3 Good-for-You Dark Chocolate Desserts

How can you enjoy the chocolate you crave without having to unwrap a single candy bar? Homemade dark chocolate treats are fun, easy to make and full of healthy antioxidants. Shira Bocar shares a couple of her favorite tips in this video. All of these ideas are perfect for Valentine's Day!

Chocolate truffles are super easy to make at home, and dark chocolate is a heart healthy choice. When making the chocolate mixture of melted dark chocolate, water, vanilla extract and a pinch of sea salt, Shira reveals a simple vegan swap, replacing heavy cream with coconut oil. Transfer the mixture to a baking dish and chill in the refrigerator for two hours. After chilling the chocolate, use an ice cream scoop or teaspoon measure to create perfect balls. The trick is to not allow the chocolate to warm up too much. If it does get soft, just pop it back into the refrigerator to harden it. Try rolling your truffles in cocoa powder, chopped pistachios, chopped almonds or toasted coconut!

You need only three ingredients to make dark chocolate-pistachio bark! Choose a chocolate that's at least 70 percent cocoa to really take advantage of its health benefits. The higher the cocoa content, the less sugar the chocolate contains. Pour melted chocolate into a baking dish and smooth the surface with a spatula. Then sprinkle with chopped pistachios and sea salt, and let it chill in the fridge.

Chocolate-dipped cherries are another simple and delicious dark chocolate treat! All you need are washed and dried cherries and dark chocolate. Melt the chocolate, dip the cherries, set them on a sheet pan over parchment paper and let them cool. You'll know they're ready when they come off the pan easily.

Watch the video above to learn how to make these three easy and healthy dark chocolate treats, perfect for Valentine's Day!

Image Credit: Martha Stewart