thawing of blueberries makes their skins break down – so you do really have to “catch” blueberries to make these clusters while they are still frozen.

But if what you have are frozen ones, without “syrup”, give this a try!  (Sorry I keep reiterating that, but I mean it…)  Thank you, Katie!

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This recipe appears at:

• Full Plate Thursday
• Fiesta Friday (hosts Antonia @ Zoale.com and Liz @ Spades, Spatulas & Spoons)
• What’s For Dinner – Sunday Link Up
• Homestead Blog Hop

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