Cherry, chocolate, and orange trail mix recipe

Free from filler ingredients and preservatives found in packaged trail mixes, this mixture of nuts, seeds, dried fruit, and dark chocolate is an easy-to-make and easy-to-pack power snack. The options for trail mix are endless, but we loved the combination of fragrant almonds, meaty walnuts, and crisp pepitas a nutrient-dense base for the exquisite pairing of dried cherries and dark chocolate. To tie everything together, we seasoned our mix with a hefty dose of orange zest, plus a touch of cinnamon to highlight the chocolate. Many packaged mixes will add cheap oil to help the seasonings adhere, but we found that stirring the seasonings into the mixture toward the end of roasting worked perfectly: the nuts and seeds came out of the oven marvelously fragrant, infused with the natural oils of the orange zest. (The variation employs lime zest and chili powder to similar effect.) you can substitute pistachios, cashews, peanuts, or hazelnuts for the almonds and/or walnuts, and dried cranberries for the cherries. Make sure the nuts and pepitas have cooled completely before adding the cherries and chocolate in step 3. We prefer the flavor of 70 percent dark chocolate chips in this recipe, though higher cacao percentages will also work (click here for more information).