Chocolate Salami

No, it’s not actually salami! This fun dessert is made with chocolate, nuts, cookies, and cranberries rolled into a sausage-like log. When cut, it looks like salami slices. Perfect for a holiday cookie board.

On the Ingredients:

Dark chocolate has all kinds of proven health benefits dark chocolate. For instance, did you know that chocolate is actually very nutritious? A 100-gram bar of dark chocolate with 70–85% cocoa contains something like 11 grams of fiber, 67% of the RDI for iron, 58% of the RDI for magnesium, 89% of the RDI for copper, 98% of the RDI for manganese. It also has plenty of potassium, phosphorus, zinc, and selenium. Chocolate is also a powerful antioxidant, filled with organic compounds like polyphenols, flavanols, and catechins. Some studies show chocolate may help improve blood flow and lower blood pressure. There’s also a possibility that it reduces the risk of heart disease. Heck, dark chocolate might even make you smarter because cocoa contains stimulant substances like caffeine and theobromine, which can improve brain function in the short term.
Nuts are a good source of protein, healthy fats, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Some varieties are higher in nutrients than others, and the carb load also depends, though generally they are safe for a low carb diet. (Read more about the health benefits.)
Dried Cranberries have a lot of great health benefits, but because of their very tart flavor, they’re often paired with lots of sugar. You want to make sure you’re getting a brand that uses apple juice to sweeten them (like those in our bulk department) rather than sugar. Cranberries are well known for having unique plant compounds that may help prevent UTIs, but they also have lots of vitamins C, E, and K1, plus copper and Manganese. Cranberries also have a lot of antioxidants which are mainly concentrated in the skin, and therefore get lost in the ever-popular juice. (More on the health benefits).

Recipe Notes and Substitutions:

You can use any combination of nuts and dried fruit. Candied ginger would also be a great addition. Just make sure the volume is the same, and have fun!

Chocolate Salami

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Rest Time

minutes

Total time

hours

minutes

Ingredients

10 oz bittersweet chocolate chips OR Lily’s no-sugar-added baking chips
1/2 cup butter
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup toasted almonds
1/4 cup shelled pistachios
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup crunchy vanilla cookies
1 tbsp fresh grated orange zest
2 tbsp powdered sugar OR powdered Swerve

Directions

Set up a double boiler and melt the chocolate and butter together. Remove from the heat and stir in the cocoa powder until smooth. In a separate bowl, beat together the heavy cream and eggs. Add to the chocolate in three batches, mixing thoroughly between each. Add the vanilla and stir once more.
Chop the toasted almonds and pistachios into small pieces (about the size of rice grains). Crumble the cookie into pieces 1/2 inch or smaller. Cut the cranberries in half. Add the chopped nuts, cookies, cranberries, and orange zest to the chocolate and mix until thoroughly combined. Place the mixture in the fridge for 20-30 minutes until it is firm enough to shape into a log, but no firmer.
Divide the mixture in two and set half aside. Place a piece of plastic wrap on a work surface and put half the chocolate on it. Use your hands to form the mixture into a log shape, roughly 6" long and 2.5" thick. Wrap the plastic tightly around the log and twist the ends snuggly to squeeze in the shape. Roll the log on the work surface several times to even out the size. Repeat with the second portion. Place both logs in the refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight.
When it’s time to serve, unwrap from the plastic and roll in powdered sugar until it’s coated. Shake off any excess sugar. Let the salamis sit out for 15 minutes, then cut carefully into 1/4" thick slices. Serve and enjoy!