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For many, enjoying a small indulgence can serve as a reward for a job well done or a mood-boosting pick-me-up. In fact, mindful snacking is on-trend for a majority of consumers.

According to Mondelez International’s Fourth Annual State of Snacking Global Consumer Trends Study, 78% are choosing small indulgences to pamper themselves and 68% are checking nutrition labels on snacks.

With today’s changing palates and the growing demand for sour, less sweet foods and beverages, a superfruit like tart cherries can help snackers permissibly indulge without the guilt. Primarily grown on small family farms in the United States, Montmorency tart cherries — also referred to as sour cherries — are available year-round in dried, juice and juice concentrate, canned and frozen forms.

While increasingly featured in functional beverages and health-positioned foods, tart cherries can also add drool-worthy flavor to superfruit-infused snacks, such as these Tart Cherry Brownie Bites. Plus, using tart cherries as a favorite ingredient in recipes like this adds a health halo to sweets — reinforcing the trend of permissible indulgences.

 

Tart Cherry Brownie Bites

Prep time: 10 minutes
Yield: 12 bites

Ingredients

10 medjool dates, pitted
1/2 cup dried tart cherries
1/4 cup walnuts
2 tablespoons rolled oats
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tablespoon chia or hemp seeds (optional)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons peanut or almond butter
4 tablespoons tart cherry juice
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
Cocoa powder (optional)
Melted chocolate (optional)

Directions

In bowl of food processor, combine dates; dried tart cherries; walnuts; oats; cocoa powder; seeds, if desired; salt; and nut butter. Pulse 30 to 60 seconds until ingredients are ground into tiny pieces.

Add tart cherry juice in 1 tablespoon additions, pulsing mixture after each addition, until crumbly dough forms.

Transfer dough to bowl and fold in chocolate chips.

Roll dough into 12 balls. Serve plain or finish balls with dusting of cocoa powder or drizzle of melted chocolate, if desired.

— Recipe courtesy of Hannah Zimmerman of Bite Sized Studio on behalf of the U.S. Tart Cherry Industry