Chocolate bark recipes are always fun and simple to make. Try any of the recipes below and you won’t be disappointed. All combine chocolate with dried fruit and nuts—just choose your nut and enjoy!
Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups walnuts, halved (about 6 oz)
8 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup Brownwood Acres Montmorency Dried Tart Cherries, coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp crystallized ginger, finely chopped
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the walnuts on a baking sheet and toast for 8 minutes, or until golden and fragrant. Let cool, coarsely chop. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or wax paper. Place chocolate in a double boiler over hot water. Stir often with a rubber spatula so it melts evenly. Remove the top pan and wipe dry. Stir in the remaining chocolate until thoroughly melted and smooth. Combine chocolate, walnuts, cherries and crystallized ginger in a bowl and stir until evenly coated. Scrape the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and spread it into a 12×8 inch rectangle. Refrigerate for 10 minutes, or until firm enough to cut.
Cut the bark into 48 pieces (6 by 8 rows) and transfer to a plate. Serve cold or at room temperature.
Yield: 48 pieces
Chocolate Bark with Dried Cherries and Pistachios
Adapted From EatingWell Magazine Fall 2003
Ingredients:
3/4 cup roasted, shelled pistachios (3 oz), coarsely chopped
3/4 cup Brownwood Acres Montmorency Dried Tart Cherries, chopped
1 tsp freshly grated orange zest
24 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped, divided
Directions:
Line the bottom and sides of a jelly-roll pan or baking sheet with foil. (Take care to avoid wrinkles.) Toss pistachios with the cherries in a medium bowl. Divide the mixture in half; stir orange zest into 1 portion.
Melt 18 ounces of the chocolate in a double boiler over hot water. Stir often with a rubber spatula so it melts evenly. Remove the top pan and wipe dry. Stir in the remaining 6 ounces chocolate, in 2 additions, until thoroughly melted and smooth.
Add the pistachio mixture containing the orange zest to the chocolate; stir to mix well. Working quickly, scrape the chocolate onto the prepared pan, spreading it to an even 1/4-inch thickness with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle the remaining pistachio mixture on top; gently press it into the chocolate with your fingertips. Refrigerate, uncovered, just until set, about 20 minutes.
Invert the pan onto a large cutting board. Remove the pan and peel off the foil. Using the tip of a sharp knife, score the chocolate lengthwise with 6 parallel lines. Break bark along the score lines. Break the strips of bark into 2- to 3-inch chunks.
TIP: Make ahead and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Yield: 4 dozen pieces
Chocolate Bark with Ginger, Dried Cherries and Pistachios
Adapted From Fine Cooking 101, September 3, 2009
Ingredients:
6 oz (1 cup) bittersweet dark chocolate, chopped (70% to 72% cacao)
2 oz (1 /3 cup) white chocolate, chopped (optional)
3 Tbsp chopped salted pistachios
3 Tbsp Brownwood Acres Montmorency Dried Tart Cherries
2 Tbsp chopped crystallized ginger
Directions:
Melt the chocolate in a double boiler over hot water. Stir often with a rubber spatula so it melts evenly. Remove the top pan and wipe dry. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat, parchment paper, or waxed paper. Spread the melted dark chocolate into an approximately 8×5-inch rectangle.
If using the white chocolate, melt it in the same manner as the dark chocolate and drizzle it in a zigzag pattern across the dark chocolate.
Sprinkle with the chopped pistachios, dried cherries, and ginger and press gently to set them into the chocolate. Chill in the refrigerator for 10 minutes. Break into pieces and serve. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.
Yield: 4 servings
