Black and White Chocolate Bark December 11
Homemade treats are great gifts for the holidays, whether you want to bake cookies or make candies. One of the easiest - and tastiest - treats to make is chocolate bark. Chocolate bark, in its simplest form, is a relatively thin sheet of chocolate studded with nuts, dried fruits or even candies. The sheet of bark is set and then broken into uneven pieces to package and serve.
It’s called “bark” because, when made with milk or dark chocolate, the shards look a bit like tree bark. You can make it with just about any kind of chocolate, though. I really like to use a combination of white chocolate and dark chocolate. The two chocolates can be layered or swirled together to give each bite a bit of each flavor and a good balance overall. I topped this bark off with pistachios and dried cranberries for a holiday look. You can use any kind of nuts or dried fruits you like. Roasted and lightly salted nuts are going to give you the greatest depth of flavor.
To make the bar, all you need is a nonstick surface on which to spread out the chocolate. Parchment and wax paper both work very well, but I generally use my silpat for chocolate work. The melted chocolate can be spread out with a knife or a spatula and should be about 1/8th inch thick. Feel free to make a double batch if you want to make it thicker or want to serve a crowd.
Choose good quality chocolate for this bark, since chocolate is the main ingredient. I used Guittard White Chocolate and Guittard Bittersweet Chocolate for this batch. Make sure that when you choose chocolate - especially with the white chocolate - that you look for something made with real cocoa butter and not vegetable oils.
Black and White Chocolate Bark
2 cups white chocolate, chopped
1 cup dark chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup dried cranberries
3/4 cup toasted, chopped pistachios
Lay out a piece of parchment paper or a silpat on a baking sheet.
In a medium-sized microwave safe bowl, melt the white chocolate (heating in 30-60 second intervals and stirring frequently until smooth). In a small-sized microwave safe bowl, melt the dark chocolate.
Pour the white chocolate onto the prepared parchment paper and spread out slightly. Drizzle the dark chocolate over the top and gently smooth the chocolate into an even layer. Chocolate should be about 8×8-inches.
Sprinkle nuts and dried fruits on top of chocolate and place baking sheet in the refrigerator until chocolate is set.
Break up into pieces before serving.
Serves 8
Jen Dec 11
I love making chocolate goodies like this. Yours looks wonderful.
Kris Dec 11
Wow - looks so easy! With a busy schedule and time running out, this looks like a perfect homemade Christmas gift. Thanks.
Em Dec 11
what brand of chocolate would you suggest using for this?
Nicole Dec 11
Em - I used Guittard chocolate, both white and bittersweet/dark for this batch of bark. I love their stuff!
CookiePie Dec 12
They’re so pretty! What a lovely gift idea.
Namratha Dec 12
Looks very pretty!
Megan Dec 13
I have been planning to make dark/white chocolate bark candy for holiday gifts this year. The pistachio and cranberry sounds like the perfect accompaniment! YUM!
Maya Dec 14
A great tasting and quick gift!
muddywaters Dec 15
This looks greats. My wife would be very happy if I made this. Thanks for taking the time to share.
chenboon Dec 18
Interesting sharing, it looks great.
My family, friends and I will have potluck this Saturday and I think this is a great door gift for my visitors.
Thanks for sharing.
Jamie - Mac Games Jan 6
hello everyone..!! it seems very delicious.. and it won’t take too much time to prepare them.. thanx Nicole..
Leo - Window Jan 9
it looks so intriguing
fortunately i have all teh necessary ingredients so i’m busy right now preparing it..
Hayden Jan 26
Sometimes it seems to me, that I can’t live without chocolate, it makes me work harder and give nice mood! in this pic it looks especially tasty and seductive! mmm…
Takis mpalaskas Jun 2
Wow .. This looks yummy! .. I am gonna make it for my mom
Thanks
RG
Andrew Driver Jul 20
Oh… Very delicious pic and recipe… Chocolate is my favourite, can’t live without it. I’ll ask my wife to cook this bark =)