Hi guys!
I want to share one of my favorite ways to spread the love around the holidays, and whip up something super special, in a hurry. Also, doesn’t require any baking, so on a scale from easy to Martha, anybody can do this!
The beauty of chocolate bark is that you can personalize it by adding your favorite nuts, dried fruit, peppermints, pretzels – the options are endless. I chose to add roasted pistachios (😍), dried tart cherries, apricots, and coarse pink Himalayan salt to take this dark chocolate bark to the next level. That perfect bite with the tangy cherries, crunchy pistachio, coarse salt, and rich chocolate hits all the right notes!
The easiest way to get a really glossy, shiny finish to your chocolate is to heat 2/3 of the chocolate over a double boiler, until just melted. Then you take the chocolate off the heat and add the remaining 1/3 of chocolate, stirring for a couple minutes until it melts in. This cools down the overall temperature, which keeps the chocolate super shiny and beautiful when it sets.
Did you make the recipe? Let me know how yours turns out by commenting below, and remember to tag your pics on Instagram with #lionsbread 🙂
Dark Chocolate Bark w/Cherries, Pistachios, Apricots, + Pink Salt
The perfect holiday bite | Rich Dark Chocolate Bark studded with tart cherries, roasted pistachios, sweet apricots, and sourced Himalayan pink salt
Ingredients
- 12-14 oz really good dark chocolate (at least 70% cacao)
- 3/4 c roasted unsalted pistachio, shelled
- 1/2 c dried tart cherries
- 1/2 c dried apricots, chopped
- 2 tsp coarse (slightly crushed) sourced Himalayan pink salt
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Draw a 8″ x 10″ rectangle on a piece of parchment paper, and place it on a rimmed baking sheet, pencil side down. Spread the pistachios on the baking sheet, and roast in the oven for about 12-15 minutes until they smell nutty and slightly golden brown. Set pistachios aside to cool, but keep the parchment on the baking sheet.
- Step 2 Roughly chop the chocolate. Fill a saucepan with 2 inches of water, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Place only 2/3 of the chopped chocolate in a heatproof (I use stainless steel) mixing bowl, and place the the bowl on top of the pot of simmering water. The bowl should be totally covering the top of the pot, so that no steam comes out. Use a rubber spatula to gently stir the chocolate as it melts, and remove from the heat as soon as it has just melted. Add remaining 1/3 chopped chocolate to the melted chocolate, and stir until smooth and glossy.
- Step 3 Pour the melted chocolate into the rectangle on the parchment lined baking sheet. Use a spatula to spread into an even layer. Quickly add the roasted pistachios, dried cherries, roughly chopped dried apricots, and sprinkle the pink salt. Allow to cool and set for at least 2 hours. Chop into large shards, and enjoy! Wrap up this dark chocolate bark in small cellophane bags for a beautiful gift, or serve as a super easy dessert alongside espresso after a dinner party.