Personalized Chocolate Clusters (to make with the kids!)

Kids are naturally curious and love to watch us work. Even in the kitchen!

That’s why getting your children involved in making recipes is such a great idea. It helps to develop their cooking skills, plus they’re sure to have fun (which isn’t always the case for us!). How proud they’ll be to cook something for themselves and enjoy the results!

This recipe for personalized chocolate clusters is a great way to get kids started in the kitchen. After all, what child could resist a chocolate treat? The goal here is to make cooking as fun and engaging as possible, and not to stress over a few spills so that the whole process is easy and stress-free for everyone. Kids will learn to build confidence in their abilities and will feel more at ease trying new things. Maybe they’ll even make a recipe all by themselves!

Here’s a quick guide to help you evaluate what tasks are age-appropriate for kids when it comes to making these delicious chocolate clusters. This is a rough guide only—remember you know your kids best!

As of 2 years:

Help with:

• washing fresh fruit
• placing garnish in muffin tins
• adding chocolate pieces to bowl before melting in microwave
• mixing chocolate with a spoon, with parental supervision

As of 3 years:

• Add garnish to muffin tins.
• Personalize chocolate clusters with their favourite toppings.

As of 4-5 years:

• Follow most recipe steps with parental supervision.

6 years and up:

• Read and follow the recipe, check off each preparation step, get ingredients from pantry, and complete the recipe mostly on their own.

No mater their age, getting kids involved in the kitchen is a great way teach them cooking skills—which will serve them well in life. Don’t forget to have them help with the dishes, too!  

Personalized Chocolate Clusters (to make with the kids!)

Preparation: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 2 minutes

Refrigerate: 60 minutes

Yields: 26 to 30 chocolate clusters

Equipment

1 large microwave-safe bowl
1 muffin tin or mini muffin tin with 12 to 24 cups (or individual bowls)
1 baking sheet
Parchment paper

Ingredients 

1½ cups (250g) milk-chocolate pieces (You can also use leftover Easter chocolate.)

A selection of 12 to 24 different garnishes (about 1-2 TBSP/15 to 30mL each). Place in muffin tin cups to avoid further mess. Examples include:

Nuts and seeds:

• Chopped peanuts
• Chopped or slivered almonds
• Chopped hazelnuts
• Chopped cashews
• Chopped walnuts
• Chopped pecans
• Sunflower seeds
• Pumpkin seeds
• Chia seeds
• Roasted soy seeds

Fresh fruit:

• Blueberries
• Grapes
• Raspberries
• Clementine wedges
• Blackberries
• Diced apple

Dried fruit:

• Cranberries
• Blueberries
• Raisins
• Sliced apricot
• Sliced mango
• Banana
• Shredded coconut or coconut chips

Candy:

• Roughly chopped cookies
• Popcorn
• Mini marshmallows
• Candy sprinkles

Preparation:

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. Add garnishes to each muffin tin cup. Set aside.
3. Add chocolate to microwave-safe bowl.
4. Place bowl in microwave and heat for 45 seconds, then stir with a fork. If not fully melted, heat again for 10 to 15 seconds until chocolate is fully melted.
5. Pour melted chocolate onto parchment paper with the help of a soup spoon, then lightly flatten each with the back of the spoon. Garnish with ingredients of choice. Repeat until all chocolate has been used and each cluster is well garnished.
6. Let harden, either 1 hour at room temperature or 15 minutes in the fridge.