CHOCOLATE BARK

Sheets of dark & white chocolate with a smattering of dried fruits & nuts, a perfect little treat to make this holiday season!

Chocolate has to be one of my favorite foods in the world! But not just any chocolate, for me the darker the better! I like my chocolate sweet but the bitter & bold taste of dark chocolate is what really makes me happy!

So this holiday season I decided to make some chocolate barks to gift to my friends since it's going to be a quiet holiday season at home. I made 2 different versions, one with white chocolate to curb those 3 PM sweet cravings and one with dark chocolate to feed the little kid inside of me! :D

Here's my recipe for chocolate barks! Hope you enjoy making and eating them this holiday season!

Ingredients

• parchment paper

• oil

Dark Chocolate Bark

• 200g dark chocolate, I used one that was 85% cocoa

• 100 g milk chocolate

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 25 - 40g chopped roasted almonds

• 25g dried sweetened cranberries

• 1 large navel orange zested

White Chocolate Bark

• 300g white chocolate

• 25 - 40g chopped toasted pistachios

• 10 - 15 dried rosebuds, just the petals

• ½ teaspoon salt

Utensils

• large deep pot

• 2 heatproof bowls

• 2 sheet pans lined with parchment & oiled

• silicone heatproof spatulas

Directions

Roast & chop the almonds & pistachios into large pieces. I cut each individual nut into 3 pieces. You want to cut the nuts in fairly large pieces so there is some bite in the bark.

Grate the orange zest making sure none of the white pith gets in and set aside.

Line the sheet trays with parchment paper and with a kitchen towel dipped in oil, lightly wipe the surface parchment so that the chocolate doesn't stick to the paper once cooled.

For the dark chocolate bark, chop up the dark & milk chocolate and place it in a heatproof bowl. In a large pot heat up water until it is boiling. Place the heatproof bowl over the water (ensuring the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water) and gently heat the chocolate to melt it. You essentially want to set up a double boiler to melt the chocolate very gently without scorching it. Stir occasionally to distribute the heat.

Once fully melted add in the salt & orange zest and mix well. Make sure you don't beat the chocolate vigorously, this may cause the fat in the chocolate to separate out.

Pour the chocolate onto the parchment-lined sheet pan and spread into an even layer. Make sure you don't spread this too thin or too thick, you're looking for a 0.25in thickness throughout.

Sprinkle on the almonds & cranberries and allow to set in the fridge for 20 - 30 minutes.

For the white chocolate, follow the same process as the dark, once the chocolate is melted add in the salt, mix and pour onto the parchment paper.

Sprinkle on the pistachios & rose petals and allow to set in the fridge for 20 - 30 minutes.

Once set the parchment should separate from the chocolate very easily. Using a sharp knife cut the chocolate into squares and store it in an airtight container in the fridge. I prefer breaking the chocolate into uneven pieces that have a rustic look to them.