It seems like after school snacks and lunchbox foods are what make up the main part of my grocery budget these days, which means I’m always on the lookout for things I can make myself to avoid some of the cost of all that individually packaged kid food. One of the more popular snack options that I like to DIY are chocolate covered raisins.
Chocolate covered raisins are a semi-healthy snack that most kids seem to enjoy, but my goodness are they pricy. At my local Food City, a 6-pack of chocolate covered raisins is about $3.29. By purchasing a large package of plain raisins and using some of the chocolate chips that you probably already have on hand, you can make twice as many servings for a total cost of about $4. That might not sound like a big difference, but if you buy a couple of those 6-packs a month, you’ll spend an extra $30 a year in raisins before you even know it.
So benefit #1 is a modest amount of savings. Benefit #2 is that making your own raisins and putting them in reusable containers is way more eco-friendly than throwing away all that extra plastic and cardboard. Benefit #3 (and this is the big one for me) is that they taste way, waaaay better. I actually hate both raisins and hydrated raisins (grapes). But I love these homemade chocolate covered raisins! I make them with semi-sweet or dark chocolate, so there’s a nice contrast between the sweetness of the fruit and the bitterness of the chocolate.
Other awesome after school snacks:
Have I convinced you to try this recipe yet? I’ll even go ahead and throw out a fourth benefit: with only 3 ingredients, they are super simple to make and perfect for kiddos to help with. And it’s easy to throw some themed sprinkles on top to dress them up for a festive holiday treat.
Seriously, they are the best. If you let me keep going I’m sure I could add a couple more selling points.
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Supplies for this recipe:
- 2 1/2 cups raisins
- 3/4 cups chocolate chips
- 1/2 tsp vegetable, cannola, or melted coconut oil
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Line a large baking sheet with waxed paper. Set aside.
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Place the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and heat at 30 second intervals, stirring between, until melted and smooth. Stir in oil to thin chocolate. Add raisins and toss to coat.
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Spread chocolate covered raisins on prepared baking sheet and refrigerate for about 20 minutes. Store in an airtight container.
Ok, ok you’ve convinced me! I am a fellow raisin hater but if you say they taste good, I might just have to give them a chance 🙂
They do taste good! Hope you try them because they are surprisingly delicious.
I love raisings and everything is better with chocolate, this is the perfect snack
Everything is better with chocolate, agreed.
These look delish. I could snack on them often.
They are one of my favorite snacks!
Oh, one of my favorite snacks to munch on during the day. Have you ever tried dark chocolate?
Yes! It’s the best.
I love chocolate and yogurt coated raisins. I thought I was buying some a couple weeks ago but I was in a hurry and didn’t read the description well enough. They were almonds. So disappointing when I was in the mood for chocolate covered raisins, lol!
Ahhh! I love chocolate covered almonds, but if I thought I was getting raisins I would be disappointed too. It’s all about expectations!