Christmas fruit ‘n’ nut chocolate bark recipe
Babyologists, we’re about to dish up your new go-to recipe when you need to whip up something quick, tasty, and a little bit special. Presenting chocolate bark, the dead easy way.
This recipe is so easy that it feels like cheating to even call it a recipe. Even better, it’s very flexible. You can use any kind of chocolate and any toppings that you like – or that you have on hand at the time. It can easily be scaled up or down to feed more or less people. It looks great and gives the appearance of effort without actually requiring much – in short, our favourite kind of recipe!
Ingredients
(All quantities are approximate, and you can swap these ingredients for any toppings of your choice)
2 cups (350g) chocolate
1/2 cup nuts (whole or chopped is fine, though we prefer chopped)
1/2 cup dried fruit (chopped if the fruit is large)
1/2 cup of seeds or desiccated coconut
Method
- Line a baking sheet with cling wrap or baking paper.
- Break the chocolate into small pieces and place in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave until melted, stirring every 30 seconds to prevent overheating. Stir until the chocolate is fluid and free of lumps. You can also melt the chocolate using the traditional bain-marie (water bath) method on the stove top.
- Pour the melted chocolate onto the prepared baking sheet, and smooth into a thin, even layer.
- Sprinkle the dry ingredients evenly over top, and press gently into the chocolate.
- Place in the fridge to cool down and set. This should take about 30 minutes.
- Once set, break the bark into irregular pieces.
The bark will keep for at least a week, and probably more, if kept in an airtight container, although Marcelle’s has never lasted long enough to put it to the test!
There are so many variations on this. For dried fruit you could use cranberries, raisins, chopped apricots, craisins or goji berries. You could also include walnuts, pecans, almonds, peanuts and hazelnuts, as well as sunflower seeds, pepitas and dried coconut.
Another great thing about this recipe is that you can tailor it to special occasions throughout the year. At Easter you can make it with white chocolate and crispy chocolate candies, or for Christmas, a yummy peppermint version using crushed candy canes and dark chocolate.
A nicely wrapped package of chocolate bark also makes a great gift, at any time of year.
The only disadvantage is that this never lasts long enough and little hands will be grabbing at it as soon as it’s ready to serve!